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Climate change effects on plants and associated arthropods
Climate change
California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) is a foundational shrub species found in coastal sage scrub ecosystems along California's coast from the Baja California Peninsula to Sonoma County. Such a wide geographic distribution places A. californica along steep environmental gradients that generates intra-specific variation as populations adapt to local biotic and abiotic conditions. With a combination of common garden and field experiments, I am investigating how populations of A. californica adapt to variation in aridity and herbivory, and the effects that this phenotypic variation has on multi-trophic arthropod communities associated with these shrubs. As such, I hope to elucidate how past evolutionary processes mediate contemporary ecological interactions between plants and their associated arthropod communities. |
Characterizing latitudinal clines in plant tolerance and resistance to herbivory
As an undergraduate at Louisiana State University, I conducted an experiment with James T. Cronin investigating genetic variation in plant tolerance to herbivory and putative chemical and physical defense traits across native and exotic phylogeographic lineages of Phragmites australis in North America. My research assessed the role of tolerance mechanisms in influencing invasion success across a broad spatial scale. See publications for full story. |
The role of climate and soil in shaping plant local adaptation
As an undergraduate at Louisiana State University, I conducted an experiment with James T. Cronin investigating genetic variation in plant tolerance to herbivory and putative chemical and physical defense traits across native and exotic phylogeographic lineages of Phragmites australis in North America. My research assessed the role of tolerance mechanisms in influencing invasion success across a broad spatial scale. See publications for full story.