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Whitlow, Tom H.
Cornell Faculty Member
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Positions
- Associate Professor, Horticulture (HORT), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
As a plant ecologist, I focus on using plants to restore ecosystem functions to cities and other human impacted landscapes. I take an interdisciplinary approach, using physiological ecology, atmospheric science, soil science and hydrology.
Research Areas
- biocomplexity
- biodiversity
- biogeochemistry
- biological and environmental engineering
- climatology
- community development
- ecology
- ecosystem biology
- environmental sciences
- forest management
- land use
- landscape ecology
- natural resources
- pest management
- plant sciences
- sustainable development
- urban environment
- watershed science
- youth
Websites
- Affiliations
- Extension
- Research
- Publications
- Teaching
- Service
- Background
- Other
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Affiliations
member of
- David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) Faculty Fellow
Extension
has primary specialization area
Research
research overview
- My research focuses on the interactions between plants and human dominated landscapes. These are often disturbed and far from equilibrium. At the same time, the same biophysical processes that operate under more natural conditions undoubtedly operate under these conditions as well. How do plant communities function under these extreme conditions and how do they exert an influence on their local environments? With adequate understanding of these interactions, we can design and manipulate plant communities to maintain a modicum of ecosystem function and provide ecosystem services to humans.
research activities
area(s) of concentration/expertise
- Agricultural Waste Management
- Environmental Management
- Environmental Microbiology, Pollutant Biodegradation
- Environmental Physiology; Soil Management
- Environmental Risk Analysis (Communication)
- Environmental Social Science
- Environmental Systems Analysis
- Forest Resources Conservation and Management
- Forest Soils
- Hort Stress Physiology, Urban Horticulture
- Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management
- Plant Physiological Ecology
- Plants and Human Well Being
- Soil Ecotoxicology/Microbial Ecology
- Statistical and Agricultural Meteorology and Climatology
- Structures and Environment
- Sustainable Development
- Weed Ecology and Management
- Wetlands Ecosystem Ecology
keywords
- urban ecology, restoration ecology, ecosystem services, human health interactions
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Coupling biogeochemical cycles in urban environments: ecosystem services, green solutions, and misconceptions. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 9:27-36. 2011
- Impact of local traffic exclusion on near-road air quality: findings from the new York City "Summer Streets" campaign. Environmental Pollution. 159:2016-2027. 2011
- Biogenic volatile organic compounds from an invasive species: impacts on plant-plant interactions. Plant Ecology. :11. 2009
- Evolution of an invasive phenotype: shift to belowground dominance and enhanced competitive ability in the introduced range. Plant Ecology. 202:275-284. 2009
- A unifying framework for biological invasions: the state factor model. Biological Invasions. DOI 10.1007/s10530-007-9127-8:14. 2008
- Biogenic volatile organic compounds from an invasive species: impacts on plant-plant interactions. Plant Ecology. DOI 10.1007/s11258-008-9529-4:11. 2008
- Revealing Historic Invasion Patterns and Potential Invasion Sites for Two Non-Native Plant Species. PLOS One. 3. 2008
- Cultural methods for beach plum (Prunus maritima) production. Journal of American Pomological Society. 61:3-13. 2007
- Abscisic acid synthesis in Acer rubrum L. leaves -- A vapor pressure deficit mediated response. Journal of American Society of Horticultural Science. 129:182-187. 2004
- Ecophysiology of Acer rubrum L. seedlings from contrasting hydrologic habitats: Growth, gas exchange, abscisic acid, and stable isotope discrimination. Tree Physiology. 23. 2003
- A laser-diode-based system for measuring sap flow by the heat pulse method. non-invasive laser system for sap flow measurement. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 110:275-284. 2002
- Physiological responses of Catharanthus roseus (periwinkle) to ash yellows phytoplasmal infection. New Phytologist. 150:757-769. 2001
- Variation in gas exchange responses to flooding in Red maple (Acer rubrum L.) ecotypes collected along a hydrologic gradient. American Midland Naturalist. 143:330-341. 2000
- Flood-tolerance ranking of red and Freeman maple cultivars. Jour. Arboric.. 25:31-36. 1999
- Winter raspberry production in greenhouses. HortTechnology. 9:13-15. 1999
- Germination of Acer rubrum seeds collected from wet and dry habitats. Seed Sci. & Technol. 26:755-762. 1998
- Comparison of tolerance of ash yellows phytoplasmas in Fraxinus species and rootstock-scion combinations. Plant Disease. 81:395-398. 1997
- Evaluation of planting site quality using street tree growth. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 15:115-118. 1997
- Root and shoot growth periodicity of green ash, scarlet oak, Turkish hazelnut and tree lilac. Journal of American Society of Horticultural Science. 120:211-216. 1995
- A window into below-ground growth of landscape trees: implications for transplant success. HortTechnology. 4:368-371. 1994
- Effect of cold storage on bud break, root regeneration and root extension of douglas-fir, white birch and green ash. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 11:119-123. 1993
- Improved method for maintaining soil moisture levels for plant seedling research. Crop Science Journal. 33:868-870. 1993
- A Three Year Study of Water Relations of Urban Street Trees. Journal of Applied Ecology. 29:436-450. 1992
- An improved method for using electrolyte leakage to assess membrane competence in plant tissues. Plant Physiology. 98:198-205. 1992
- Effects of leaf and sap feeding insects on photosynthetic rates of goldenrod. Oceologia. 92:480-489. 1992
- Influence of rootstock and scion on growth and partitioning patterns of 'Colt' and 'Meteor' cherry trees in response to water stress. HortScience. 26:1204-1207. 1991
- Osmotic adjustment and solute constituents in leaves and roots of water- stressed cherry (Prunus) trees. Journal of American Society of Horticultural Science. 116:684-688. 1991
- Turgor maintenance in leaves and roots of 'Colt' cherry trees (Prunus avium x pseudocerasus) in response to water stress. Jour. Hort. Sci.. 66:381-387. 1991
- Response of five temperate deciduous tree species to water stress. Tree Physiology. 6:439-448. 1990
- Ecophysiology of urban trees and their management. HortScience. 23:542-546. 1988
- Effect of transplanting practices on growth and water relations of 'Colt' cherry trees during reestablishment. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 7:41-45. 1988
- Environmental stress in street trees. Arboriculture Jour.. 12:1-6. 1988
- SMP: Solid matrix priming of seeds. Scientia Horticulturae. 37:1-11. 1988
- Ectomycorrhizal effect on host plant response to drought. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 5:183-187. 1987
- Effect of pot-lip shape on soil surface evaporative losses. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 5:41-45. 1987
- Environmental stress in street trees. Acta Horticulturae. 195:49-57. 1987
- Trees in difficult sites. Jour. of Arboriculture.. 13:10-17. 1987
- Floristic and vegetational patterns in a California dredge field. Journal of Biogeography. 9:79-90. 1982
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article
- Beach Plum: a shrub for low-maintenance landscapes 2005
- The (un)natural and cultural history of Korean goldenrain tree 2005
- Strategies for plant selection based on stress tolerance 1991
- Choosing ornamental trees for dry urban sites 1989
- Dry Sites for Ornamental Trees. Grounds Maintenance. :129. 1989
- Trees for wet sites 1989
- Urban Horticulture - The Science of Greening on Cities 1987
- Urban horticulture - the science of greening our cities 1987
- Urban stress is not limited to people 1986
- Urban stress is not limited to people. American Nurseryman. 163:57-63. 1986
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booksection
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chapter
- Visualizing Value Systems: Exploring Property Value and Eco-system Services in Constructed Three Dimensional Space. Geographic Information and Critical Geographic Research. 2004
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conference paper
- Green Growth Machines: Is Open Space Protection Gentrifying Rural New York. Third Annual Who Owns America Conference. 2001
- Quantifying and Visualizing the Relationship Between Residential Property Value and Proximity to Ecological Greenspace. Conference on GIS and Critical Geographic Research. 2001
- Response of Acer rubrum L. (Red Maple) genotypes and cultivars to soil anaerobiosis. Proc. Int. Symp on Urban Tree Health. 393-199. 1999
- Managing growth and water relations of 'Colt' cherry during transplanting and reestablishment. Proc. Sixth Metria Conf. 108-118. 1988
- Evaluating street tree microclimates in New York City. Proc. 5th METRIA Conference. 18-27. 1987
- Evaluating street tree microclimates in New York City. Proceedings of the 5th METRIA Conference. 18-27. 1987
- Evaluating street trees for drought tolerance. Improving the Quality of Urban Life With Plants. 174-187. 1985
- Evaluating street trees for drought tolerance.. Improving the Quality of Urban Life with Plants. Proc. of The June 21-23, 1983 International New York Botanical Garden Symposium on Urban Horticulture. 1985
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document part
- Interspecific variability and phenotypic plasticity in photosynthesis for the invasive swallow-wort vines (Vincetoxicum spp.) 2010
- Yield component analysis of beach plum (Prunus maritima Marshall), a new fruit crop. 560. 2001
- Root and shoot growth periodicity of green ash, scarlet oak, Turkish Hazelnut and tree lilac. 482. 1994
- Adaptive responses of red maple ecotypes to water stress 1991
- Physiological responses of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) to water stress 1990
- The effect of indolbutyric acid concentration on rooting of cultivars of Acer rubrum L. 690. 1988
- The influence of groundcover management systems and stress components on growth of woody ornamentals 1988
- The influence of groundcover management systems and stress components on growth of woody ornamentals 1988
- A comparison of a direct transpirational measurement method with a predictive meteorological method. 675. 1986
- Ecophysiology of urban trees and their management. 794. 1986
- Sizing Tree Containers: A Comparison of a Direct Transpirational Measurement Method with a Predictive Meteorological Method. 675. 1986
- The relative influence of rootstock and scion on drought tolerance in cherries. 665. 1986
- Determining adequate dimensions of permanent street tree containers based on transpirational demand. 96. 1985
- Drought stress in the urban street tree environment. 96. 1985
- Response of four Acer rubrum ecotypes to a PEG-simulated drought stress. 54. 1985
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report
featured in archived article
Teaching
teaching overview
- Restoration ecology synthesizes contemporary theory with practice to mitigate loss of ecological function and service. Students gain a functional ability to approach novel restoration problems, derive appropriate solutions from basic ecology, and apply these to a real world project. A keystone of the course is a technical report and public presentation addressing a local restoration project.
- Tools for Thought is a graduate level course involving reading and discussion of both classic and current papers dealing with scientific method, the philosophy of science, scientific ethics and other topics relevant to the engaged modern scientist.
teaching activities
- GOVT-2240: Ecology and Politics of the Metropolis - Spring 2013
- HORT-2240: Ecology and Politics of the Metropolis - Spring 2013
- HORT-9900: Thesis Research, Doctor of Philosophy - Spring 2013
- HORT-4400: Restoration Ecology - Fall 2012
- HORT-4940: Special Topics in Horticulture - Fall 2012
- HORT-4970: Undergraduate Individual Study in Horticulture - Fall 2012
- HORT-6350: Tools for Thought - Fall 2012
- HORT-7000: Graduate Teaching Experience - Fall 2012
- HORT-9900: Thesis Research, Doctor of Philosophy - Spring 2012
- HORT-4400: Restoration Ecology - Fall 2011
- HORT-6350: Tools for Thought - Fall 2011
- HORT-7000: Graduate Teaching Experience - Fall 2011
Service
outreach overview
- My focus in on engaging community stakeholders in issues and activities dealing with sustainability, urban ecology, best management practices.
service to the profession
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in Ecology, University of California, Davis 1982
- M.S. in, University of California, Davis 1982
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1972
awards and honors
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- urban ecology, restoration ecology, ecosystem services, human health interactions
name prefix
- Professor