As a plant ecophysiologist, I am interested in the unique mechanisms that allow plant species to inhabit marginal habitats and which contributes to their individual distribution patterns, from large-scale continental patterns to patterns of individual trees in a forest. The elucidation of these mechanisms has been a fascination to me. While these unique characteristics help explain patterns in nature, they may also be useful in solving environmental problems caused by humans. For example, species that can naturally tolerate saline environments may be very useful in rehabilitation of anthropogenic disturbed habitats that have been contaminated with various salts.

CURRENT RESEARCH PROGRAMS

1. Ecological restoration of bottomland and swamp forests.
2. Physiological responses of tree species to environmental stress.
3. Effects of land management on structure and function of southeastern forests.
4. Phytoremediation potential of woody species.


Selected publications

2006
Keim, R. F., J. L. Chambers, M. S. Hughes, J. A. Nyman, C. A. Miller, J. B. Amos, W. H. Conner, S. P. Faulkner, S. L. King, J. W. Day, Jr., E. S. Gardiner, K. W. McLeod and G. P. Shaffer. 2006. Ecological consequences of changing hydrological conditions in wetland forests of coastal Louisiana. p. 383-396. In Coastal Environment and Water Quality, edited by Y. J. Xu and V. P. Singh, LLC, Highlands Ranch, CO.

McLeod, K. W., M. R. Reed, B.P. Moyer, and T. G. Ciravolo. 2006. Species selection trials and silvicultural techniques for the restoration of bottomland hardwood forests - A 10 year review. p. 256-260. In Proceedings of the 13th Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, edited by K. F. Connor, Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-92. February 28-March 4, 2005, Memphis, TN, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

Chambers, J. L., W. H. Conner, R. F. Keim, S. P. Faulkner, J. W. Day, Jr., E. S. Gardiner, M. S. Hughes, S. L. King, K. W. McLeod, C. A. Miller, J. A. Nyman and G. P. Shaffer. 2006. Towards sustainable management of Louisiana's coastal wetland forests: problems, constraints, and a new beginning. p. 159-157. In Proceedings of Hydrology and Management of Forested Wetlands. April 8-12, 2006. ASABE Publication Number 701PO406.

2005
Chambers, J. L., R. F. Keim, W. H. Conner, J. W. Day, Jr., S. P. Faulkner, E. S. Gardiner, M. S. Hughes, S. L. King, K. W. McLeod, C. A. Miller, J. A. Nyman and G. P. Shaffer. 2005. Conservation of Louisiana's coastal wetland forests. p.117-135. In Proceedings of Louisiana Natural Resources Symposium, edited by T.F. Shupe and M.A. Dunn. July 18-20, 2005 Lod Cook Conference Center and Hotel, Baton Rouge, LA

Imm, D.W. and K.W. McLeod. 2005. Plant communities. p. 106-161. In Biotic Communities. In Ecology and Management of a Forested Landscape: Fifty Years on the Savannah River Site, edited by J.C. Kilgo and J.I. Blake. Island Press. Washington, DC.

2004
McLeod, K. W. and M. K. Burke. 2004. Photosynthetic potential of laurel oak seedlings following canopy manipulation. p. 513-519. In Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, edited by K.F. Connor, February 24-28, 2003, Biloxi, Mississippi, USDA Forest Service.

2003

Punshon, T., P. M. Bertsch, A. Lanzirotti, K. W. McLeod and J. Burger. 2003.
Geochemical signature of contaminated sediment remobilization revealed by spatially
resolved X-ray microanalysis of annual rings of Salix nigra. Environmental Science &
Technology 37:1766-1774.

Conner, W. H., K. W. McLeod, and E. Colodney. Restoration methods for deepwater swamps. Proceedings of a symposium on Sustainability of Wetlands and Water Resources held in Oxford, MS. USDA Forest Service Southern Experiment Station General Technical Report.


2001

McLeod, K. W., M. R. Reed, and E. A. Nelson. Influence of a willow canopy on tree seedling establishment for wetland restoration. Wetlands 21:395-402.

Imm, D. W., H. E. Shealy, Jr., K. W. McLeod, and B. Collins. Rare plants of Southeastern hardwood forests and the role of predictive modeling. Natural Areas Journal 21:36-49.

2000

Adriano, D. C., A. C. Doswell, T. G. Ciravolo, J. E. Pinder, III and K. W. McLeod. Radionuclide contents of subterranean vegetables as influenced by soil pH and culinary preparation. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 49:307-317.

Barton, C., E. A. Nelson, R. K. Kolka, K. W. McLeod, W. H. Conner, M. Lakly, D. Martin, J. Wigginton, C. C. Trettin and J. Wisniewski. 2000. Restoration of a severely impacted riparian wetland system - The Pen Branch Project. Ecological Engineering 15(Supplement 1):S3-S15.

Donovan, L. A., J. B. West, and K. W. McLeod. Quercus species differ in water and nutrient characteristics in a resource limited fall-line sandhill habitat. Tree Physiology 20:929-936.

McLeod, K. W. Photosynthetic potential of advanced regeneration following bottomland hardwood harvest. Final Report for grant from the USFS, Southern Research Station, Charleston, SC. 15 p.

McLeod, K. W. Species selection trials and silvicultural techniques for the restoration of bottomland hardwood forests. Ecological Engineering 15(Supplement 1):S35-S46.

McLeod, K. W., B. P. Moyer, and K. R. Madden. Assessment of harvesting bottomland hardwood sites on plant composition and ecosystem processes. Final Report for grant from the USFS, Savannah River Natural Resource Management and Research Institute, Aiken, SC . 82 p.

McLeod, K. W., M. R. Reed, and L. D. Wike. Elevation, competition control, and species affect bottomland forest restoration. Wetlands 20:162-168.

1999

Conner, W. H., K. W. McLeod, L. W. Inabinette, V. H. Parrish, and M. R. Reed. Successful planting of tree seedlings in wet areas. Proceedings of Tenth Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference. (Edited by J. D. Haywood). p. 201-204.

McLeod, K. W. and T. G. Ciravolo. Species selection and seedling establishment for restoration of bottomland forests. In: Proceedings of the First Biennial North American Forest Ecology Workshop. (Compiled by J. E. Cook and B. P. Oswald). p. 222-236.

McLeod, K. W., J. K. McCarron, and W. H. Conner. Photosynthesis and water relations of four oak species: Impact of flooding and salinity. Trees: Structure and Function 13:178-187.

Pinder, J. E., III and K. W. McLeod. Indications of relative drought stress in longleaf pine from Thematic Mapper data. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 65:495-501.

Please contact me at:
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Post Office Drawer E
Aiken, South Carolina 29802