Laura Leites

Research Professor of Quantitative Forest Ecology

Laura Leites

Research Summary

Adaptation to climate in forest trees, seed movement under a changing climate, forest ecosystem modeling.

Huck Graduate Students

Huck Affiliations

Most Recent Publications

Forest tree species adaptation to climate across biomes: Building on the legacy of ecological genetics to anticipate responses to climate change

Laura Leites, Marta Benito Garzón, 2023, Global Change Biology on p. 4711-4730

Climate-Smart Seed Sourcing for Resilient Pennsylvania Forests.

Laura Leites, Carolyn Pike, Allyson Muth, 2023, on p. 16 p.

A haplotype-resolved chromosome-scale genome for Quercus rubra L. provides insights into the genetics of adaptive traits for red oak species

Beant Kapoor, Jerry Jenkins, Jeremy Schmutz, Tatyana Zhebentyayeva, Carsten Kuelheim, Mark Coggeshall, Chris Heim, Jesse R. Lasky, Laura Leites, Nurul Islam-Faridi, Jeanne Romero-Severson, Victoria L. DeLeo, Sarah M. Lucas, Desanka Lazic, Oliver Gailing, John Carlson, Margaret Staton, 2023, G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Seeing past the green: Structure, composition, and biomass differences in high graded and silviculture-managed forests of similar stand density

Alexander Curtze, Allyson B. Muth, Jeffery Larkin, Laura P. Leites, 2022, Forest Ecology and Management on p. 120598

Decision Support Tools to Inform the Rehabilitation and Management of High Graded Forests

Alexander Curtze, Allyson B. Muth, Jeffery Larkin, Laura P. Leites, 2022, Journal of Forestry on p. 527-542

Modeling Advance Oak Reproduction at Landscape Scale: The Relative Importance of Abiotic and Biotic Factors

Joshua Rittenhouse, Laura P. Leites, 2022, Forest Science on p. 353-363

Ecological analysis of intraspecific variability of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) under climate change by combining provenance and demographic data

Anantha Prasad, Laura Leites, 2022, Landscape Ecology on p. 109-128

Cost implications of cluster plot design choices for precise estimation of forest attributes in landscapes and forests of varying heterogeneity

Andrew J. Lister, Laura P. Leites, 2022, Canadian Journal of Forest Research on p. 188-200

Uncertainty in the modelled mortality of two tree species (Fraxinus) under novel climatic regimes

Kim C. Steiner, Lake E. Graboski, Jennifer L. Berkebile, Songlin Fei, Laura P. Leites, 2021, Diversity and Distributions on p. 1449-1461

Ecological genetics of Juglans nigra: Differences in early growth patterns of natural populations

Lauren Onofrio, Gary Hawley, Laura P. Leites, 2021, Ecology and Evolution on p. 7399-7410

Most-Cited Papers

Forest tree species adaptation to climate across biomes: Building on the legacy of ecological genetics to anticipate responses to climate change

Laura Leites, Marta Benito Garzón, 2023, Global Change Biology on p. 4711-4730

New Seed-Collection Zones for the Eastern United States: The Eastern Seed Zone Forum

Carolyn Pike, Kevin M. Potter, Paul Berrang, Barbara Crane, Joanne Baggs, Laura Leites, Tom Luther, 2020, Journal of Forestry on p. 444-451

Role of population genetics in guiding ecological responses to climate

Gerald E. Rehfeldt, Laura P. Leites, Dennis G. Joyce, Aaron R. Weiskittel, 2018, Global Change Biology on p. 858-868

Adaptation to climate in five eastern North America broadleaf deciduous species: Growth clines and evidence of the growth-cold tolerance trade-off

Laura P. Leites, Gerald E. Rehfeldt, Kim C. Steiner, 2019, Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics on p. 64-72

Patchy landscapes support more plant diversity and ecosystem services than wood grasslands in Mediterranean silvopastoral agroforestry systems

Simonetta Bagella, Maria Carmela Caria, Giovanna Seddaiu, Laura Leites, Pier Paolo Roggero, 2020, Agricultural Systems

Modeling and simulation of tree spatial patterns in an oak-hickory forest with a modular, hierarchical spatial point process framework

Andrew J. Lister, Laura P. Leites, 2018, Ecological Modelling on p. 37-45

Ecological analysis of intraspecific variability of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) under climate change by combining provenance and demographic data

Anantha Prasad, Laura Leites, 2022, Landscape Ecology on p. 109-128

A haplotype-resolved chromosome-scale genome for Quercus rubra L. provides insights into the genetics of adaptive traits for red oak species

Beant Kapoor, Jerry Jenkins, Jeremy Schmutz, Tatyana Zhebentyayeva, Carsten Kuelheim, Mark Coggeshall, Chris Heim, Jesse R. Lasky, Laura Leites, Nurul Islam-Faridi, Jeanne Romero-Severson, Victoria L. DeLeo, Sarah M. Lucas, Desanka Lazic, Oliver Gailing, John Carlson, Margaret Staton, 2023, G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Uncertainty in the modelled mortality of two tree species (Fraxinus) under novel climatic regimes

Kim C. Steiner, Lake E. Graboski, Jennifer L. Berkebile, Songlin Fei, Laura P. Leites, 2021, Diversity and Distributions on p. 1449-1461

Limitations on regeneration potential after even-aged harvests in mixed-oak stands

Anthony J. Campbell, Kim C. Steiner, James J. Finley, Laura Leites, 2015, Forest Science on p. 874-881