Dr. Laura Spence

Dean of Academics & Faculty in Ecology

B.A. Natural Science (Plant Science)
University of Cambridge

Ph.D. Plant Ecology
University of Cambridge

Laura Spence, Ph.D., is originally from South Shropshire, England, a sheep-grazed land reminiscent of the Vermont of 150 years ago. Laura’s journey from Shropshire to the Northwoods, via New Zealand and Mongolia, has been one always in pursuit of the study of plant and fungal ecology. Her particular research interests lie in the interaction between plant communities and aspects of global change such as climate change and invasive species. Her Ph.D. research took her to the mountain beech forests of the Southern Alps, New Zealand, where she investigated the roles of forest dynamics, natural disturbances and mycorrhizal fungi on the invasive spread of an exotic understorey herbaceous weed. Following this, she joined the PIRE Mongolia project that investigated the ecological consequences of climate change and grazing pressures by nomadic pastoralism in northern Mongolia.

    • B.A. Natural Science (Plant Science)
      University of Cambridge

    • Ph.D. Plant Ecology
      University of Cambridge

  • Intensives in Ecology and Conservation:

    • INT107A Foundations of Ecology

    • NS382E Biological Response to Climate Change

    Experiential Endeavors:

    • NS381E Forest Ecology & Management

    Scaffolding Seminars:

    • INT199 First Year Seminar

    • INT402 Professional Portfolio

    • Scheimreif, K, LA Spence, DA Gilligan, R Smyth & P Cenkl (2014) Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Central Mongolia: Gauging the Knowledge of Locals with Three Native Medicinal Plants. The Mongolia Society Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    • Spence, LA, P Liancourt, B Boldgiv, BR Helliker, PS Petraitis, & BB Casper. Climate change and grazing interact to affect flower production in the Mongolian steppe. (2013) Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    • Spence, LA, JV Ross, RB Allen, SK Wiser & DA Coomes (2012) Patterns and Process of Plant Invasion: Hieracium invasion into New Zealand forest understorey. Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, DE, USA.

    • Spence, LA (2012) Deer management in the United Kingdom. Dept. of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA.

    • Spence, LA, IA Dickie & DA Coomes (2011) Mycorrhizal fungi as determinants of plant invasion: case study in New Zealand mountain beech forest? Dept. of Biology, West Chester University, PA, USA

    • Dickie, IA, J Diaz & LA Spence (2011). Belowground interactions in plant invasions. Santiago, Chile.

    • Spence, LA, JV Ross, RB Allen, SK Wiser & DA Coomes (2010) The value of long-term ecological monitoring: Insights into closed-canopy forest invasion in New Zealand Dept. of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA.

    • Spence, LA, RB Allen & DA Coomes (2008). Natural disturbance facilitates understorey invasion in Nothofagus forest in New Zealand. (Prize winning) British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, Imperial College London, UK

    • Spence, LA, RB Allen, SK Wiser & DA Coomes (2008). Patterns and predictors of plant invasion in New Zealand Nothofagus forest. Postgraduate Ecology Forum, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

    • Xu, S., Dong, K., Lee, S., Ogwu, M.C., Undrakhbold, S., Singh, S., Ariunzaya, S., Enkhmandal, O., Spence, L.A., Sharkhuu, A., Casper, B.B., Adams, J.M., Boldgiv, B. (2023) Metagenetics of fairy rings reveals complex and variable soil fungal communities. Pedosphere 33(4): 567-578

    • Spence L.A., Liancourt P., Boldgiv B., Petraitis P.S., & Casper B.B (2016) Short-term manipulation of precipitation in Mongolian steppe shows vegetation influenced more by timing than amount of rainfall. J. of Veg. Sci. 26(2) 249-258

    • Liancourt, P., B. Boldgiv, D. Song, L. A. Spence, B. R. Helliker, B. B. Casper, & P. S. Petraitis (2015) Leaf-trait plasticity and species vulnerability to climate change in a Mongolian steppe. Global Change Biology 21(9): 3489-3498

    • Spence L.A., Liancourt P., Boldgiv B., Petraitis P.S., & Casper B.B. (2014) Climate change and grazing interact to alter flowering patterns in the Mongolian steppe. Oecologia 175(1): 251-260

    • Liancourt, P., L. A. Spence, D. S. Song, A. Lkhagva, A. Sharkuu, B. Boldgiv, B. R. Helliker, B. B. Casper, & P. S. Petraitis (2013) Plant response to climate change varies with topography, interactions with neighbours, and ecotype. Ecology 94(2): 444-453

    • Liancourt, P., L. A. Spence, B. Boldgiv, A. Lkhagva, B. R. Helliker, B. B. Casper, & P. S. Petraitis (2012) Vulnerability of the northern Mongolian steppe to climate change: insights from flower production and phenology. Ecology 93: 815-824

    • Casper, B. B., R. Goldman, A. Lkhagva, B. R. Helliker, A. F. Plante, L. A. Spence, P. Liancourt, B. Boldgiv, & P. S. Petraitis (2012) Legumes mitigate ecological consequences of a topographic gradient in a northern Mongolian steppe. Oecologia 169: 85-94

    • Spence, L. A. (2011) Climate Change in Mongolia, Scientist at Work Blog, New York Times 

    • Spence, L. A., I. A. Dickie, & D. A. Coomes (2011) Arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum potential: a mechanism promoting positive diversity-invasibility relationships? Mycorrhiza 21: 309-314

    • Spence, L. A., J. V. Ross, R. B. Allen, S. K. Wiser, and D. A. Coomes (2011) Disturbance affects short-term facilitation, but not long-term saturation, of exotic plant invasion in New Zealand forest. Proc. Royal Soc B. 278: 1457-1466

    • Spence, L.A. (2009) Exotic plant invasion in New Zealand forest understorey over 34 years: the roles of natural disturbance events, species richness, and mycorrhizal fungi. PhD Thesis, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

    • Spence, L.A. & Wentworth, J. (2009) Wild Deer POSTnote 325, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, UK Parliament.
      Spence, L. A. & T. Pearson (2004) Back to purple: conserving and restoring The Stiperstones. English Nature Internal Report

    • 2008 British Ecological Society POST Fellowship to work at Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, London,UK

    • 2008 Anne Keymer Prize for best student presentation British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, Imperial College, London, UK

    • 2005-2008 Domestic Research Fellowship, University of Cambridge

    • 2004 Albert Howard Travel Exhibition, University of Cambridge

    • 2003 Frank Smart Prize for Botany, University of Cambridge

    • 2003 Drewitt Prize for Ecology, University of Cambridge

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