Dr. Meiners' research focuses on the dynamics of plant communities, the regeneration of woody species and biological invasions. Specific interests include understanding the consequences of habitat fragmentation, allelopathy and plant-animal interactions at a community level. As the leader of the Buell-Small Succession Study, he coordinates the continued collection and analysis of a long term project that has documented post-agricultural succession continuously for 53 years. Current work is focusing on functional approaches to community dynamics and on understanding the role of allelopathy (chemical interactions) in regulating communities and populations. His research has been funded by USDA, NSF, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the American Philosophical Society.
Articles
Terrestrial Macrofungi of Illinois Old-Growth Prairie Groves (with Andrew Methven and Vincent P. Hustad), The American Midland Naturalist (2011)
ABSTRACT.—Macrofungi from two old-growth prairie grove remnants in the Midwestern United States (Brownfield and Trelease...
Allelopathic Effects of Goldenrod Species on Turnover in Successional Communities (with Nikki Pisula), The American Midland Naturalist (2010)
While goldenrod species are often found to be allelopathic in laboratory settings, its importance in...
Liana host preference and implications for deciduous forest regeneration (with Laura M. Ladwig), Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society (2010)
Lianas have the potential to shape forest communities and alter forest regeneration. However, impacts of...
Relative allelopathic potential of invasive plant species in a young disturbed woodland (with Nikki Pisula), Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society (2010)
Invasive plant species are often more successful within introduced areas when compared to their natural...
Spatiotemporal dynamics of lianas during 50 years of succession to temperate forest (with Laura Ladwig), Ecology (2010)
Although they are important components of forest communities, the general ecology and spatiotemporal patterns of...
Contributions to Books
Domain and Propositions of Succession Theory (with Steward Pickett and Mary L. Cadenasso), The Theory of Ecology (2011)
Succession is perhaps the oldest of ecological concepts, having arisen when ecology was emerging as...
Succession (with Steward Pickett), Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions (2011)
Succession in a strict sense refers to the recovery and revegetation of an area following...
The relationship between community diversity and exotic plants: cause or consequence of invasion? (with Mary L. Cadenasso), Invasive Plants: Ecological and Agricultural Aspects (2005)
Invasion ecology has suffered from the artificial separation of invasibility and impact processes in understanding...