Stomatal Frequency, Distribution, and Needle Hydrophobicity in Cloud Forest Spruce and Fir, Southern Appalachian Mountains

from UCLA and was formerly a professor at the University of Wyoming. His research focuses on the adaptations of plants living in harsh and extreme environments, with a current focus on global change impacts. Current projects include studies of the global occurrence of the alpine treelines and the impacts of episodic, extreme events (e.g. hurricanes) on barrier island ecosystems. Based on the adaptive characteristics of individual species, projections about future survival are being evaluated. Dr. Smith has served on the editorial board of four international journals and has been lead editor on three books and co-edited a fourth. He has authored over 250 refereed publications, received more than 40 NSF grants, and currently collaborates on a NSF treeline grant and leads the NSF-funded Coastal Barrier Island Network (CBIN) (www. coastalbarrierisland.org), a broad multidisciplinary group of scientists with expertise in ecology, geology, hydrology, economics, and cultural and political sciences.