Biology

Robert Hollister

Robert Hollister, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Ecology, Botany, Polar Systems,
Wetland Ecology, Global Change Biology.

Office: 209 Henry
Phone:331-8582
Email: hollistr@gvsu.edu

For details on Hollister's research in Alaska see:
Arctic Ecology Program

  
Education:

Ph.D. Plant Biology / Ecology, Evolutionary Biology & Behavior, Michigan State University, 2003.
M.S. Botany and Plant Pathology, Michigan State University, 1998.
B.S. Lyman Briggs Zoology with Honor, Michigan State University, 1994.


Courses taught at GVSU:

BIO 105 Environmental Science
BIO 109 Plants in the world
BIO 120 General Biology I
BIO 215 General Ecology
BIO 323 Aquatic Plants
BIO 573 Plants of the Great Lakes Region


Research interests:

My research and teaching interests are broad. I am an ecologist interested in the interactions between humans and natural ecosystems. While my area or expertise is vegetation change, I am always interested in taking on new student led projects. Locally I do research in Michigan Wetlands. I do work in northern Alaska examining the influence of climate change and land use change on tundra ecosystems. I also have experience working with Tropical Dry Forests of Puerto Rico and Water Quality Monitoring in Indiana.

My research in Michigan Wetlands involves collaborations and student led activities sampling vegetation. My research in Alaska is funded by the National Science Foundation. This long-term project uses small chambers to experimentally warm plots of vegetation in an attempt to simulate future climate change. We monitor the response of the plant species and a few ecosystem parameters. The research takes place in Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska. This work is in close collaboration with the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX). The results from this work are being used to better forecast vegetation change in the Arctic.

 

Recent publications:

Hollister, R.D., P.J. Webber, R.T. Slider, F.E. Nelson, C.E. Tweedie. 2008. Soil temperature and thaw response to manipulated air temperature and plant cover at Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska.  Ninth International Converence on Permafrost.  Institute of Northern Engineering, Univeristy of Alaska, Fairbanks. 729-734 pp.

Oberbauer, S.F., C.E. Tweedie, J.M. Welker, J.T. Fahnestock, G.H.R. Henry, P.J. Webber, R.D. Hollister, M.D. Walker, A. Kuchy, and G. Starr.  2007.  Carbon dioxide exchange responses of arctic tundra ecosystems to experimental warming along moisture and latitudinal gradients. Ecological Monographs 77(2):221-238.

Hollister, R.D., P.J. Webber, F.E. Nelson, and C.E. Tweedie. 2006. Soil thaw and temperature response to air warming varies by plant community: Results from an open-top chamber experiment in northern Alaska.  Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research 38(2):206-215.

Walker, M.D., C.H. Wahren, R.D. Hollister, G.H.R. Henry, L.E. Ahlquist, J.M. Alatalo, M.S. Bret-Harte, M.P. Calef, T.V. Callaghan, A.B. Carroll, H.E. Epstein, I.S. Jónsdóttir, J.A. Klein, B. Magnússon, U. Molau, S.F. Oberbauer, S.P. Rewa, C.H. Robinson, G.R. Shaver, K.N. Suding, C.C. Thompson, A. Tolvanen, Ø. Totland, P.L. Turner, C.E. Tweedie, P.J. Webber, and P.A. Wookey. 2006. Plant Community Responses to Experimental Warming Across the Tundra Biome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America (PNAS) 103(5): 1342-1346.  

Hinzman, L.D, N. Bettez, F. S. Chapin III, M.B. Dyurgerov, C.L. Fastie, B. Griffith, R.D. Hollister, A.S. Hope, H.P. Huntington, A. Jensen, D.L. Kane, A.H. Lynch, A. Lloyd, A. D. McGuire, F.E. Nelson, W.C. Oechel, T.E. Osterkamp, C.H. Racine, V.E. Romanovsky, D. Stow, M. Sturm, C.E. Tweedie, G.L. Vourlitis, M.D. Walker, P.J. Webber, J.M. Welker, K. Winker, and K. Yoshikawa.  2005.  Evidence and implications of recent climate change in terrestrial regions of the Arctic.  Climatic Change 72(3): 251-298.

Hollister, R.D., P.J. Webber, and C. Bay. 2005. Plant response to temperature in northern Alaska: Implications for predicting vegetation change. Ecology 86(6): 1562-1570.

Hollister, R.D., P.J. Webber, and C.E. Tweedie. 2005. The response of Alaskan arctic tundra to experimental warming: Differences between short- and long-term responses. Global Change Biology 11(4): 525-536.

Rustad, L.E., J. Campbell, G.M. Marion, R.J. Norby, M.J. Mitchell, A.E. Hartley, J. H.C. Cornelissen, J. Gurevitch, and GCTE-NEWS[R. Alward, C. Beier, S. Bridgham, J. Canadell, T. Christensen, S. Duke, J. Fahnestock, I. Fernandez, J. Harte, G. Henry, R. Hollister, J. Hom, M. Johnson, S. Jonasson, S. Linder, A. Lukewille, G. Masters, J. Melillo, C. Neill, D. Olszyk, K. Pregitzer, P. Rygiewiez, O. Sala, G. Shaver, K. Thompson, A. Thichelsan, D. Tingey, P. Verburg, D. Wall, J. Welker, R. Wright]. 2001. A meta-analysis of the response of soil respiration, net mineralization, and aboveground plant growth to experimental ecosystem warming. Oecologia 126(4): 543-562.

Hollister, R.D. and P.J. Webber 2000. Biotic validation of small open-top chambers in a tundra ecosystem. Global Change Biology 6(7): 835-842.

Arft, A.M., M.D. Walker, J. Gurevitch, J.M. Alatalo, M.S. Bret-Harte, M. Dale, M. Diemer, F. Gugerli, G.H.R. Henry, M.H. Jones, R.D. Hollister, I.S. Jónsdóttir, K. Laine, E. Lévesque, G.M. Marion, U. Molau, P. Mølgaard, U. Nordenhäll, V. Raszhivin, C.H. Robinson, G. Starr, A. Stenström, M. Stenström, ø. Totland, P.L. Turner, L.J. Walker, P.J. Webber, J.M. Welker, and P.A. Wookey. 1999. Response patterns of tundra plant species to experimental warming: a meta-analysis of the International Tundra Experiment. Ecological Monographs 69(4): 491-511.

Recent Posters and Presentations:

Brown, J. (Presenter & Author), Hinkel, K. (Author Only), Hollister, R. (Author Only), Oberbauer, S. (Author Only), Nelson, F. (Author Only), Romanovsky, V., Shiklomanov, N. (Author Only), Sturm, M. (Author Only), Tweedie, C. (Author Only), Webber, P. (Author Only), American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, California, "Barrow Arctic Terrestrial Observatory (BATO): An IPY Legacy", Academic, National, peer-reviewed/refereed, Accepted. (December 14, 2009).

Oberbauer, S. (Presenter & Author), Hollister, R. (Author Only), Tweedie, C. (Author Only), Welker, J. (Author Only), Arctic Observatory Network (AON) 2009 PI Meeting, National Science Foundation, Boulder, Colorado, "Arctic Observing Networks: Collaborative Research: Sustaining and amplifying the ITEX AON through automation and increased interdisciplinarity of observations", Academic, International, peer-reviewed/refereed, Invited. (November 30, 2009).

Oberbauer, S. (Presenter & Author), Hollister, R. (Author Only), Klien, J. (Author Only), Welker, J. (Author Only), Arctic Observatory Network (AON) 2009 PI Meeting, National Science Foundation, Boulder, Colorado, "IPY Arctic Observing Networks. Collaborative Research: Study of Arctic ecosystem changes in the IPY using the International Tundra Experiment", Academic, International, peer-reviewed/refereed, Invited. (November 30, 2009).

Hollister, R. (Presenter & Author), May, J. (Author Only), Slider, R. (Author Only), Liebig, J. (Author Only), Arctic Observatory Network (AON) 2009 PI Meeting, National Science Foundation, Boulder, Colorado, "Monitoring the response of tundra vegetation to temperature at Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska", Academic, International, peer-reviewed/refereed, Invited. (November 30, 2009).

Hollister, R. (Presenter & Author), International Polar Year ‘Back to the Future” (IPY-BTF) Project Meeting, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, "Lessons learned from past ITEX synthesis efforts", Academic, International, peer-reviewed/refereed, Invited. (November 11, 2009).

Liebig, J. (Presenter & Author), May, J. (Author Only), Hollister, R. (Author Only), West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan, "Changes in distribution of northern and southern Arctic plant species due to warming", Academic, Regional, Accepted. (October 31, 2009).

Hollister, R. (Presenter & Author), Long-term Phenological Changes in Tundra Plants in Response to Experimental Warming and Observed Changes in Climate, NCEAS (National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis), Santa Barbara, California, "ITEX at Barrow and Atqasuk", Academic, International, peer-reviewed/refereed, Invited. (October 12, 2009).

May, J. (Presenter & Author), Hollister, R. (Author Only), Student Scholarship Day, GVSU, Allendale, MI, "Changes in Plant Canopy Structure in Response to Warming", Academic, Local, Accepted. (April 8, 2009).

Liebig, J. (Presenter & Author), May, J. (Author Only), Hollister, R. (Author Only), Student Scholarship Day, GVSU, Allendale, MI, "Expansion of southerly distributed species in the Arctic in response to warming", Academic, Local, Accepted. (April 8, 2009).

Slider, R. (Presenter & Author), Hollister, R. (Author Only), Student Scholarship Day, GVSU, Allendale, MI, "Reproductive Responses of Arctic Plants to Temperature Variation", Academic, Local, Accepted. (April 8, 2009).

Liebig, J. (Presenter & Author), May, J. (Author Only), Hollister, R. (Author Only), Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, "Arctic vegetation response to warming", Academic, Regional, peer-reviewed/refereed, Accepted. (March 28, 2009).

Jeremy May & Robert Hollister.  2008.  Plant community changes in northern Alaska in response to warming.  ITEX during the International Polar Year: International Tundra Experiment – 15th Workshop.  October 10-12, 2008.  Reykjavik, Iceland.

Robert Slider & Robert Hollister.  2008.  Plant responses to experimental and natural warming in Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska.  ITEX during the International Polar Year: International Tundra Experiment – 15th Workshop.  October 10-12, 2008.  Reykjavik, Iceland.

Robert Hollister, Jeremy May, Robert Slider, Amanda Snyder & Michael Lothschutz.  2008.  Grand Valley State University REU projects at Barrow & Atqasuk.  ITEX during the International Polar Year: International Tundra Experiment – 15th Workshop.  October 10-12, 2008.  Reykjavik, Iceland.

Robert Hollister, Patrick Webber, Robert Slider, Fritz Nelson & Craig Tweedie.  2008.  Soil temperature and thaw response to air warming varies with changing vegetation.  Ninth International Conference on Permafrost.  June 29 - July 3, 2008.  Fairbanks, Alaska.

Jeremy May, Robert Slider, Amanda Snyder, Michael Lothschutz, & Robert Hollister.  2008.  Grand Valley State University REU projects at Barrow & Atqasuk during the 2007 field season.  Arctic Observatories Network (AON) PI Meeting.  March 17-18, 2008.  Palisades, New York.

Hollister, R.D. 2007.  Global Linkages: The Significance of a Changing Tundra. Grand Valley State University. November 8, 2007.  Allendale, Michigan.

Hollister, R.D. 2007.  Response to the Physical Environment in Tundra. US France Young Engineering Scientists Symposium (YESS) 2007. October 22, 2007. Washington D.C.

Hollister, R.D. 2007.  The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) activities and findings at Barrow and Atqasuk. Presentations as part of an NSF site visit. June 28, 2007. Barrow, Alaska.

Oberbauer, S., R. Hollister, J. Welker, J. Klein, W. Gould, P. Sullivan, B. Sveinbjornsson, K. Boggs, & C. Lewis. 2007. Study of Arctic ecosystem changes in the IPY using the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX).  Arctic Observatories Network (AON) PI Meeting. March 28-30, 2007. Boulder, Colorado.

Hollister, R.D. 2006. Above & belowground plant biomass response to experimental warming. International Tundra Experiment Science Workshop 2006. January 13-15, 2006, Miami, Florida.

Hollister, R.D. and P.J. Webber. 2005. Response of tundra vegetation to warming. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. August 7-13, 2005, Montreal, Quebec.

Tweedie, C.E., J. Hesse, R.D. Hollister, P. Roberts, J. Wilson, M.I. Wilson, and P.J. Webber. 2004. A New Antarctic Field Course for Undergraduates at Michigan State University. AGU Fall Meeting. December 8-12, San Francisco, USA.

Tweedie, C.E., J. Hesse, R.D. Hollister, P. Roberts, J. Wilson, M.I. Wilson, and P.J. Webber. In press. A New Antarctic Field Course for Undergraduates at Michigan State University. Poster: AGU Fall Meeting. December 8-12, San Francisco, USA.

Hollister, R.D. and P.J. Webber. 2003. Plant response to temperature in northern Alaska. International Tundra Experiment Science Workshop 2003. September 25-29, 2003. Fairbanks, Alaska.

Tweedie, C.E., P.J. Webber, and R.D. Hollister. 2003. An update on a Circum-Arctic Environmental Observatories Network (CEON). International Tundra Experiment Science Workshop 2003. September 25-29, 2003. Fairbanks, Alaska.

Tweedie, C.E., R.D. Hollister, P.J. Webber, O. Sumina, and O. Afonina. 2003. Decadal changes in permafrost, land form, vegetation and land cover in northern Alaska: potential implications for arctic settlements, people and the environment. Third International Conference on Arctic Town and Environment. Vorkuta, Russia, September 3-6, 2003.

Tweedie, C.E., R.D. Hollister, and P.J. Webber. 2003. Decadal changes in permafrost, land form and land cover near Barrow, Alaska. In: 8th International Conference on Permafrost - Extended Abstracts on Current Research and Newly Available Information. 8th International Conference on Permafrost, Zurich, Switzerland. July 20-25, 2003.

Scientific and Professional Societies:

American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Geophysical Union
Ecological Society of America

Page last modified August 5, 2010