Bio
Scott M. Pearson is an ecologist who has studied how plants & animals respond to changes in the amount and quality of their habitat over the past 30 years. These studies have involved birds, wildflowers, salamanders, and a host of other species, and have resulted in >60 published articles and book chapters. He has conducted research in the Southeastern U.S. and Yellowstone National Park. His fields of expertise include landscape ecology, conservation biology, and population modeling.
He worked as a faculty member and administrator at Mars Hill University for 26 years, where he taught courses in ecology, evolution, and geographic information systems.
Pearson holds a B.S. from Mars Hill College (now University) and Ph.D. from University of Georgia. After postdoctoral work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, he joined the faculty at Mars Hill University in 1994 until 2020. In October 2020, he returned to ORNL to work with the DAAC group in the Environmental Sciences Division. Away from work, he enjoys hiking, paddling, and working on his small farm.
Other Publications
Pearson, S. M. 1993. The spatial extent and relative influence of landscape level factors in wintering bird populations. Landscape Ecology 8:3-18.
Dale, V. H., S. M. Pearson, H. L. Offerman, and R. V. O'Neill. 1994. Relating patterns of land-use change to faunal biodiversity in the Central Amazon. Conservation Biology 8:1027-1036.
Pearson, S. M., M. G. Turner, L. L. Wallace, and W. H. Romme. 1995. Patterns and scale of winter habitat use by large ungulates following fire in northern Yellowstone National Park. Ecological Applications 5:744-755.
Pearson, S. M., A. B. Smith, and M. G. Turner. 1998. Forest fragmentation, land use, and cove-forest herbs in the French Broad River Basin. Castanea 63:382-394.
Pearson, S. M., M. G. Turner, and J. B. Drake. 1999. Simulating land cover change and species' habitats in the Southern Appalachian Highlands and the Olympic Peninsula. Ecological Applications 9:1288-1304.
Simons, T. R., S. M. Pearson, and F. R. Moore. 2000. Application of spatial models to the stopover ecology of trans-gulf migrants. Studies in Avian Biology 20:4-14.
Pearson, S. M. 2002. Interpreting landscape patterns from organism-based perspectives. Pp. 187-198 in S. E. Gergel and M. G. Turner, eds., Learning landscape ecology: a practical guide to concepts and techniques. Springer-Verlag; New York.
Hicks, N. H. and S. M. Pearson. 2003. Salamander diversity and abundance in forests with alternative land use histories in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Forest Ecology and Management 177:117-130.
Turner, M. G., S. M. Pearson, P. Bolstad, and D. N. Wear. 2003. Effects of land-cover change on spatial pattern of forest communities in the Southern Appalachian Mountains (USA). Landscape Ecology 18:449-464.
Fraterrigo, J. M., S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2009. Joint effects of habitat configuration and temporal stochasticity on population dynamics. Landscape Ecology 24:863-877.
Clark, J. S., D. Bell, C. Chu, B. Courbaud, M. Dietze, M. Hersh, J. HilleRisLambers, I. Ibanez, S. LaDeau, S. McMahon, J. Metcalf, J. Mohan, E. Moran, L. Pangle, S. Pearson, C. Salk, Z. Shen, D. Valle, and P. Wyckoff. 2010. High-dimensional coexistence based on individual variation: a synthesis of evidence. Ecological Monographs 80:569-608.
Lumpkin, H. A., S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2012. Effects of climate and exurban development on nest predation and predator presence in the southern Appalachian Mountains (USA). Conservation Biology 26:679-688. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01851.x)
Jackson, M. M., M. G. Turner, S. M. Pearson, and A. R. Ives. 2012. Seeing the forest and the trees: multilevel models reveal both species and community patterns. Ecosphere 3(9):art79. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00116.1)
Kuhman, T. R. S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2013. Why does land-use history facilitate non-native plant invasion? A field experiment with Celastrus orbiculatus in the southern Appalachians. Biological Invasions 15:613-626. (http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007/s10530-012-0313-y)
Jackson, M. M., S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2013. Performance and population dynamics of a native understory herb differ between young and old forest stands in the Southern Appalachians. Forest Ecology and Management 304: 444-454. (online - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.05.049)
Lumpkin, H. A. and S. M. Pearson. 2013. Effects of exurban development and temperature on bird species in the southern Appalachians. Conservation Biology 27:1069-1078 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12085)
Cohen, E. B., S. M. Pearson and F. R. Moore. 2014. Effects of landscape composition and configuration on migrating songbirds: inference from an individual-based model. Ecological Applications 24:169-180. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/12-1867.1)
Graves, R. A., S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2017. Species richness alone does not predict cultural ecosystem service value. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 114:3774-3779. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1701370114)
Gilley, L. M., C. A. Diggins, S. M. Pearson, and T. L. Best. 2019. Vocal repertoire of captive northern and southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus and G. volans). Journal of Mammalogy 100:518-530. (https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyz064)
Dale, V. H., S. M. Pearson, H. L. Offerman, and R. V. O'Neill. 1994. Relating patterns of land-use change to faunal biodiversity in the Central Amazon. Conservation Biology 8:1027-1036.
Pearson, S. M., M. G. Turner, L. L. Wallace, and W. H. Romme. 1995. Patterns and scale of winter habitat use by large ungulates following fire in northern Yellowstone National Park. Ecological Applications 5:744-755.
Pearson, S. M., A. B. Smith, and M. G. Turner. 1998. Forest fragmentation, land use, and cove-forest herbs in the French Broad River Basin. Castanea 63:382-394.
Pearson, S. M., M. G. Turner, and J. B. Drake. 1999. Simulating land cover change and species' habitats in the Southern Appalachian Highlands and the Olympic Peninsula. Ecological Applications 9:1288-1304.
Simons, T. R., S. M. Pearson, and F. R. Moore. 2000. Application of spatial models to the stopover ecology of trans-gulf migrants. Studies in Avian Biology 20:4-14.
Pearson, S. M. 2002. Interpreting landscape patterns from organism-based perspectives. Pp. 187-198 in S. E. Gergel and M. G. Turner, eds., Learning landscape ecology: a practical guide to concepts and techniques. Springer-Verlag; New York.
Hicks, N. H. and S. M. Pearson. 2003. Salamander diversity and abundance in forests with alternative land use histories in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Forest Ecology and Management 177:117-130.
Turner, M. G., S. M. Pearson, P. Bolstad, and D. N. Wear. 2003. Effects of land-cover change on spatial pattern of forest communities in the Southern Appalachian Mountains (USA). Landscape Ecology 18:449-464.
Fraterrigo, J. M., S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2009. Joint effects of habitat configuration and temporal stochasticity on population dynamics. Landscape Ecology 24:863-877.
Clark, J. S., D. Bell, C. Chu, B. Courbaud, M. Dietze, M. Hersh, J. HilleRisLambers, I. Ibanez, S. LaDeau, S. McMahon, J. Metcalf, J. Mohan, E. Moran, L. Pangle, S. Pearson, C. Salk, Z. Shen, D. Valle, and P. Wyckoff. 2010. High-dimensional coexistence based on individual variation: a synthesis of evidence. Ecological Monographs 80:569-608.
Lumpkin, H. A., S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2012. Effects of climate and exurban development on nest predation and predator presence in the southern Appalachian Mountains (USA). Conservation Biology 26:679-688. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01851.x)
Jackson, M. M., M. G. Turner, S. M. Pearson, and A. R. Ives. 2012. Seeing the forest and the trees: multilevel models reveal both species and community patterns. Ecosphere 3(9):art79. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00116.1)
Kuhman, T. R. S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2013. Why does land-use history facilitate non-native plant invasion? A field experiment with Celastrus orbiculatus in the southern Appalachians. Biological Invasions 15:613-626. (http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007/s10530-012-0313-y)
Jackson, M. M., S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2013. Performance and population dynamics of a native understory herb differ between young and old forest stands in the Southern Appalachians. Forest Ecology and Management 304: 444-454. (online - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.05.049)
Lumpkin, H. A. and S. M. Pearson. 2013. Effects of exurban development and temperature on bird species in the southern Appalachians. Conservation Biology 27:1069-1078 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12085)
Cohen, E. B., S. M. Pearson and F. R. Moore. 2014. Effects of landscape composition and configuration on migrating songbirds: inference from an individual-based model. Ecological Applications 24:169-180. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/12-1867.1)
Graves, R. A., S. M. Pearson, and M. G. Turner. 2017. Species richness alone does not predict cultural ecosystem service value. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 114:3774-3779. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1701370114)
Gilley, L. M., C. A. Diggins, S. M. Pearson, and T. L. Best. 2019. Vocal repertoire of captive northern and southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus and G. volans). Journal of Mammalogy 100:518-530. (https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyz064)