Faculty/Staff Directory
First Name
Alexandra
Last Name
Locher
Email
lochera@gvsu.edu
Title
- Associate Professor
Website
Office Address
2200J Kindschi Hall of Science
Office Phone
616-331-3456
Areas of Expertise
Forest Ecosystem Management, Wildlife-Habitat Relationships, Geographic
Information Systems
Professional Societies
The Wildlife Society
Society of American Foresters
Courses Taught at GVSU
NRM 150 Introduction to Natural Resources
NRM 250 Resource
Measurements and Maps
NRM 395 GIS Applications in Natural
Resources
NRM 462 Forest Ecosystem Management
Research Interests
My research interests are based on understanding how forest management practices impact wildlife species and communities. I have expertise in wildlife biology and management, forest ecosystem management, and applications of geographic information systems to natural resources questions. My research focuses on developing models of ecological systems at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and using the results of these models to help guide natural resources decision making. Current projects include developing models to predict how climate change may affect species currently at the southern limit of their range, using remotely sensed imagery to develop spatial models to predict likely locations of invasive forest plants, and analyzing wildlife use of landscapes using GIS.
Education
B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University
M.S.
Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University
Ph.D. Fisheries
and Wildlife, Michigan State University
Select Publications
Williamson, C. R., H. Campa, III, A. Locher, S. R.
Winterstein, and D. E. Beyer, Jr. 2021. Applications of integrating
wildlife habitat suitability and habitat potential models. Wildlife
Society Bulletin 1 – 15 DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1152.
Woller-Skar, M. M., A. Locher, E. Audia, and E.
W. Thomas. 2021. Changing water levels in Lake Superior, MI (USA)
impact periphytic diatom assemblages in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Water.
Audia, E., M. M. Woller-Skar, and A. Locher.
2020. Crowd-sourced data link land use and soil moisture to
temperature and relative humidity in southwest Michigan (USA).
Theoretical and Applied Climatology https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03429-4
Leimbach-Maus, H. B., E. M. McCluskey, A.
Locher, S. R. Parks, and C. G. Partridge. 2020. Genetic
structure of invasive baby’s breath (Gypsophilia paniculate
L.) populations in a Michigan Dune System. Plants 9: 1123; doi:10.3390/plants9091123.
Campa, H., III, and A. Locher. 2019. Responses
of biological diversity components in aspen communities to herbivory,
abiotic conditions, and forest harvesting practices that mimic natural
disturbances. In E. A. Beever, S. Prange, and D. A. DellaSalla (Ed.),
Disturbance ecology and biological diversity: scale, context,
and nature. Boca Raton, Florida: Taylor & Francis Group,
CRC Press.
Locher, A. 2020
.
Resource Measurements and Maps: An Introduction to Field
Skills and Data Analysis (Second Edition). Cognella Academic
Publishing, Inc., San Diego, California, USA.
Doggett, J. and A. Locher. 2018. Assessment of
northern bobwhite survival and fitness in the West Gulf Coastal Plain
ecoregion. PLoS ONE13(7): e0200544. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200544
Longstaff, S., H. Campa, III, A. Locher, and S.
Winterstein. 2016. Spatial quantification of white-tailed deer habitat
suitability in a wetland-dominated landscape. Michigan Academician 43: 393–409.
Locher, A., K. T. Scribner, J. A. Moore, B. Murphy,
J. Kanefsky. 2015. Influence of landscape features on spatial genetic
structure of white-tailed deer in human-altered landscapes. Journal of
Wildlife Management. 79(2): 180–194.