JOHN PASTOR

Professor
B.S., 1974, University of Pennsylvania, Geology
M.S., 1977, University of Wisconsin Madison, Soil Science
Ph.D., 1980, University of Wisconsin Madison, Forestry and Soil Science

Email: jpastor@nrri.umn.edu
Office: 17 SSB
Phone: 726-7001

John Pastor received his Ph.D. in Forestry and Soil Science in 1980 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and did post-doctoral research in the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has been a Senior Research Associate at NRRI since 1984, Professor in Biology since 1996, and Director of Graduate Studies in Biology since 2000. His research and scholarly interests include the structure and function of northern ecosystems, applications of mathematics to ecological problems, and scientific illustration. He teaches Mathematical Ecology, Ecosystems Ecology, Animal Behavior, The Biological Practitioner, and Biological Illustration.

Research

ECOSYSTEMS ECOLOGY

Recent Publications

• Pastor, J., B. Peckham, S.D. Bridgham, J.F. Weltzin, and J. Chen. 2002. Plant community composition, nutrient cycling, and alternative stable equilibria in peatlands. American Naturalist: 160: 553-568.

• Pastor, J., J. Solin, S.D. Bridgham, K. Updegraff, C. Harth, P. Weishampel, and B. Dewey. 2003. Global warming and DOC export from boreal peatlands. Oikos 100: 380-386.

• Pastor, J. and R. Moen. 2004. The ecology of ice-age extinctions. Nature 431: 639-640.

• Persson, I-L., J. Pastor., K. Danell, and R. Bergström. 2005. Impact of moose population density and forest productivity on the production and composition of litter in boreal forests. Oikos 108: 297-306.

• Pastor, J., Y. Cohen, and T. Hobbs. The role of large herbivores in ecosystem nutrient cycles. Chapter 7 In: Large Mammalian Herbivores, Ecosystem Dynamics, and Conservation, K. Danell, R. Bergström, P. Duncan, and J. Pastor, (editors). Cambridge University Press. In press.

Teaches

Recent Graduate Student Projects

• Angela Hodgson. The influence of herbivory on spatial patterns in boreal forest ecosystems.

• Rachel Walker. Native-stand wild rice population dynamics and nutrient cycles.

• Nathan DeJager, 2004, Thesis title: Interactions between moose and the fractal geometries of birch and scots pine.

• David VanderMeulen, M.S. Water Resources Science, 2001.
  Thesis title: Decay and nutrient dynamics of litter from peatland plant species.

Recent National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates student projects

• "Illustration of Plant Diversity" by Margot Bergstrom.  2003.

• "Foraging behavior of free ranging moose" by Katie Standke
• "Effects of Global Warming on Moss Diversity and Microtopography in Bogs and Fens" by Mark Vonderharr