Molly A. Cavaleri

Molly A. Cavaleri serves as Associate Dean and Professor at Michigan Technological University while directing graduate studies. Her research investigates forest responses to global change through fine-scale ecophysiological measurements scaled to ecosystem processes, with significant focus on tropical ecosystems in Puerto Rico.

Education

• PhD in Ecology, Colorado State University
• MS in Forestry, University of Minnesota
• BS in Molecular Biology with Certificate in Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin

Research Focus

Dr. Cavaleri's work centers on forest canopy structure-function relationships and carbon-water cycling dynamics under climate change, invasive species pressure, and land use alteration. Her bottom-up ecophysiological framework examines tree-level responses to extrapolate ecosystem-scale consequences, with particular expertise in stable isotope ecology and tropical forest warming experiments through the TRACE project in Puerto Rico.

Publication Trends

Recent publications demonstrate sustained investigation into tropical forest resilience under combined climate stressors, particularly experimental warming and hurricane disturbance. Her collaborative work reveals complex interactions between soil biogeochemistry, plant community dynamics, and carbon cycling in low-latitude forests, with increasing emphasis on density-dependent feedback mechanisms and global-scale photosynthetic responses to temperature variation.

Mentorship and Funding

As Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Cavaleri cultivates hands-on learning environments for tree physiology and forest ecophysiology students, emphasizing field data collection and critical analysis. Her research program is sustained through grants supporting the Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE), continuing legacy ecosystem manipulation studies in Puerto Rico.

Research Infrastructure

Dr. Cavaleri leads the TRACE project, a large-scale ecosystem warming experiment in Puerto Rico's Luquillo Experimental Forest. This international collaboration investigates multi-trophic responses to climate change through integrated measurements of canopy structure, soil processes, and plant community dynamics in tropical forests.