University of Colorado Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

​Bio

I am a terrestrial ecosystem ecologist, specializing in plant-insect interactions and the ecology of non-native invasive plants. Broadly, I am interested in understanding how soil resources, plant competition, herbivory, and other biotic and abiotic factors influence the abundance and distribution of plant species and plant communities across the landscape.

The majority of my research to date has occurred in short- and mixed grass prairie and ponderosa pine woodlands of the Colorado plains and Rocky Mountain Front Range. One of my primary research thrusts is to investigate how changes in climate influence plant communities and land management activities, particularly for control of non-native invasive plant species. As a primary focus, I am interested in enhancing the field of restoration ecology – specifically, re-establishing and conserving diverse plant communities, through a research approach that identifies the important bottom-up (resources) and top-down (biotic) controls on plant communities.

Select Publications​

Jamieson M.A., Knochel D.G., Manrique A., Seastedt T.R. (2012) Top-down and bottom-up controls on Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica) performance along the Colorado Front Range, USA. Plant Ecology, DOI 10.1007/s11258-011-0013-1

Knochel, D.G. (2011) The lesser of two weevils: physiological responses of spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) to above- and belowground herbivory by Larinus minutus and Cyphocleonus achates. Biocontrol Science and Technology 21(2):153-170.

Knochel D.G. and Seastedt TR (2010). Reconciling contradictory findings of herbivore impacts on the growth and reproduction of spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe). Ecological Applications 20: 1903-1927.

Knochel D.G., Monson ND, Seastedt TR (2010). Additive effects of above- and belowground herbivores on the dominance of spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe).
Oecologia 164: 701-712.

Kn

ochel D.G., Flagg C, Seastedt TR (2010) Effects of plant competition, seed predation, and nutrient limitation on seedling survivorship of spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe). Biological Invasions 12: 3771-3784.

Knochel D.G. and Seastedt T.R. (2009) Sustainable control of spotted knapweed, (Centaurea stoebe). In: Inderjit (ed.), Management of Invasive Weeds, Springer Science + Business Media B.V. pp. 211-225.

Seastedt T.R., Knochel D.G., Garmoe M., Shosky S.A. (2007) Interactions and effects of multiple biological control insects on diffuse and spotted knapweed in the Front Range of Colorado. Biological Control 42: 345-354.

​Courses Taught

BIOL 2051, General Biology I,

BIOL 4154/5154 Conservation Biology