Welcome to the Ferraro Lab at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability!
Our work is grounded in the belief that rigorous science and a commitment to interdisciplinarity can build a better world for people, animals, and the living systems we all share.
A major pillar of our research focuses on ecosystem ecology. We study how animals shape the structure and function of the environments they inhabit, and how ecosystems in turn support animal lives. Animals interact with their environment and with other organisms in ways that influence element cycling, vegetation dynamics, soil processes, and landscape heterogeneity. By examining these relationships, we aim to better understand the ecological roles animals play and how changes in animal communities can alter the functioning and resilience of ecosystems.
A second pillar of our work focuses on environmental ethics. We ask how values and norms shape the questions we ask, the species and ecosystems we prioritize, and the futures we imagine as desirable. This work examines not only what we value in conservation, but why we value it, and how those values influence research and decision-making.
Across our work, we use a combination of ecological and philosophical theory, empirical fieldwork, and modeling to understand complex environmental systems. We are especially interested in research that bridges disciplines and connects rigorous science with ethical reflection, with the goal of contributing to more thoughtful and compassionate approaches to conservation and environmental change.
Our work is grounded in the belief that rigorous science and a commitment to interdisciplinarity can build a better world for people, animals, and the living systems we all share.
A major pillar of our research focuses on ecosystem ecology. We study how animals shape the structure and function of the environments they inhabit, and how ecosystems in turn support animal lives. Animals interact with their environment and with other organisms in ways that influence element cycling, vegetation dynamics, soil processes, and landscape heterogeneity. By examining these relationships, we aim to better understand the ecological roles animals play and how changes in animal communities can alter the functioning and resilience of ecosystems.
A second pillar of our work focuses on environmental ethics. We ask how values and norms shape the questions we ask, the species and ecosystems we prioritize, and the futures we imagine as desirable. This work examines not only what we value in conservation, but why we value it, and how those values influence research and decision-making.
Across our work, we use a combination of ecological and philosophical theory, empirical fieldwork, and modeling to understand complex environmental systems. We are especially interested in research that bridges disciplines and connects rigorous science with ethical reflection, with the goal of contributing to more thoughtful and compassionate approaches to conservation and environmental change.
Lab News:
In a new paper in PNAS we dissucss why environmental scientists need ethics training more than ever.
New Paper Alert: Do animals create hotspots or hot moments? Check out our bibliometric analysis that synthesizes both the spatiotemporal scope of research and the range of methodological approaches used to study zoogeochemical inputs.
Animals don't just respond to their environments - they transform them! Check out our new paper in TREE describing Zoogeochemical Niche Construction.
Storytelling in ecological and conservation writing is essential, but relying on tropes such as the hero-villain is problematic. Check out our paper that outlines the problems with the hero-villain narrative in science writing, and provides fun alternatives, the BioScience Talks podcast, and our piece in The Conversation!
We often ask how a species affects an ecosystem. But what about all of them—together? Our paper outlines a framework that predicts how animals of all shapes and sizes act within their communities to influence elemental distribution on landscapes.
New Paper Alert: Do animals create hotspots or hot moments? Check out our bibliometric analysis that synthesizes both the spatiotemporal scope of research and the range of methodological approaches used to study zoogeochemical inputs.
Animals don't just respond to their environments - they transform them! Check out our new paper in TREE describing Zoogeochemical Niche Construction.
Storytelling in ecological and conservation writing is essential, but relying on tropes such as the hero-villain is problematic. Check out our paper that outlines the problems with the hero-villain narrative in science writing, and provides fun alternatives, the BioScience Talks podcast, and our piece in The Conversation!
We often ask how a species affects an ecosystem. But what about all of them—together? Our paper outlines a framework that predicts how animals of all shapes and sizes act within their communities to influence elemental distribution on landscapes.