Sarah K. Ortiz, Ph.D.
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Colorado State University in Fort Collins working with Dr. Anping Chen and Dr. Alan Knapp. The focus of my research broadly centers around understanding how biotic and abiotic factors modulate species interactions and how these interactions, in turn, influence ecosystem functioning across scales in grassland systems through the lens of functional traits. My research incorporates a wide range of methodologies such as observational and experimental fieldwork, greenhouse studies, and statistical modeling to expand and make connections across biological scales.
Research Interests
Global change drivers such as climate change and biodiversity loss are altering the structure and function of plant communities, with cascading effects on ecosystem processes. While these shifts are often studied at the community or ecosystem level, they frequently begin through changes in species interactions, critical linkages that regulate population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem functioning. Thus, much of my research explores how abiotic and biotic factors shape species interactions and how these interactions scale up to influence ecosystem functioning.
I use primarily two complementary systems to explore this question: (1) interactions involving nitrogen-fixing plants and their influence on community and ecosystem dynamics, and (2) the role of plant functional traits in mediating biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Together, these systems enable a multi-scale investigation of how species interactions, from the microbial to the community level, mediate responses to global change.​​​