From caribou in the arctic tundra, to monkeys in the tropical rainforest, animals play a large and often unrecognized role in the carbon cycle. In a recent paper, GEODE lead Scott Goetz and NAU colleague Chris Doughty review existing research on these “zoogeochemical” effects and how they impact landscapes. Recent advancements in spatial ecosystem ecology, remote sensing and geospatial statistical are providing the tools needed to finally understand animal impacts at a regional scale, and include these impacts in models of carbon cycling and climate change. Some of this work is underway right now in the GEODE and Doughty Labs.
Read more about this research in the Arizona Daily Sun and NAU’s The LumberJack.