Brad Oberle
Associate Curator, Center for Conservation & Restoration Ecology
Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Population Biology, Washington University in Saint Louis
Specialty
Forest ecology, carbon cycling, conservation biology
Expertise
Eastern North American Forests, Mangroves, Primula Sect. Dodecatheon (Primulaceae), Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae)
Research locations
Thain Family Forest, NYC Region, Florida, Australia
Profile
Brad Oberle’s research supports diverse, resilient communities through deeper understanding of the complex relationship between life and climate. As an Associate Curator at the New York Botanical Garden, Brad focuses on plants and microbes, which interact to drive the global carbon cycle in habitats transformed by people. To identify where, when and why ecosystems face tipping points and species face extinction, Brad draws techniques from ecology, evolution and statistics. Then, to translate novel science into effective action, he partners with community groups, natural resource managers and policy makers. Together, they advance innovative, practical solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises.
Brad’s current research addresses global change impacts on urban forests, optimizing carbon sequestration from small scale afforestation projects, mangrove restoration and conservation biology in Bromeliaceae.
Selected Publications
Oberle B., Bressan, S. J., J. M. McWilliams, E. M. Diaz-Almeyda. 2023. Urban food forestry transforms soil function to rapidly and uniformly sequester carbon. Urban Ecosystems https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-023-01384-2
Oberle, B. and E. Fairchild. 2023. On the benefits of clarifying the meaning of “plant gender”. 2023 American Journal of Botany e16196 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16196
Oberle, B., Breithaupt, J., McTigue, A. M., Stryker, R., Cladas, M., Raulerson, G., & Young, D. F. 2022. Restoration objectives create surface carbon cycle trade‐offs in coastal habitats. Restoration Ecology, 30(4), e13563. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13563
Jabaily, R. S., E. Fetterly, M. S. Heschel, B. Sidoti, B. Oberle & E. Bodine. 2021. Defining iteroparity with comparative morphometric data (Bromeliaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1086/715484
Lustenhouwer, N., D. S. Maynard, M. A. Bradford, D. L. Lidner, B. Oberle, A. E. Zanne, T. W. Crowther. 2020. A trait-based understanding of wood decomposition by fungi. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117(21), 11551-11558. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909166117
Oberle, B., M. R. Lee, J. A. Myers, O. L. Osazuwa‐Peters, M. J. Spasojevic, M. L. Walton, M. L., D. F. Young & A. E. Zanne 2019. Accurate forest projections require long‐term wood decay experiments because plant trait effects change through time. Global Change Biology 26(2): 864-875 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14873.
Oberle, B. and B.A. Schaal. 2011. Historical responses to climate change highlight contemporary threats to diversity in Dodecatheon. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 108: 5655-5660. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1012302108
Documents
