My research focuses on understanding and predicting the dynamics of arid and semiarid systems across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Much of my research involves interactions within and among various species of grasses and shrubs with a focus on extrapolating patterns and processes across scales, from individual plants to patches, landscapes, and regions. Current projects include (1) the examination of spatial variation in shrub invasion and grass persistence, (2) the study of ecotones and biotic transitions at multiple scales, (3) predicting nonlinear spatial dynamics of cascading systems, (4) using cross-site studies to generalize processes and patterns, and (5) integrating process-based experiments with simulation models (ECOTONE), geographic information systems (GIS), and remote sensed images. Research is conducted at a number of sites in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas with most studies occurring at the Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in southern NM and the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge LTER site in central NM. Collaborative research is being conducted at three sites in Hungary.