I am a restoration ecologist who studies how the morphological, physiological, and phenological traits of plants drive species establishment and persistence. My research takes an integrative, multi-pronged approach. It combines field experiments, demographic monitoring, trait-based analysis, and social science to link mechanisms within organisms to their ecological and evolutionary consequences. I am most passionate about the conservation and restoration of grasslands and savannas.
ABOUT ME
My name is Sam Ahler (they/them) and I was born in what is now Wisconsin—the traditional territories of the Hoocągra (Ho-Chunk), Mamaceqtaw (Menominee), Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi), Dakota, and Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) Nations. I have Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies, with a minor in LGBTQ+ Studies. I worked in oak savannas and tallgrass prairies with Dr. Ellen Damschen.
I have a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder. I used plant functional traits to determine the role of microsite heterogeneity on the assembly and persistence of native grass populations and communities in a restoration context with Drs. Katie Suding and Nancy Sheckelford. This work was conducted in the traditional territories of the Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne), Hinono’eino (Arapaho), and Núuchiu (Ute) Nations. This work was also done in collaboration with Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms.
Current Position: Fulbright in Brazil in the Lab of Vegetation Ecology
Email: samjamesahler@gmail.com
Instagram: @the.prairiefairy
