PhD

Professor Emerita

School of Natural Resources

Education

• Ph.D. 1989, Michigan State University

Research

• Disturbance ecology of oak dominated forests.

Research Summary

• Muzika’s research emphasizes disturbance ecology; particularly long-term changes in forest composition and processes as influenced by both natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Current research efforts within the broad topic of disturbance ecology include the effects of non-indigenous organisms on forest succession and the role of silviculture in moderating such effects. In an attempt to predict the resilience of specific forest types to disturbance, other ongoing research includes studies of the variability of recovery from disturbance and the influence of ecosystem type on the success of establishment of exotic organisms. Understanding plant species distribution and abundance, pre-settlement vegetation, interactions of climate and disturbance, and assessing site-related tree growth and stand development represent other fundamental questions of interest.

Teaching

• Forest Ecology
• Forest Health and Protection
• Forest Ecology Field Studies

Selected Publications

• Muzika, RM. 2017.
  Silviculture for management and restoration of forests affected by biological invasions. Biological Invasions doi: 10.1007/s10530-017-1549-3
• Guyette, RP, MC Stambaugh, DE Dey, RM Muzika. 2017.
  The theory, direction, and magnitude of ecosystem fire probability as constrained by precipitation and temperature. PLoS ONE, 12(7) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180956
• Lee, CA, J Bruhn and RM Muzika. 2017.
  Distribution of Heterobasidion irregulare in Missouri pine-oak forests. North American Fungi, [S.l.], v. 12, p. 1-20, feb. 2017. ISSN 1937-786X. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2509/10.2509/naf2017.012.001.
• Hubbart, J.A., R.P. Guyette and R.M. Muzika. 2016.
  More than drought: precipitation variance, excessive wetness, pathogens and future of the western edge of the eastern deciduous forest. Science of the Total Environment 567: 463-467.
• Lee, C.A., D. Dey and R.M. Muzika. 2016.
  Oak stump-sprout vigor and Armillaria infection after clearcutting. Forest Ecology and Management. 374:211-219.
• Maginel, C. J., B.O. Knapp, J.Kabrick, E. Olson and R.M. Muzika. 2016.
  Quality Index for woodland restoration: utility and effectiveness in a fire-managed landscape. Ecological Indicators 67:58-67
• Muzika, R.M., R. P. Guyette, M.C. Stambaugh and J. M. Marschall. 2015.
  Fire, drought and humans in a heterogeneous Lake Superior landscape. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 34:49-70
• Yanoviak, S.P, E. Gora, J. Fredlye, P.M. Bitzer, R.M. Muzika, and W.P. Carson. 2015.
  Direct effects of lightning in temperate forests: a review and preliminary survey in a hemlock-hardwod forest of the northern United States. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 45: 1258-1268
• Lee, C.A. and Muzika, R.M. 2014.
  Plant senescence for ecologists: precision in scale, concept, and terminology. Plant Ecology 215 (12): 1417-1422
• King, C.B. and R. M. Muzika. 2014.
  Historic fire and canopy disturbance in an oak-pine forest of the Missouri Ozarks (1624-2010). Castanea Vol. 79, No. 2, pp. 78-87.
• Lee, C.A, S.L.Voelker, R.M.Holdo and R.M. Muzika. 2014.
  Tree architecture as a predictor of growth and mortality after an episode of red oak decline in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri, USA. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 44:1005-1012.
• Guyette, R.G., M.C. Stambaugh, D. Dey and R.M. Muzika. 2012.
  Predicting ecosystem fire using chemistry and climate. Ecosystems 15: 322-335.
• Muzika, R.M. and L. S. Heath. 2012.
  Fire Effects. In: A synthesis of evaluation monitoring projects sponsored by the Forest Health Monitoring Program (1998-2007). Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-159. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station.
• Muzika, R.M. and S.J. Farrington. 2012.
  Effects of silvicultural practices on invasive plant species abundance in the Missouri Ozark forests of the central United States, in: Invasive Plant Ecology CRC Press. pp 111-118.
• Hubbart, J.A., R.M. Muzika, D. Huang, and A. Robinson. 2011.
  Bottomland Hardwood Forest Influence on Soil Water Consumption in an Urban Floodplain: potential to improve flood storage capacity and reduce stormwater runoff. The Watershed Science Bulletin Fall 2011: 34-43.
• Reed, S.E. and R. M. Muzika. 2010.
  The Influence of Forest Stand and Site Characteristics on the Composition of Exotic Dominated Ambrosia Beetle Communities (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Environmental Entomology 39: 1482–1491
• Unger, I.M., R. M. Muzika and P.P. Motavalli. 2010.
  The effect of flooding and residue incorporation on soil chemistry, germination and seedling growth. Environmental and Experimental Botany 69:113-120
• Farrington, S.J., R.M. Muzika, D. Drees, and T.M. Knight. 2009.
  Interactive Effects of Harvest and Deer Herbivory on the Population Dynamics of American Ginseng. Conservation Biology 23: 719-728
• Unger, I.M., R. M. Muzika and A. Kennedy. Flooding Effects on Soil Microbial Communities. 2009.
  Applied Soil Ecology 42:1-8.
• Unger, I.M., P.P. Motavalli, and R. M. Muzika. 2009.
  Changes in Soil Chemical Properties with Flooding: A Field Laboratory Approach. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 131: 105-110.
• Unger, I.M., R.M. Muzika, P.M. Motavalli, and J. Kabrick. 2008.
  Evaluation of Continuous In Situ Monitoring of Soil Changes with Varying Flooding Regimes. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 39:1600-1619
• Voelker, S.L., R.M. Muzika and R.P. Guyette. 2008.
  An investigation of individual tree and stand level factors that influence growth, vigor and decline of red oaks in the Ozarks. Forest Science 54: 8-20.
• Yates, M.D. and R.M. Muzika. 2006.
  Effect of forest structure and fragmentation on site occupancy of bat species in Missouri Ozark forests. Journal of Wildlife Management 70:1238-1248.
• Voelker, S.L., R.M. Muzika, R.P. Guyette, and M.C. Stambaugh, 2006.
  Historic CO2 Enhancement declines with age in Quercus and Pinus . Ecological Monographs 76(4): 549-564.
• Guyette, R.P., M. C. Stambaugh, R.M. Muzika and E.R. McMurry. 2006.
  Fire history at the southwestern great plains margin, Capulin Volcano National Monument. Great Plains Research 16:161-172.