Grace Gutiérrez
Presentation
For my doctoral research I am investigating interactions between microclimate and roadside plant communities across Sweden. Some of our questions are:
• What are the primary drivers of road verge microclimate across Sweden (ex. slope, orientation, land use type)?
• How do roadside plant communities vary along microclimatic gradients, and which species are most sensitive to microclimatic shifts?
• How does roadside management alter microclimate, and how can we incorporate microclimate effects in management plans to improve roadside biodiversity?
This project (MicRoad) is a collaboration between Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration), SLU Artdatabanken (SLU Swedish Species Information Center), and SLU Intitutionen för ekologi (SLU Department of Ecology)
Stay tuned for our project website, including informaiton on how you can get involved in our research!
Research groups
Recent publications
Gutiérrez, G. R., Loïez, S., & Vandegehuchte, M. L. (2025). Warming benefits to sheep fescue are negated by nearby plants and moss–lichen layers facilitate mycorrhizae in a tundra. Ecosphere, 16(11), e70437. Link. Featured by The Ohio State University Sustainability Institute and The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences.
Gutiérrez, G. R. and Hovick, S.M. (2025). Compounding negative effects of leaf litter absence and belowground competition from an invasive spring ephemeral on native spring ephemeral growth and reproduction. Biological invasions 27, 213. Link