As a plant ecophysiologist, I strive to understand the physiological processes that structure natural ecosystems. I am particularly interested in addressing three key questions:
I use a variety of physiological and statistical techniques to address these questions, including leaf gas exchange, sensor networks, stable isotope analyses, plant hydraulic measurements, and bayesian modeling. Although my research has primarily focused on grasslands and savannas, I am interested in addressing similar questions in other systems as well.
For more information, check out my lab website here!
Kansas State University, PhD Biology (2016)
Saint Joseph’s University, MS Biology (2012)
The College of New Jersey, BS Biology (2010)
*indicates undergraduate student author
O’Keefe K, Smith DD, McCulloh KA (2023) Linking stem rehydration kinetics to hydraulic traits using a novel method and mechanistic model. Annals of Botany. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcad066
McCulloh KA, Augustine SP, Goke A, Jordan R, Krieg CP, O’Keefe K, Smith DD (2022) At least it is a dry cold: the global distribution of freeze–thaw and drought stress and the traits that may impart poly-tolerance in conifers. Tree Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpac102
Rastetter EB, Kwiatkowski BL, Kicklighter DW, Barker Plotkin A, Genet H, Nippert JB, O'Keefe K, Perakis SS, Porder S, Roley SS, Ruess RW, Thompson JR, Wieder WR, Wilcox K, Yanai RD (2022) N and P constrain C in ecosystems under climate change: Role of nutrient redistribution, accumulation, and stoichiometry. Ecological Applications. e2684. doi:10.1002/eap.2684
Keen RM, Nippert JB, Sullivan PL, Ratajczak Z, Ritchey B, O’Keefe K, Dodds WK (2022) Impacts of Riparian and Non-riparian Woody Encroachment on Tallgrass Prairie Ecohydrology. Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-022-00756-7
O’Keefe K, Bachle S, Keen R, Tooley EG, Nippert JB (2021) Root traits reveal safety and efficiency differences in grasses and shrubs exposed to different fire regimes. Functional Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13972
Wedel ER, O’Keefe K, Nippert JB, Hoch B*, O’Connor RC (2021) Spatio-temporal differences in leaf physiology are associated with fire, not drought, in a clonally integrated shrub. AoB PLANTS. https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plab037
Berry CZ, Ávila-Lovera E, De Guzman ME, O’Keefe K, Emery NC (2021) Beneath the Bark: Assessing Woody Stem Water and Carbon Fluxes and Its Prevalence Across Climates and the Woody Plant Phylogeny. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. DOI=10.3389/ffgc.2021.675299
O’Keefe K, McCulloh KA (2020) Do invasive jumping worms impact sugar maple (Acer saccharum) functioning during a novel invasion of a temperate forest? Biological Invasions. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02360-z
O’Keefe K, Bell DM, McCulloh KA, Nippert JB (2020) Bridging the flux gap: sap flow measurements reveal species-specific patterns of water-use in a tallgrass prairie. JGR Biogeosciences. DOI: 10.1029/2019JG005446
Hart J*, O’Keefe K, Augustine S, McCulloh KA (2020) Physiological responses of germinant Pinus palustris and P. taeda seedlings to water stress and the significance of the grass-stage. Forest Ecology and Management. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117647
O’Keefe K, Nippert JB, McCulloh KA (2019) Plant water uptake along a diversity gradient provides evidence for complementarity in hydrological niches. Oikos. DOI: 10.1111/oik.06529
O’Keefe K, Nippert JB (2018) Drivers of nocturnal water flux in a tallgrass prairie. Functional Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13072
O’Keefe K, Nippert JB (2017b) An assessment of diurnal water uptake in a mesic prairie: evidence for hydraulic lift? Oecologia DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3827-2
O’Keefe K, Nippert JB (2017a) Grazing by bison is a stronger driver of plant ecohydrology in tallgrass prairie than fire history. Plant and Soil DOI: 10.1007/s11104-016-3048-1
Muench AT*, O’Keefe K, Nippert JB (2016) Comparative ecohydrology between Cornus drummondii and Solidago canadensis in upland tallgrass prairie. Plant Ecology. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-016-0567-z
O’Keefe K, Swemmer A, Nippert JB (2016) Savanna tree seedlings are physiologically tolerant to nighttime freeze events. Frontiers in Plant Science 7:46. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00046
O’Keefe K, Springer CJ, Grennell J, Davis S (2014) Biofuel Development from Cellulosic Sources. in: The Plant Sciences – Ecology & the Environment, ed: Russel Monson, Springer Reference Series, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. 2013-12-01 19:08:16 UTC
O’Keefe K, Del Cid C, Arango CP, Puetz W*, Springer CJ (2013) Elevated [CO2] does not ameliorate the negative consequences of infection with the xylem-limited bacteria Xylella fastidiosa in Quercus rubra seedlings. Castanea 78(3):216-226. DOI: 10.2179/12-040
O’Keefe K, Tomeo N, Nippert JB, Springer CJ (2013) Population origin and genome size do not impact Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) responses to variable precipitation. Ecosphere 4(3):37. DOI: 10.1890/ES12-00339.1