My research spans several traditional categories within the field of ecology. While my work has always been concerned with addressing questions of basic scientific interest, I have attempted to connect the basic research to issues with applied and conservation relevance. I have carried out both experimental and quantitative measurement studies to address fundamental questions about plant populations and communities. I am also interested in statistical applications in ecology, particularly in research synthesis and meta-analysis, and in the design and analysis of ecological experiments. I have worked on extensive field studies of the demography of disturbance-adapted species including pitch pines (Pinus rigida) in the Long Island, New York pine barrens, and the demography of the invasion of spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe, on Long Island and in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York State.