Carri is a freshwater ecologist with research experience in both streams and lakes. Her research focuses on how riparian forests interact with streams and provide energy through leaf litterfall. Her research has shown that both the species diversity and genetic diversity of these litter inputs can affect in-stream leaf litter decomposition rates, aquatic fungi and aquatic macroinvertebrates. She is continuing this research at Evergreen, focusing on
global patterns in leaf litter decomposition, genetic variation in Populus trichocarpa (black cottonwood),
Alnus rubra (red alder) and Gaultheria shallon (salal) and on the effects of
salmon carcasses on leaf litter dynamics. With collaborators in
Sweden, the group is examining the effects of genetically modified (or transgenic) Populus hybrids on ecosystems and aquatic communities. Other topics she is interested in include: landscape scale patterns & processes, trophic dynamics in lake ecosystems, invertebrate community ecology, long-term monitoring of ecosystem function, and issues of aesthetics in science.
