Leland K Werden - Restoration Ecologist on Strikingly

Interests
Restoration ecology | Ecophysiology | Tropical and temperate forests | Ecosystem Ecology | Biogeochemistry | Ex situ conservation | UAS technology

Forests have been extensively degraded worldwide and intergovernmental initiatives have set ambitious targets to reforest millions of hectares over the next decade. To ensure these efforts succeed further effort must be made to integrate ecological theory with restoration practice. I focus on bridging this gap by using restoration experiments to advance ecological theory and improve restoration outcomes.

To develop climate-resilient conservation and sustainable management tools, my work integrates plant functional ecology, ecophysiology, and biogeochemistry with large field experiments and statistical modeling. I conduct my research in direct collaboration with restoration practitioners. This has led to the development of restoration best practices and helped to integrate ecological theory into restoration practice.

See more on my CV or Google scholar profile. Click here for an video of me discussing my work on ThinkTech Hawaii.
Research Areas
Developing tools to restore tropical dry forests
Costa Rica
In collaboration with Estación Experimental Forestal Horizontes, I have developed projects using native trees to restore degraded tropical dry forests. Results thus far have enabled us to determine which tree species are suitable for restoration plantings on degraded Vertisol soils, and that ecophysiological functional traits are the best predictors of seedling performance. With these results in hand we used a functional trait-driven approach to design species mixes for 6-hectares of restoration planting which we are using to test successional and restoration theory. Haga clic aquí para una descripción en español.
Determining the impacts of abiotic conditions on restoration outcomes
Costa Rica and Hawai’i
I am currently undertaking projects focused on uncovering how abiotic conditions at reintroduction and restoration sites contribute to outcomes of Costa Rican restorations and endangered Hawaiian plant reintroductions. The goal of these projects is not only to improve restoration practice, but also to further the understanding of how environmental filtering impacts plant establishment and persistence in degraded environments.
Using UAVs for ecosystem and wildlife monitoring
Costa Rica and Minnesota
As part of an interdisciplinary team I have helped to develop best-practice guidelines for observing wildlife with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Additionally, I am currently using UAVs to collect aerial imagery of secondary forests in Costa Rica to track forest regeneration and dynamics.
Recent Publications
For a complete list of my publications see my Google scholar profile or CV.

Using large-scale tropical dry forest restoration to test successional theory
Leland K. Werden, Erick Calderón‐Morales, Pedro Alvarado J., Milena Gutiérrez L., Derek A. Nedveck, Jennifer S. Powers. 2020. Ecological Applications. In press.
Ex situ conservation of threatened plant species in island biodiversity hotspots: a case study from Hawai’i **click here for U Hawai’i news article
Leland K. Werden, Nellie C. Sugii, Lauren Weisenberger, Matthew J. Keir, Gregory Koob, Rakan A. Zahawi. 2020. Current Biology 243.
Edaphic factors, successional status, and functional traits drive habitat associations of trees in naturally regenerating tropical dry forests **click here for a summary
Leland K. Werden, Justin M. Becknell, Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Functional Ecology 32 (12): 2766-2776.
Using soil amendments and plant functional traits to select native tropical dry forest species for the restoration of degraded Vertisols **click here for Minnesota Daily article
Leland K. Werden, Pedro Alvarado J., Sebastian Zarges, Erick Calderón M., Erik M. Schilling, Milena Gutiérrez L., Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Journal of Applied Ecology 55 (2): 1019-1028.
Tropical dry forest trees and lianas differ in leaf economic spectrum traits but have overlapping water-use strategies
Leland K. Werden, Bonnie G. Waring, Christina M. Smith-Martin, C.M., Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Tree Physiology 38 (4): 517-530.
Low-cost agricultural waste accelerates tropical forest regeneration
Timothy L. H. Treuer, Jonathan J. Choi, Daniel H. Janzen, Winnie Hallwachs, Daniel Peréz-Aviles, Andrew P. Dobson, Jennifer S. Powers, Laura C. Shanks, Leland K. Werden, David S. Wilcove. 2018. Restoration Ecology 26 (2): 275-283.
Bears Show a Physiological but Limited Behavioral Response to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Mark A. Ditmer, John B. Vincent, Leland K. Werden, Jessie C. Tanner, Timothy G. Laske, Paul A. Iaizzo, David L. Garshelis, John R. Fieberg. 2015. Current Biology 25: 1-6.
Media Coverage
"Study finds bears react, then habituate, to drones"

Mongabay -- January 29, 2019.
"Finding a recipe for forest restoration"

University of Minnesota Press release -- September 22nd, 2017
"Re-peeling the effects of degradation: low-tech application of orange crop waste shows potential to restore tropical forests"

Mongabay -- August 25, 2017
"Drones could be stressing out wildlife, scientists suggest"

Washington Post -- August 13, 2015.
Mentorship and Collaboration ..........
I am excited to connect with students interested in tropical restoration! Feel free to send me an e-mail if you are looking for projects to work on, or if you have any questions about what it is like to do restoration research.

I also collaborate with restoration practitioners with the goal of integrating ecological theory into applied restoration practice. Please contact me if you are looking for collaborators on forest restoration projects.
Outreach
I develop and implement outreach activities that engage with a wide range of audiences. In collaboration with Estación Experimental Forestal Horizontes I lead interactive field trips to restoration sites in English and Spanish for university faculty, college and high school students, and restoration and forestry professionals.

To share my passion for forest restoration and ecophysiology with the general public, I co-designed and co-led sessions for Market Science, a volunteer organization that creates and teaches hands-on science curricula in Minnesota with the goal of making science exciting and accessible.

I have also edited the blog for the NSF-funded PARTNERS (People and Reforestation in the Tropics, a Network for Education, Research, and Synthesis) Research Coordination Network. Check it out!
Contact

lwerden@gmail.com
Linkedin
@lelandwerden

Interests

Restoration ecology | Ecophysiology | Tropical and temperate forests | Ecosystem Ecology | Biogeochemistry | Ex situ conservation | UAS technology

Research Areas

Developing tools to restore tropical dry forests

Costa Rica

Determining the impacts of abiotic conditions on restoration outcomes

Costa Rica and Hawai’i

Using UAVs for ecosystem and wildlife monitoring

Costa Rica and Minnesota

Recent Publications

For a complete list of my publications see my Google scholar profile or CV.

Using large-scale tropical dry forest restoration to test successional theory

Leland K. Werden, Erick Calderón‐Morales, Pedro Alvarado J., Milena Gutiérrez L., Derek A. Nedveck, Jennifer S. Powers. 2020. Ecological Applications. In press.

Ex situ conservation of threatened plant species in island biodiversity hotspots: a case study from Hawai’i ***click here for U Hawai’i news article*

Leland K. Werden, Nellie C. Sugii, Lauren Weisenberger, Matthew J. Keir, Gregory Koob, Rakan A. Zahawi. 2020. Current Biology 243.

Edaphic factors, successional status, and functional traits drive habitat associations of trees in naturally regenerating tropical dry forests **click here for a summary

Leland K. Werden, Justin M. Becknell, Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Functional Ecology 32 (12): 2766-2776.

Using soil amendments and plant functional traits to select native tropical dry forest species for the restoration of degraded Vertisols **click here for Minnesota Daily article

Leland K. Werden, Pedro Alvarado J., Sebastian Zarges, Erick Calderón M., Erik M. Schilling, Milena Gutiérrez L., Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Journal of Applied Ecology 55 (2): 1019-1028.

Tropical dry forest trees and lianas differ in leaf economic spectrum traits but have overlapping water-use strategies

Leland K. Werden, Bonnie G. Waring, Christina M. Smith-Martin, C.M., Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Tree Physiology 38 (4): 517-530.

Low-cost agricultural waste accelerates tropical forest regeneration

Timothy L. H. Treuer, Jonathan J. Choi, Daniel H. Janzen, Winnie Hallwachs, Daniel Peréz-Aviles, Andrew P. Dobson, Jennifer S. Powers, Laura C. Shanks, Leland K. Werden, David S. Wilcove. 2018. Restoration Ecology 26 (2): 275-283.

Bears Show a Physiological but Limited Behavioral Response to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Mark A. Ditmer, John B. Vincent, Leland K. Werden, Jessie C. Tanner, Timothy G. Laske, Paul A. Iaizzo, David L. Garshelis, John R. Fieberg. 2015. Current Biology 25: 1-6.

Media Coverage

Mentorship and Collaboration ..........

Outreach

Contact

Interests

Restoration ecology | Ecophysiology | Tropical and temperate forests | Ecosystem Ecology | Biogeochemistry | Ex situ conservation | UAS technology

Research Areas

Developing tools to restore tropical dry forests

Costa Rica

Determining the impacts of abiotic conditions on restoration outcomes

Costa Rica and Hawai’i

Using UAVs for ecosystem and wildlife monitoring

Costa Rica and Minnesota

Recent Publications

For a complete list of my publications see my Google scholar profile or CV.

Using large-scale tropical dry forest restoration to test successional theory

Leland K. Werden, Erick Calderón‐Morales, Pedro Alvarado J., Milena Gutiérrez L., Derek A. Nedveck, Jennifer S. Powers. 2020. Ecological Applications. In press.

Ex situ conservation of threatened plant species in island biodiversity hotspots: a case study from Hawai’i **click here for U Hawai’i news article

Leland K. Werden, Nellie C. Sugii, Lauren Weisenberger, Matthew J. Keir, Gregory Koob, Rakan A. Zahawi. 2020. Current Biology 243.

Edaphic factors, successional status, and functional traits drive habitat associations of trees in naturally regenerating tropical dry forests **click here for a summary

Leland K. Werden, Justin M. Becknell, Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Functional Ecology 32 (12): 2766-2776.

Using soil amendments and plant functional traits to select native tropical dry forest species for the restoration of degraded Vertisols **click here for Minnesota Daily article

Leland K. Werden, Pedro Alvarado J., Sebastian Zarges, Erick Calderón M., Erik M. Schilling, Milena Gutiérrez L., Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Journal of Applied Ecology 55 (2): 1019-1028.

Tropical dry forest trees and lianas differ in leaf economic spectrum traits but have overlapping water-use strategies​

Leland K. Werden, Bonnie G. Waring, Christina M. Smith-Martin, C.M., Jennifer S. Powers. 2018. Tree Physiology 38 (4): 517-530.

Low-cost agricultural waste accelerates tropical forest regeneration

Timothy L. H. Treuer, Jonathan J. Choi, Daniel H. Janzen, Winnie Hallwachs, Daniel Peréz-Aviles, Andrew P. Dobson, Jennifer S. Powers, Laura C. Shanks, Leland K. Werden, David S. Wilcove. 2018. Restoration Ecology 26 (2): 275-283.

Bears Show a Physiological but Limited Behavioral Response to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Mark A. Ditmer, John B. Vincent, Leland K. Werden, Jessie C. Tanner, Timothy G. Laske, Paul A. Iaizzo, David L. Garshelis, John R. Fieberg. 2015. Current Biology 25: 1-6.

Media Coverage

Mentorship and Collaboration ..........

Outreach

Contact

Ex situ conservation of threatened plant species in island biodiversity hotspots: a case study from Hawai’i ***click here for U Hawai’i news article*

Tropical dry forest trees and lianas differ in leaf economic spectrum traits but have overlapping water-use strategies