T. Michael Anderson

Professor of Biology
Endowed Chair of Environmental Resources

B.S. Zoology, Oregon State University (1997)
Ph.D. Biology, Syracuse University (2004)

049 Winston Hall

(336) 758-5974
anderstm@wfu.edu

→ CLICK TO VISIT LAB WEBSITE ←

Areas of Interest

Savanna & Grassland Ecology, Plant Ecology, Large Herbivore Ecology, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function, Biogeochemistry, Phylogenetic Community Assembly

Research

My research focuses on the ecology and conservation of grassland and savannas ecosystems. In particular, I am interested in understanding the unique co-evolution that has occurred between plants and large herbivores in African savannas and the consequences of these interactions for ecosystem processes across large scales. The majority of my research is conducted in the Serengeti Ecosystem of East Africa, one of the last remaining fully functional grazing ecosystems, home to earth’s largest free-ranging ungulate herds and one of the best-studied ecosystems in the paleotropics.

Recent and current projects include: (1) multivariate investigations of how landscape features, plant forage quality and risk of predation interact to determine the spatial distribution of large herbivore resident habitats; (2) understanding how phylogenetic relatedness among plant species contributes to the assembly of communities across ecological gradients; (3) seeking an understanding of factors that maintain savanna heterogeneity and plant species diversity across spatial scales; (4) investigations of the effects of plants and herbivores on nutrient cycling; (5) understanding the factors that determine the dynamics and stability of tree-grass coexistence in savannas across continents.

Selected Publications

lab members in bold face type

Potter, A., Luchagula, C., Mitchell, S, Kortessis, N., Pease, J., Anderson, T.M. Fire-survival strategies of first-year acacia seedlings. 2025. In review, Journal of Ecology.

Anderson, T.M., Hempson, G.P., Donaldson, J.E., Beale, C.M., te Beest, M., Courtney-Mustaphi, C., Cromsigt, J.P.G.M., Foy, C., Fynn, R., Hanan, N.P., Parr, C.L., Probert, J., le Roux, L., Sianga, K., Smit, I.P.J., Staver, A.C., and Archibald, S. 2025. Identifying ecological knowledge and research gaps via the African Database on Savanna Protected Areas (ADSPA). In press, Diversity and Distributions.

Weinheimer, E.I., Cory, S.T., Kortessis, N., Anderson, T.M., Pease, J.B. 2025. Differential gene reactions reveal drought response strategies in African acacias. The Plant Journal (2025) 123, e70385. Link to paper

Donaldson, J.E., Anderson, T.M., Munuo, N. and Holdo, R.M., 2025. Time since fire interacts with herbivore intake rates to control herbivore habitat occupancy. Ecology, 106(1), p.e4473. Link to paper

Anderson, T.M., S.A. Hepler, R.M. Holdo, J.E. Donaldson, R.J. Erhardt, J.G.C. Hopcraft, M.C. Hutchinson, S.E. Huebner, T.A. Morrison, J. Muday, I.N. Munuo, M.S. Palmer, J. Pansu, R.M. Pringle, R. Sketch, and C. Packer. 2024. Interplay of competition and facilitation in grazing succession by migrant Serengeti herbivores. Science, 383: 782-788. Link to paper

MacDougall, A.S., Esch, E., Chen, Q., Carroll, O., Bonner, C., Ohlert, T., Siewert, M., Sulik, J., Schweiger, A.K., Borer, E.T., Naidu, D., 2024, et al. Widening global variability in grassland biomass since the 1980s. Nature ecology & evolution, 8(10), pp.1877-1888. Link to paper

Mochi, L.S., Morrison, T.A., Stevens, N., Mazía, N., Anderson, T.M. and Holdo, R.M., 2024. Grass layer limits tree seedling survival but not tree seedling growth in African and South American savannas. Journal of Vegetation Science, 35(4), p.e13302. Link to paper

Karp, A.T., Koerner, S.E., Hempson, G.P., Abraham, J.O., Anderson, T.M., Bond, W.J., Burkepile, D.E., Fillion, E.N., Goheen, J.R., Guyton, J.A. and Kartzinel, T.R., 2024. Grazing herbivores reduce herbaceous biomass and fire activity across African savannas. Ecology letters, 27(6), p.e14450. Link to paper

Rugemalila, D.M., Sarakikya, J. and Anderson, T.M., 2024. Tree and grass competition in savannas: Interactive effects of soil moisture, grass defoliation and grass species identity on the growth and survival of tree seedlings. Austral Ecology, 49(3), p.e13512. Link to paper

Donaldson, J.E., Holdo, R.M., Anderson, T.M., Morrison, T.A., Hopcraft, J.G.C., McIntyre, J., Devaney, E., Hempson, G., Senso, B., Trentinus, A. and Ezenwa, V.O., 2023. Direct and indirect effects of fire on parasites in an African savanna. Journal of Animal Ecology, 92: 2323-2332. Link to paper

Baldwin, R.W., Beaver, J.T., Messinger, M., Muday, J., Windsor, M., Larsen, G.D., Silman, M.R. and Anderson, T.M., 2023. Camera trap methods and drone thermal surveillance provide reliable, comparable density estimates of large, free-ranging ungulates. Animals, 13: 1884. Link to paper

Pringle, R.M., Abraham, J.O., Anderson, T.M., Coverdale, T.C., Davies, A.B., Dutton, C.L., Gaylard, A., Goheen, J.R., Holdo, R.M., Hutchinson, M.C. and Kimuyu, D.M., 2023. Impacts of large herbivores on terrestrial ecosystems. Current Biology, 33: R584-R610. Link to paper

Pansu, J., Hutchinson, M.C., Anderson, T.M., Te Beest, M., Begg, C.M., Begg, K.S., Bonin, A., Chama, L., Chamaillé-Jammes, S., Coissac, E. and Cromsigt, J.P., et al. 2022. The generality of cryptic dietary niche differences in diverse large-herbivore assemblages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119, p.e2204400119. Link to paper

Cory, S., W.K. Smith and T.M. Anderson. 2022. First‐year Acacia seedlings are anisohydric “water‐spenders” but differ in their rates of water use. American Journal of Botany 109: 1251-1261. Link to paper

Donaldson, J.E., R. Holdo, J. Sarakikya, and T.M. Anderson. 2022. Fire, grazers, and browsers interact with grass competition to determine tree establishment in an African savanna. Ecology, p.e3715. Link to paper

Holdo, R.M., J.E. Donaldson, Rugemalila, D.M. and T.M. Anderson. 2022. Sapling growth gradients interact with homogeneous disturbance regimes to explain savanna tree cover discontinuities. Ecological Monographs, p.e1514. Link to paper

Beaudrot, L., M.S. Palmer, T.M. Anderson and C. Packer. 2020. Mixed-species groups of Serengeti grazers: a test of the stress gradient hypothesis. Ecology. 101: e03163. Link to paper

Rugemalila, D.M., S. Cory, W.K. Smith and T.M. Anderson. 2020. The role of microsite sunlight environment on growth, architecture, and resource allocation in dominant Acacia tree seedlings, in Serengeti, East Africa. Plant Ecology 221: 1187-1199. Link to paper

Quigley, K.Q., D.M. Griffith, G. Donati and T.M. Anderson. 2020. Soil nutrients and precipitation are major drivers of global patterns of grass leaf silicification. Ecology 101: e03006. Link to paper

Anderson, T.M., P.M. Ngoti, M.L. Nzunda, D.M. Griffith, J.D.M. Speed, F. Fossøy, E. Røskaft and B.J. Graae. 2020. The burning question: does fire affect habitat selection and forage preference of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) in East African savannas? Oryx 54: 234-243. Link to paper

Holdo, R., D. Onderdonk, A.G. Barr, M. Mwita and T.M. Anderson. 2020. Spatial transitions in tree cover are associated with soil hydrology, but not with grass biomass, fire frequency, or herbivore biomass in Serengeti savannahs. In press, Journal of Ecology. Link to paper

Veldman, J.W., Aleman, J.C., Alvarado, S.T., Anderson, T.M., Archibald, S., Bond, W.J., Boutton, T.W., Buchmann, N., Buisson, E., Canadell, J.G. and de Sá Dechoum, M., 2019. Comment on “The global tree restoration potential”. Science, 366, p.eaay7976. Link to paper

Borer, E.T., E.M.Lind, J. Firn, E.W. Seabloom, T.M. Anderson, E.S. Bakker, L. Biederman, K.J. La Pierre, A.S. MacDougall, J.L. Moore, A.C. Risch, M. Schutz and C.J. Stevens. 2019. More salt, please: global patterns, responses and impacts of foliar sodium in grasslands. Ecology Letters 22, 1136–1144. Link to paper

Probert, J.R., C.L. Parr, R.M. Holdo, T.M. Anderson, S. Archibald, C.J. Courtney-Mustaphi, A.P. Dobson, J.E. Donaldson, G.C. Hopcraft, G.P. Hempson, T.A. Morrison & C.M. Beale. 2019. Anthropogenic modifications to fire regimes in the wider Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Global Change Biology 25, 3406–3423. Link to paper

Griffith, D.M. and T.M. Anderson. The ‘plantspec’ R package: a tool for spectral analysis of plant stoichiometry”. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 10, 673–679. Link to paper

Koerner, Sally E., et al. 2018. Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity. Nature ecology & evolution (2018): 1. Link to paper

Anderson, T.M., P.M. Ngoti, M.L. Nzunda, D.M. Griffith, J.D.M. Speed, F. Fossøy, E. Røskaft and B.J. Graae. 2018. The burning question: does fire affect habitat selection and forage preference of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) in East African savannas? Oryx. Link to paper

S.A. Hepler, R. Erhardt and T.M. Anderson. 2018. Identifying drivers of spatial variation in occupancy with limited replication camera trap data. Ecology 99, 2152-2158. Link to paper

Morrison, T., R.M. Holdo, D. Rugemalila, M. Nzunda and T.M. Anderson. 2018. Grass competition overwhelms effects of herbivores and precipitation on seedling establishment in Serengeti. Journal of Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13010 Link to paper

Anderson, T.M., D.M. Griffith, J.B. Grace, E.M. Lind, P.B. Adler, L.A. Biederman, D.M. Blumenthal, P. Daleo, J. Firn, N. Hagenah, W.S. Harpole, A.S. MacDougall, R.L. McCulley, S.M. Prober, A.C. Risch, M. Sankaran, M. Schütz, E. Seabloom, L. Sullivan, P. Wragg and E.T. Borer. 2018. Herbivory and eutrophication modulate grassland plant nutrient responses across a global climatic gradient. Ecology 99:822-831. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2175. Link to paper

Beale, C.M., C.J. Courtney Mustaphi, T.A Morrison, S. Archibald, T.M. Anderson, A.P. Dobson, J.E. Donaldson, G.P. Hempson, J. Probert and C.L. Parr. 2018. Pyrodiversity interacts with rainfall to increase bird and mammal richness in African savannas. Ecology Letters. DOI: 10.1111/ele.12921. Link to paper

Hempson, G.P., Parr, C.L., Archibald, S., Anderson, T. M., Courtney Mustaphi, C. J., Dobson, A.P., Donaldson, J.E., Morrison, T.A., Probert, J. and Beale, C.M. 2018. Continent-level drivers of African pyrodiversity. Ecography. DOI: 10.1111/ecog.03109. Link to paper

Griffith, D.M., C.E.R. Lehmann, C.A.E. Strömberg, C.L. Parr, R.T. Pennington, M. S, J. Ratnam, C.J. Still, R.L. Powell, N.P. Hanan, J.B. Nippert, C.P. Osborne, S. Good, T.M. Anderson, R.M. Holdo, J.W. Veldman, G. Durigan, K.W. Tomlinson, W.A. Hoffmann, S. Archibald and W.J. Bond. 2017. Comment on “The extent of forest in dryland biomes”. Science 358:eaao1309. Link to paper

Rugemalila D.M., T. Morrison T., T.M. Anderson and R.M. Holdo. 2017. Seed production, infestation, and viability in Acacia tortilis (synonym: Vachellia tortilis) and Acacia robusta (synonym: Vachellia robusta) across the Serengeti rainfall gradient. Plant Ecology 218:909-922. DOI: 10.1111/jvs.12526 Link to paper

Griffith, D.M., T.M. Anderson and E.W. Hamilton. 2017. Ungulate grazing drives higher ramet turnover in sodium adapted Serengeti grasses. Journal of Vegetation Science 28:815-823. DOI: 10.1111/jvs.12526 Link to paper