Anantha M. Prasad

• Modelling the dynamics of tree species response to various environmental perturbations, especially climate change
• Evaluating intraspecific variation in tree species response to climate change 
• Expanding the habitat suitability and migration potential models to encompass the entire conterminous US and across their entire range into Canada
• Working with a team that consists of Landscape Ecologist, Wildlife Biologist and GIS Specialist, my main focus is on developing cutting edge modelling techniques to assist in tree species conservation and forest health maintenance that the American public demands. I love the challenge of constant innovation required to incorporate rapid developments in modelling/simulation and scientific computing fields.

Prasad, A., & Leites, L. (2021). Ecological analysis of intraspecific variability of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) under climate change by combining provenance and demographic data. Landscape Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-021-01333-4

Prasad, A., Pedlar, J., Peters, M., McKenney, D., Iverson, L., Matthews, S., & Adams, B. (2020). Combining US and Canadian forest inventories to assess habitat suitability and migration potential of 25 tree species under climate change. Diversity and Distributions, 26(9), 1142–1159. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13078

Iverson, L. R., Prasad, A. M., Peters, M. P., & Matthews, S. N. (2019). Facilitating Adaptive Forest Management under Climate Change: A Spatially Specific Synthesis of 125 Species for Habitat Changes and Assisted Migration over the Eastern United States. Forests, 10(11), 989. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10110989

Prasad, A. M. (2018). Machine Learning for Macroscale Ecological Niche Modeling—A Multi-Model, Multi- Response Ensemble Technique for Tree Species Management Under Climate Change. In G. R. Humphries, D. R. Magness, & F. Huettmann (Eds.), Machine Learning for Ecology and Sustainable Natural Resource Management. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96978-7

Prasad, A. M., & Potter, K. M. (2017). Macro-scale assessment of demographic and environmental variation within genetically derived evolutionary lineages of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), an imperiled conifer of the eastern United States. Biodiversity and Conservation, 26(9), 2223–2249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1354-4

Prasad, A. M., Iverson, L. R., Matthews, S. N., & Peters, M. P. (2016). A multistage decision support framework to guide tree species management under climate change via habitat suitability and colonization models, and a knowledge-based scoring system. Landscape Ecology, 31(9), 2187–2204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-016-0369-7

Prasad, A. M., Iverson, L. R., Peters, M. P., Bossenbroek, J. M., Matthews, S. N., Davis Sydnor, T., & Schwartz, M. W. (2010). Modeling the invasive emerald ash borer risk of spread using a spatially explicit cellular model. Landscape Ecology, 25(3), 353–369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-009-9434-9

Prasad, A. M. (2015). Macroscale intraspecific variation and environmental heterogeneity: Analysis of cold and warm zone abundance, mortality, and regeneration distributions of four eastern US tree species. Ecology and Evolution, 5(21), 5033–5048. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1752

Prasad, A. M., Gardiner, J. D., Iverson, L. R., Matthews, S. N., & Peters, M. (2013). Exploring tree species colonization potentials using a spatially explicit simulation model: Implications for four oaks under climate change. Global Change Biology, 19(7), 2196–2208. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12204

Prasad, A. M., Iverson, L. R., Peters, M. P., Bossenbroek, J. M., Matthews, S. N., Davis Sydnor, T., & Schwartz, M. W. (2010). Modeling the invasive emerald ash borer risk of spread using a spatially explicit cellular model. Landscape Ecology, 25(3), 353–369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-009-9434-9

I am interested in understanding tree species demographic response at a macroecological scale and using ensemble and simulation models to predict future suitable habitats and migration potential. My current interests are:
a) to understand within-species variation by evaluating genetic, ecological and environmental differences among populations under various disturbance regimes using multiple modelling techniques.
b) to expand our models that currently spans the eastern US (https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/atlas/tree) to include the entire conterminous US and also into their entire range in Canada and Alaska

I love tinkering with models and scripts to come up with newer techniques and ideas to integrate the various components that constitute dynamic landscapes (ecology, genetics, biogeography etc) to improve management and conservation goals.

Forest health is being increasing affected by both natural and anthropogenic impacts resulting in changing and less robust forest landscapes. The forest managers need help in tackling contemporary issues like the impact of climate change, future seed zones, and assisted migration. My research uses a comprehensive approach which includes multi-stage statistical and simulation modelling, and the evaluation of intraspecific environmental and genetic population differences to address the challenge of forest health maintenance and tree species conservation in the United States and beyond.