David Bauman

Background

About David Bauman

I am a forest ecologist interested in understanding the ecological mechanisms behind changes in tree diversity across tropical regions. My research blends quantitative methods with a strong focus on the physical and biological traits of tropical ecosystems, using causal frameworks to better understand cause-effect links in forests and savannas. I develop my research program along three main areas: 1) Exploring how trees respond to climate, soil, and local interactions: I study how shifts in climate interact with local ecological factors—like soil nutrients and neighbouring trees—to influence vital processes like tree growth and mortality in tropical forests. 2) Understanding the drivers of tree demography in African savannas and dry woodlands: These unique ecosystems have different evolutionary histories and adaptations, and respond to environmental pressures in ways that are different from humid tropical forests. I look at how these ecosystems adapt at the tree level, but also at the species and community levels. To do this, my colleagues and I use morphological, chemical, and physiological features of species, to understand how functional strategies moderate the diversity of demographic responses observed in tropical ecosystems. 3) Developing analytical tools and methods to study tropical tree demography: Studying tropical trees comes with its own challenges—slow growth, low mortality, and high ontogenetic, spatial, and temporal variability. To make sense of these complexities, I combine real-world data with Bayesian statistics and simulation approaches to explore these systems within a framework that prioritizes causation. I believe meaningful advances in understanding complex ecosystems will require explicit consideration of causal relations, and I therefore develop my research using causally explicit analytical frameworks as much as possible.