Jacquelyn Gill

Jacquelyn Gill is Professor of Paleoecology & Plant Ecology with joint appointments in the School of Biology and Ecology and Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. Her research integrates paleoecological, biogeographical, and community ecology approaches to analyze species responses to climate change, extinction events, and biotic interactions over millennial timescales. She leads the BEAST Lab (Biodiversity & Environmental Analysis through Space and Time), investigating conservation-relevant questions.

Key research focuses:

• Pleistocene megafauna extinction ecological legacies
• Novel ecosystem formation under global change
• Plant migration constraints during climate transitions
• Biotic drivers of long-term landscape change

Publications establish functional links between megaherbivore populations and vegetation dynamics using innovative proxies like dung fungi. Current projects examine alpine plant community resilience and Indigenous fire management history. Her work informs conservation strategies including managed relocation and rewilding.