Office: SG Mudd 330

Office Phone: (303) 871-3538

Lab Phone: (303) 871-3478

Email: asher@du.edu

Link to portfolio page

Degrees

• 1998 Ph.D., Biological Sciences University of New Mexico - Albequerque, NM
• 1991 B.A., Biology and Art Earlham College - Richmond, IN

Research Interests

In my joint position as a professor at University of Denver faculty and Director of Research, Herbaria and Records at Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG), I direct a research program in Conservation Biology with three, overlapping foci: 1) preservation of rare species, 2) the ecology of exotic invasives, and 3) restoration of degraded ecosystems. The primary concentration of my DU group is the ecology of restoration of riparian habitats invaded by non-native plants.

While scientific theories of ecological restoration are well established, there are significant gaps in practical application. One of my goals, therefore, has been to help guide the academic field to benefit actual land management. Toward this end, my lab has conducted the first multi-state surveys of re-vegetated restoration sites, using multivariate statistical tools to identify environmental variables associated with restoration success (e.g., Bay & Sher). We have also conducted large-scale field tests of how invasive species control influences plant assemblages (e.g., Sher et al. in press) and soil chemistry (e.g. Cederborg & Sher). These projects have primarily considered restoration associated with Tamarix spp. (more commonly known as tamarisk or saltcedar), a woody, Eurasian tree that invades watersheds, profoundly affecting biological communities and ecosystem processes (i.e., fire, flooding, and soil chemistry fluxes).

Link to Sher's publications (Word doc)