TERRER LAB | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
Ecological Understanding for a Sustainable Future
We leverage field and satellite data to advance knowledge about the terrestrial carbon cycle.
The focus of the Terrer Lab is terrestrial ecosystem ecology.
We study how climate change and anthropogenic activities affect ecosystems, and, conversely, how ecosystem dynamics modulate climate change. We synthesize large datasets of field observations and remote sensing data using meta-analysis, machine learning, and other statistical methods to better understand the global functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.
FLAGSHIP PUBLICATIONS
Fricke et al. Seed dispersal disruption limits tropical forest regrowth. PNAS (2025). pdf
Cambron et al. Plant nutrient acquisition under elevated CO2 and implications for the land carbon sink. Nature Climate Change (2025) pdf
Terrer et al. A trade-off between plant and soil carbon storage under elevated CO2. Nature (2021). pdf
Terrer et al. Nitrogen and phosphorus constrain the CO 2 fertilization of global plant biomass. Nature Climate change (2019). pdf
Terrer et al. Mycorrhizal association as a primary control of the CO₂ fertilization effect. Science (2016). pdf