Skip to Main Content

The University of Tennessee

University of Tennessee Department of Classics

Frequently Used Tools:



Welcome! » Faculty » Aimée T. Classen


Aimée T. Classen

See Also: Lab page

Research Interests

Ecosystem ecology, global change, plant-herbivore interactions, microbial ecology, nutrient cycling, ecogenomics 

Research in the UT Ecosystem Ecology Laboratory focuses on how abiotic and biotic factors interact to shape ecosystem structure and function and how natural disturbances and anthropogenic impacts such as climatic change, biofuel production, species invasions, and herbivore outbreaks may shape these interactions. Current projects include:

  1. The role of multiple climate change factors in shaping community and ecosystem response to global change
  2. Scaling across levels of biological organization to better understand how climatic change may alter ecosystem function
  3. The role of root exudation and rhizosphere microbial community structure and function in regulating ecosystem carbon flow
  4. The role of plant, mammal, and global change drivers in shaping ecosystem succession
  5. The role of chronic insect herbivory in regulating ecosystem structure and function
  6. The role of foundation species and faunal biodiversity in ecosystem structure and function

Education

  • 2004 - Ph.D., Northern Arizona University

Selected Publications

  • Crutsinger GM, Reynolds WN, Classen AT, and Sanders NJ (2008) Disparate effects of plant genotypic diversity on foliage and litter arthropod communities. Oecologia 158:65-75.
  • Knapp AK, Beier C, Briske DD, Classen AT, Lou Y, Reichstein M, Smith MD, Smith SD, Bell JE, Fay PA, Heisler JL, Leavitt SW, Sherry R, Smith B, and Weng E (2008) Consequences of more extreme precipitation regimes for terrestrial ecosystems. BioScience 58(9):811-821.
  • Garten Jr. CT, Classen AT, Norby RJ, Brice DJ, Weltzin JA, and Souza L (2008) Role of N2-fixation in constructed old-field communities under different regimes of [CO2], temperature, and water availability. Ecosystems 11: 125-137.
  • Classen AT, Chapman SK, Whitham TG, Hart SC, and Koch GW (2007) Genetic-based plant resistance and susceptibility traits to herbivory influence needle and root litter nutrient dynamics. Journal of Ecology 95:1181-1194.
  • Classen AT, Overby ST, Hart SC, Koch GW, and Whitham TG (2007) Season mediates herbivore effects on litter and soil microbial abundance and activity in a semi-arid woodland. Plant and Soil 295:217-227.
  • Classen AT, Hart SC, Whitham TG, Cobb NS, and Koch GW (2005) Insect infestations linked to shifts in microclimate: important climate change implications. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69:2049-2057.
Aimée T. Classen

Contact Information

Aimée T. Classen
Assistant Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Tennessee
569 Dabney Hall
Knoxville, TN 37996-1610

Phone: (865) 974-7894
Fax: (865) 974-3067
Email: aimee.classen@utk.edu