Professor Department of Ecology and Evolution SUNY at Stony Brook State University of New York

Education : Web Page : Lab Page : Research Interests :

Ph.D. 1994, Stanford University Lerdau's Lab Manuel Lerdau is an organismal ecologist with interests in both the ecosystem implications of physiological processes and the evolutionary underpinnings of these processes. His research centers around fundamental questions of resource acquisition and allocation in plants and touches upon such topics as herbivory and tri-trophic interactions, atmospheric chemistry and air pollution, community and ecosystem impacts of biological invasions, and organismal controls over nutrient cycling. He is also very interested in the development and application of analytical technologies in addressing ecological questions. He and his Lab Group conduct research in both Mid-Atlantic and Western United States as well as in Costa Rica. He combines experimental and observational research and collaborates with modelers in the development of process-based ecosystem models. His research currently centers around questions regarding ecological and phylogenetic regulation of nutrient cycling, trace gas exchange between plants and the atmosphere, and biological invasions. His newest project involves using Positron Emission Tomography to study carbon and water movement in plants.