Ph. D. Michigan State University, 1980

W. K. Kellogg Biological Station
Michigan State University
Hickory Corners, MI 49060
Phone: (269) 671-2235
Fax: (269) 671-2104
Email: grossk@kbs.msu.edu

All Publications

Research Interests

I am broadly interested in the causes and consequences of species diversity in plant communities. My current research focues on how soil resource heterogeneity and enhancement influences species diversity and composition in grasslands. We have established two large experiments to test hypotheses related to these isues in a low-productivity grassland in SW Michigan where we are manipulated the scale of soil resource heterogeneity and presence of clonal species to see how this influences plant diversity. We are interested in the dynamics of the community response to manipulations of resource heterogeneity and how species traits, particularly clonality and seed dispersal, affect local species diversity.

I am also interested in the consequences of diversity in agricultural  and successional ecosystems. As a co-PI on the KBS LTER project I have been monitoring the long-term effects of different crop management systems on the composition of weed communities in row crops. We have recently established an experiment (the Biodiversity Experiment) in which crop type and rotation are varied to determine the impactss on crop yield, weed communities and a variety of ecosystem services. We are continuing to monitor the effects of annual disturbance and fertilizaton on community composition and successional trajectory in replicate old fields that are part of the LTER experimental system. These experiments allow us to test the long-term effects of fertilization and tillage on plant and microbial communities and soil processes.

My research on native grasslands has given me a greater appreciation of the challenges inherent in restoring native species in degraded grassland. I have worked with resource managers and land owners to develop approaches  that combine experimental approaches, theory and practical tools that can be used to restore and manage native grasslands in SW Michigan.

I encourage students in my lab to develop independent projects; their interests and ideas provide the impetus for me to explore new areas of research. I currently have two Ph.D. student and a postdoctoral associate in my lab:

• Emily Grman (PhD Candidate, Plant Biology /EEBB) joined lab Fall 2004; Plant-soil feedbacks in grassland
• Todd Robinson (PhD Candidate, Plant Biology /EEBB) joined lab Fall 2005); Plant community responses to temporal variation in precipitation patterns
• Don Schoolmaster (Postdoctoral Associate); theoretical ecology and plant community dynamics

Gross, K.L., M.R. Willig, L. Gough, R. Inouye, and S. B. Cox. 2000. Species density and productivity at different spatial scales in herbaceous plant communities. Oikos 89: 417-427.

Mittelbach, G. G., C. S. Steiner, K. L. Gross, H. Reynolds, S. M. Scheiner, R. B. Waide, M. R. Willig, and S. I. Dodson. 2001. What is the observed relationship between species richness and productivity? Ecology 82: 2381-2396

Suding, KN, KL Gross and G Houseman. 2004. Alternative states and positive feedbacks in restoration ecology. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19:46-53.

Gross, K.L., G.G. Mittelbach, and H. Reynolds. 2005. Invasiblity and grassland biodiversity: effects of nutrient addition and cover reduction. Ecology 86: 476-486.

Suding, KN, SL Collins, L Gough, CM Clark, EE Cleland, KL Gross, D Milchunas, and S Penning. 2005. Functional traits predict species loss in response to resource enhancement. PNAS 102: 4387-4392.

Farber, S, R Constanza, DL Childers, J Erickson, KL Gross, M Grove, C Hopkinson, J Kahn, S Pincetl, A Troy, P Warren, and M Wilson. 2006. Linking Ecology and Ecosystem Management BioScience 56: 121-134.

Smith, RG and KL Gross. 2006. Weed community and corn yield variability in diverse management systems. Weed Science 54: 106-113.

Suding, KN and KL Gross. 2006. Modifying native and exotic species correlations: The influence of fire and seed additions Ecological Applications 16: 1391-1324.

Emery, SM and KL Gross. 2006. The identity of dominant species, not evenness, drives invasion in experimental plant communities Ecology 88: 954-964.