What we do
The Dukes Lab studies how people are affecting Earth. Researchers in the lab study how ecosystems respond to environmental disruptions such as climate change and invasive species, and also conduct more basic research to better characterize how species and ecosystems work. Researchers most frequently study plants and microbes, and use experiments and models to ask questions across a wide variety of subdisciplines, including ecophysiology; community, ecosystem, and global ecology; and biogeochemistry. Ultimately, the laboratory seeks to help people better understand how particular actions and choices are likely to influence the environment.