<b>Planting Clues: Presentation to Southern Chapter of the Sierra Club Feb 8, 2024</b>

Presentation outlining my book Planting Clues: How Plants Solve Crimes. Discussion of each chapter.</p

Hierarchy of Hypotheses Presentation

Presentation given at Hierarchy of Hypotheses workshop, Schloss Herrenhausen, Hannover, Germany, July 19-21, 2017

Forensic Botany

Presentation given to the Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement group, November 15, 2017 at the Dunn-Richmond Center on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.<br

Oxford Bibliographies Area Advisor Positions

Call for Area Advisors for <i>Oxford Bibliographies</i> in Ecology

Shupert, Lindsay Anne. 2016. INTEGRATIVE MANAGEMENT OF LESPEDEZA CUNEATA IN PRAIRIE RESTORATIONS. MS Thesis. Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

<p>Background: <i>Lespedeza cuneata</i> is a perennial invasive legume native to Asia that is common across grasslands in the eastern half of the United States and parts of Canada. The competitive nature and limited palatability of <i>L. cuneata</i> for grazers in the tallgrass prairie has made it an undesirable and invasive weed.</p> <p>Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate an invasive species management plan for restored grasslands and prairie areas. </p> <p>Methods: Study plots (n=144) for experiment 1 (summer treatment) were established at Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge in Jackson County Illinois in August of 2012 and were situated to contain infestations of the target species.  Two herbicides, in five concentrations were applied in August of 2012.  A native seed mix was added to a portion of the summer plots later, in February of 2013.  These treatments were assessed in June and August of 2013 to determine herbicide effects on stem count and percent cover of <i>L. cuneata</i>, along with the composition and percent cover of other species present.  Spring herbicide applications (n=18) for experiment 2 were established, assessed for <i>L. cuneata </i>cover and density, and treated with two herbicide treatments in May of 2013. Spring treatments were identical to existing plots and were re-assessed in August 2013 to determine species composition and the abundance of <i>L. cuneata</i>. Seed was not added to these plots.</p> <p>Analysis: Mixed Model analysis by site was performed to test the effect of herbicide and seeding treatments on <i>L. cuneata</i> for both experiments 1 &2.  The summer plots were also tested for effects on other plant groups. A<b> </b>repeated measures PERMANOVA along with ANOSIM and PERMADISP was performed to assess community composition response to seeding and herbicide treatments in the summer plots. </p> <p>Results: Abundance of <i>L. cuneata</i> was reduced 67 to <90% following herbicide treatment in Experiments 1 and 2.  There were no differences in the effectiveness of herbicide treatments in in Experiment 1, sites 1 &3, and in Experiment 2. Supplemental seeding in the summer plots did not reduce the abundance of <i>L. cuneata</i> consistently across sites.  </p> <p>Conclusion: Considerable short-term control of the target species was achieved in both the summer and spring plots, providing a window of opportunity for the imposition of additional methods of control.  However, data from the summer plots suggest recovery of <i>L. cuneata</i> some sites, indicating further control would be necessary, with potentially the addition of other control methods or site alterations.</p

Ecology of Japanese Chaff Flower and Research Update

Research update from the Gibson lab on Japanese Chaff flower, <i>Achyranthes japonica</i>. Presented by David Gibson at the "Ecology and Control of Japanese Chaff Flower - Program and Field Tour" workshop, Barkhausen-Cache River Wetlands Center, Cypress, IL, June 22, 2017.<br

Effects of simulated herbivory on an invasive species, Achyranthes japonica.

We examined the response of the invasive exotic <i>Achyranthes japonica</i> (Japanese Chaff flower) to simulated deer herbivory in a greenhouse experiment. This work was conducted by SIUC Plant Biology undergraduate Madison Pope as an Undergraduate Assistant.<br

RTR2014

A personal account of my experience as a rookie team member in the 2014 River to River relay

Grassland communities of barrens and hill prairies

Presentation given April 14, 2018 at the2018 Illinois Indigenous Plants Symposium at John A. Logan College, Carterville, IL. I talk about what these communities are, the research undertaken in my lab in these communities, and 24 years of grassland ecology field trips. <br

The effect of Andropogon gerardii ecotype on species composition and functional trait variation in a prairie community.

<p>Functional traits for six native tallgrass prairie species were analyzed to determine if there was an effect of <em>A. gerardii</em> ecotype on both within- and between-species functional trait variability. We found that within-species functional trait variation was highest among species in plots planted with non-locally adapted ecotypes of <em>A. gerardii</em> and higher among subordinate rather than dominant species across ecotype plots. </p