Erica Smithwick

Professor of Geography

Erica Smithwick

Research Summary

Uunderstanding how a wide range of disturbances, especially fire, affect ecosystem function at landscape scales.

Huck Affiliations

Publication Tags

Water Basalt Climate Climate Change Nitrogen Ecosystem Herbivores Herbivore Carbon Turnover Forage Phenology Plain Oak National Parks Diet Grazing Quercus National Park Deer Forests Ecosystems Effect Vegetation Prescribed Burning

Most Recent Papers

Quantifying spatial patterns of grass response to nutrient additions using empirical and neutral semivariogram models

Erica Smithwick, Douglas Baldwin, K Naithani,

Prescribed fire alters structure and composition of a mid-Atlantic oak forest up to eight years after burning

Cody L. Dems, Alan H. Taylor, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Jesse K. Kreye, Margot W. Kaye, 2021, Fire Ecology

Simulated fire regimes favor oak and pine but affect carbon stocks in mixed oak forests in Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Anthony Zhao, Alan H. Taylor, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Margot Kaye, Lucas B. Harris, 2021, Forest Ecology and Management

Landscape-Scale Forest Reorganization Following Insect Invasion and Harvest Under Future Climate Change Scenarios

Stacey K. Olson, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Melissa S. Lucash, Robert M. Scheller, Robert E. Nicholas, Kelsey L. Ruckert, Christopher M. Caldwell, 2021, Ecosystems

Hunter and Non-Hunter Perceptions of Costs, Benefits, and Likelihood of Outcomes of Prescribed Fire in the Mid-Atlantic Region

Zachary D. Miller, Hong Wu, Katherine Zipp, Cody L. Dems, Erica Smithwick, Margot Kaye, Peter Newman, Anthony Zhao, Alan Taylor, 2020, Society and Natural Resources on p. 1321-1327

Robust paths to net greenhouse gas mitigation and negative emissions via advanced biofuels

John L. Field, Tom L. Richard, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Hao Cai, Mark S. Laser, David S. LeBauer, Stephen P. Long, Keith Paustian, Zhangcai Qin, John J. Sheehan, Pete Smith, Michael Q. Wang, Lee R. Lynd, 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 21968-21977

Seed source pattern and terrain have scale-dependent effects on post-fire tree recovery

Jamie L. Peeler, Erica A.H. Smithwick, 2020, Landscape Ecology on p. 1945-1959

Patch-scale selection patterns of grazing herbivores in the central basalt plains of Kruger National Park

Cyanne Young, Hervé Fritz, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Jan A. Venter, 2020, African Journal of Range and Forage Science on p. 199-213

Conceptual links between landscape diversity and diet diversity

Sarah E. Gergel, Bronwen Powell, Frédéric Baudron, Sylvia L.R. Wood, Jeanine M. Rhemtulla, Gina Kennedy, Laura V. Rasmussen, Amy Ickowitz, Matthew E. Fagan, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Jessica Ranieri, Stephen A. Wood, Jeroen C.J. Groot, Terry C.H. Sunderland, 2020, BioScience on p. 563-575

The landscape-scale drivers of herbivore assemblage distribution on the central basalt plains of Kruger National Park

Cyanne Young, Hervé Fritz, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Jan A. Venter, 2020, Journal of Tropical Ecology on p. 13-28

Most-Cited Papers

Continued warming could transform greater yellowstone fire regimes by mid-21st century

Anthony L. Westerling, Monica G. Turner, Erica A.H. Smithwick, William H. Romme, Michael G. Ryan, 2011, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 13165-13170

Predicting fine root lifespan from plant functional traits in temperate trees

M. Luke Mccormack, Thomas Adams, Erica A H. Smithwick, David Eissenstat, 2012, New Phytologist on p. 823-831

Variability in root production, phenology, and turnover rate among 12 temperate tree species

M. Luke McCormack, Thomas S. Adams, Erica A.H. Smithwick, David M. Eissenstat, 2014, Ecology on p. 2224-2235

Improving the representation of roots in terrestrial models

Erica A.H. Smithwick, Melissa S. Lucash, M. Luke McCormack, Gajan Sivandran, 2014, Ecological Modelling on p. 193-204

Representing climate, disturbance, and vegetation interactions in landscape models

Robert E. Keane, Donald McKenzie, Donald A. Falk, Erica A H. Smithwick, Carol Miller, Lara Karena B. Kellogg, 2015, Ecological Modelling on p. 33-47

Regional scale patterns of fine root lifespan and turnover under current and future climate

M. Luke McCormack, David M. Eissenstat, Anantha M. Prasad, Erica A.H. Smithwick, 2013, Global Change Biology on p. 1697-1708

Root stress and nitrogen deposition

Erica A.H. Smithwick, David M. Eissenstat, Gary M. Lovett, Richard D. Bowden, Lindsey E. Rustad, Charles T. Driscoll, 2013, New Phytologist on p. 712-719

Reconstructing disturbances and their biogeochemical consequences over multiple timescales

Kendra K. McLauchlan, Philip E. Higuera, Daniel G. Gavin, Steven S. Perakis, Michelle C. Mack, Heather Alexander, John Battles, Franco Biondi, Brian Buma, Daniele Colombaroli, Sara K. Enders, Daniel R. Engstrom, Feng Sheng Hu, Jennifer R. Marlon, John Marshall, Matt McGlone, Jesse L. Morris, Lucas E. Nave, Bryan Shuman, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Dunia H. Urrego, David A. Wardle, Christopher J. Williams, Joseph J. Williams, 2014, BioScience on p. 105-116

Deer feeding selectivity for invasive plants

Kristine M. Averill, David A. Mortensen, Erica A.H. Smithwick, Eric Post, 2016, Biological Invasions on p. 1247-1263

Predicting root zone soil moisture with soil properties and satellite near-surface moisture data across the conterminous United States

D. Baldwin, S. Manfreda, K. Keller, E. A.H. Smithwick, 2017, Journal of Hydrology on p. 393-404

News Articles Featuring Erica Smithwick

Jul 13, 2021

Macalady named Ecology Institute director

Microbe expert Jennifer Macalady replaces outgoing director Erica Smithwick, who oversaw the research unit for the past five years.

Full Article

Aug 25, 2020

Advanced biofuels show promise for replacing some fossil fuels

Plant-based biofuels can play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and growing these crops in certain landscapes offers net climate benefits compared to other land use options, according to a team of international scientists.

Full Article

Jul 15, 2020

Ecology Institute announces grant recipients

The Ecology Institute has awarded 11 proposals from across the University as part of its Flower Grant program, including five projects submitted by faculty at Commonwealth Campuses.

Full Article

Jun 05, 2020

The Penn State Ecology Community is Committed to Combatting Racism and Injustice

The leadership of the Penn State Ecology community wishes to express solidarity with marginalized members of our society, and has prepared the following statement of support to all those who struggle against systemic injustices. We can and must do better.

Full Article

Apr 01, 2020

Proposals being accepted for ecology research funding

The Ecology Institute announced a call for proposals for its Flower Grant program. The funds aim to support ecology research focused across the institute’s five core themes: resilience and adaptation; provision of ecosystem goods and services; ecology at the interface; rapid evolutionary change; and ecological foundations.

Full Article

Jun 19, 2019

South African forests show pathways to a sustainable future

Native forests make up one percent of the landscape in South Africa but could play a key role in reducing atmospheric carbon and identifying sustainable development practices that can be used globally to counter climate change, according to a Penn State researcher.

Full Article