Philip Camill

Rusack Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, Director for Environmental Studies Program

Phone (207) 721-5149
Title Program Director
Department Environmental Studies
2nd Title Rusack Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology
2nd Department BIOLOGY
3rd Title Program Director
3rd Department ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Work Location 107 Adams Hall
E-Mail pcamill@bowdoin.edu
Philip Camill: Bowdoin College: Rusack Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies

Spring 2010

  • Earth Climate History and Its Impacts on Ecosystems and Human Civilizations (BIO 302)
  • Intermediate Independent Study in Environmental Studies (ES 291)
  • Advanced Independent Study in Environmental Studies (ES 402)

Education

University of Tennessee, B.A. 1993.
Duke University, Ph.D. 1999.

Blog

Global Change - Intersection of Nature and Culture: http://globalchangeblog.com/Global Change - Intersection of Nature and Culture: http://globalchangeblog.com/

Publications

(* = undergraduate research advisees)

News Features

Walker, G. (2007) A world melting from the top down. Nature 446:718-721.

Stokstad, E. (2004) Defrosting the Carbon Freezer of the North. Science 304:1618-1619.

Wadia, R. (2001) While policy-makers squabble, Amazon vanishes. CNN

Manuscripts

Camill, P., A. Barry*, E. Williams*, C. Andreassi*, J. Limmer*, and D. Solick*. (in review) Climate-vegetation-fire interactions control long-term carbon accumulation in boreal peatlands. 

Camill, P., L. Chihara, J.B. Adams*, G. Rafert*, A. Barry*, C. Andreassi*, M. Mandell*. (in press) Early life history transitions and establishment of Picea mariana in thawed permafrost peatlands. Ecology.

Camill, P. (in press) Sunken ground and empty oceans. Whole Terrain.

Teed, R., Umbanhowar, C.E., Jr., Camill, P. (in press) Multi-proxy lake sediment records at the northern and southern boundaries of the aspen parkland region of Manitoba, Canada. The Holocene.

Power, M.J. et al. (multiple-authored article) (2007) Changes in fire regimes since the Last Glacial Maximum: an assessment based on a global synthesis and analysis of charcoal data. Climate Dynamics 30(7-8): 887-907.

Camill, P. (2007) Case study sequence in ecosystem ecology
-How does acid rain affect soils and ecosystems?
-Using whole-watershed experiments to study the impact of clearcutting on ecosystem function.
-How do species and functional diversity affect ecosystem function?
-When is wet land a wetland? Validating wetland delineation techniques using measures of wetland ecosystem function.
-Can exotic species alter lake trophic dynamics and ecosystem function?
-Understanding historical changes in ecosytem function: A case study of eutrophication in Chesapeake Bay

Camill, P. (2006) Case studies add value to a diverse teaching portfolio in science courses. Journal of College Science Teaching, 36(2): 31-37.

Umbanhowar, C.E. Jr., P. Camill, R. Teed, C. Geiss. (2006) Asymmetric vegetation responses to mid-Holocene aridity at the prairie-forest ecotone in south-central Minnesota. Quaternary Research 66:53-66.

Camill, P. (2005) Permafrost thaw accelerates in boreal peatlands during late-20th century climate warming. Climatic Change 68:135-152.

Camill, P., M.J. McKone, S. Sturges*, W. Severud*, E. Ellis*, J. Limmer*, C. Martin*, R.T. Navratil*, A. Purdie*, B.S. Sandel*, S. Talukder* and A. Trout* (2004) Community and ecosystem-level changes in a species-rich tallgrass prairie restoration. Ecological Applications 14(6) 1680-1694.

Geiss, C., S. Banerjee, P. Camill, and C. Umbanhowar. (2004) Sediment magnetic signature of land use and drought as recorded in lake sediment from south-central Minnesota, USA. Quaternary Research 62:117-125.

Camill, P. (2003). Ecosystem concepts: introduction. Nature Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. Nature Publishing Group, Macmillan Publishers.

Camill, P., C.E. Umbanhowar, R. Teed, C.E. Geiss, L. Dvorak, J. Kenning*, J. Limmer*, and K. Walkup. (2003) Late-glacial and Holocene climatic effects on fire and vegetation dynamics at the prairie-forest ecotone in south-central Minnesota. Journal of Ecology 91(5).

Geiss, C.E., C.E. Umbanhowar, P. Camill, and S.K. Banergee. (2003) Sediment magnetic properties reveal Holocene climate change along the Minnesota prairie-forest ecotone. Journal of Paleolimnology 30:151-166.

Camill, P. (2002). Watch your step: Understanding the impact of your personal consumption on the environment. Journal of College Science Teaching 30(1):29-35. Also accessible on SUNY Buffalo Case Studies in Science website.

Camill, P., J.A Lynch, J.S. Clark, J.B. Adams* and B. Jordan*. (2001) Changes in biomass, aboveground NPP, and peat accumulation following permafrost thaw in the boreal peatlands of Manitoba, Canada. Ecosystems 4:461-478.

Camill, P. (2000) Using journal articles in an environmental biology course. Journal of College Science Teaching. 30(1):38-43.

Camill, P. (2000) How much do local factors matter for predicting transient ecosystem dynamics? Suggestions from permafrost formation in boreal peatlands. Global Change Biology 6:169-182.

Camill, P. and J.S Clark. (2000) Long-term perspectives on lagged ecosystem responses to climatic change: Permafrost in boreal peatlands and the grassland/woodland boundary. Ecosystems 3(6):534-544.

Camill, P. (1999) Peat accumulation and succession following permafrost thaw in the boreal peatlands of Manitoba, Canada. Ecoscience 6(4):592-602.

Camill, P. (1999) Patterns of boreal permafrost peatland vegetation across environmental gradients sensitive to climate warming. Canadian Journal of Botany 77 (5): 721-733.

Clark, J.S., Beckage, B., Camill, P., Cleveland, B., HilleRisLambers, J., Lichter, J., Mohan, J., MacLachlan, J., and Wyckoff, P. (1999) Where does recruitment limitation occur in forests? American Journal of Botany 86(1):1-16.

Camill, P. (1999) The Deforestation of the Amazon: A Case Study in Understanding Ecosystems and Their Value. Peer-reviewed case study on NSF-sponsored Case Studies in Science website at SUNY Buffalo.

Camill, P. and Clark, J.S. (1998) Climate change disequilibrium of boreal permafrost peatlands caused by local processes. The American Naturalist 151(3):207-222.

Valett, H.M., Fisher, S.G., Grimm, N.B., and Camill, P. (1994) Upwelling, downwelling, and algal recovery from floods in a desert stream. Ecology 75(2): 548-560.

Camill, P. (1992) Growth and structural patterns in a post-fire sandhill community. Proceedings of the Sixth National Conference on Undergraduate Education 3:1548-1553.

Grants

  • National Science Foundation Collaborative Research: RUI: Landscape-level controls on terrestrial, aquatic, and wetland responses to climate change in the southern Canadian Arctic. $762,000 (2008-2011)
  • National Science Foundation Career: Linkages among fire, succession, climate, permafrost, and carbon accumulation across biomes in Manitoba, Canada, using peat and lake paleorecords. $486,000 (2001-2007)
  • National Science Foundation ROA: Assessing the relative impacts of climatic change and local watershed processes on lake ecosystems along the prairie-forest border in Minnesota. $28,223 (2003-2004) in collaboration with Dr. Charles Umbanhowar, Jr. at St. Olaf College
  • National Science Foundation ROA: Long-term changes in the prairie-forest border: climate, fire, and vegetation interactions. $16,700 (2001-2002) in collaboration with Dr. Charles Umbanhowar, Jr. at St. Olaf College and Dr. Christoph Geiss, Trinity College
  • National Science Foundation CCLI A/I: The Ecology of Global Change: A New Ecology Curriculum at Carleton College. $160,798 (2000-2002)
  • EPA Predoctoral Fellowship Research Award: $15,000 (1996-1999)
  • NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates: $10,000 DEB-94-19677 and DEB-94-53498 from 4/97-9/99
  • NSF Dissertation Improvement Award: $7,100, DEB-96-23598 (6/96-5/98)

Digital Photos by Phil

http://flickr.com/photos/pcamill/collections/
Digital images are copyrighted material but can be used freely for academic purposes.  For books, publications, presentations, and web-based material, please use the following photo credit: "Image courtesy of Phil Camill."