The research in Dr. McLaren's lab bridges the fields of community and ecosystem ecology, focusing on the effects of changing plant communities on ecosystem functioning. Ecosystems worldwide are gaining and losing species and changes in plant identity, likely influencing a number of ecosystem properties. Her research examines effects on variables such as plant species abundance, litter decomposition, and nutrient cycling. Much of her research is conducted in northern ecosystems, including alpine tundra and boreal forest in Northern Canada (Kluane Lake Research Station, Yukon Territory) and arctic tundra in Alaska (Utqiagvik, Nome and Toolik Lake, Alaska).