Daniel L. Potts, Ph.D.

Research Interests

I trained as a plant physiological and ecosystem ecologist at the University of Arizona.  My current research interests include examining rainfall responses of plants and soils in semi-arid ecosystems, understanding the effects of woody encroachment on carbon cycling in grasslands and, most recently, investigating post-industrial urban ecosystems.

Courses Taught

BIO 104: Plants & Society
BIO 212 - Introduction to Organismal Function & Diversity
BIO 405W - Organic Evolution
BIO 408 - Plant Physiology
BIO 612 - Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology
BIO 626 - Plant Ecology

Recent Publications

K. Hultine, D. Dehn, S. Bush, K. Acharya, C. D'Antonio, T. Dudley; J. Healey, J. Hull, D. Koepke, R. Long, D. Potts. 2021. Episodic defoliation rapidly reduces starch but not soluble sugars in an invasive shrub, Tamarix spp. American Journal of Botany. DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1711

S. Bush, J. Guo, D. Dehn, K. Grady, J. Hull, E. Johnson, D. Koepke, R. Long, D. Potts, K. Hultine. 2021. Adaptive versus non-adaptive responses to drought in a non-native riparian tree / shrub (Tamarix spp.). Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108342

P.C. Murphy, J.F. Knowles, D.J.P. Moore, K. Anchukaitis, D.L. Potts, G.A. Barron-Gafford. 2020. Topography influences species-specific patterns of seasonal primary productivity in a semiarid montane forest. Tree Physiology. DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa083

D.J. Spiering, C.P.S. Larsen, D.L. Potts. 2020. Modelling vegetation succession in post-industrial ecosystems using vegetation classification in aerial photographs, Buffalo, New York. Landscape and Urban Planning. DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103792

Potts, D.L., Barron-Gafford, G.A., Scott, R.L. 2019. Ecosystem hydrologic and metabolic flashiness are shaped by plant community traits and precipitation. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107674

D.L. Potts, G.A. Barron-Gafford, B.J. Butterfield, P.A. Fay, K.R. Hultine. 2019. Bloom and Bust: ecological consequences of precipitation variability in aridlands. Plant Ecology DOI: 10.1007/s11258-019-00915-2