Battles Lab

Postdoctoral Associate
eschtruth [at] nature [dot] berkeley [dot] edu

Anne is a postdoctoral scholar with UC Berkeley’s Center for Forestry and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. In her current position, Anne is engaged in several projects that make use of innovative methodologies and emerging statistical approaches to examine the impacts of interactions between co-occurring disturbances on plant community dynamics, model the impacts of climate change on susceptible forest plant and animal species, and quantify the patterns and mechanisms of exotic plant invasion.

Forest ecosystem response to disturbance is dependent on a multitude of interacting factors; however, studies of this complex process often rely on a predominance of simplifying assumptions. Anne’s work is aimed at moving beyond these simplifying assumptions and quantitatively assessing the factors of interest, their interactions, and their relative importance. Anne’s research addresses both basic and applied questions in forest ecology and invasion biology.

Anne completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley in 2007. Anne also earned a Master of Forest Science degree at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and holds dual B.S. degrees in Resource Ecology and Management and in Environmental Policy and Behavior from the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Selected Publications

Eschtruth, A.K. and J.J. Battles. 2009. Mechanisms of exotic plant invasion: assessing the relative importance of canopy disturbance, propagule pressure, species diversity, and herbivory. Ecological Monographs 79(2): 265-280.

Eschtruth, A.K. and J.J. Battles. 2009. A generalist herbivore accelerates exotic plant invasion in a forested ecosystem. Conservation Biology 23(2): 388-399.

Eschtruth, A.K. and J.J. Battles. 2008. Deer herbivory alters forest response to the canopy decline caused by an exotic insect pest. Ecological Applications 18(2): 360-376.

York, R.A., J.J. Battles, and A.K. Eschtruth, and F.G. Schurr. Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) regeneration in experimental canopy gaps. In Press Restoration Ecology

Cleavitt, N.L., A.K. Eschtruth, J.J. Battles, and T.J. Fahey. 2008. Bryophyte response to eastern hemlock decline caused by hemlock woolly adelgid infestation. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 135: 12-25.

Eschtruth, A.K., N.L. Cleavitt, J.J. Battles, R.A. Evans, and T.J. Fahey. 2006. Vegetation dynamics in declining hemlock stands: nine years of forest response to hemlock woolly adelgid infestation. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 36: 1435-1450.