Environmental constraints on the geographic distribution of a lichen host and a putative parasite

Microbial symbionts affect the ecology and distribution of their hosts, but what controls the geographic distribution of symbionts? The environment can influence symbiont distributions directly, or indirectly via effects on host ecology or transmission dynamics. Here, we utilize a national forest inventory, herbarium specimens and course-based undergraduate research to investigate regional and landscape scale drivers of the distribution of a common and host-specific lichenicolous fungus.This poster was presented at Botany 2022 - Plants at the Extremes!</p

Does canopy microclimate structure lichen epiphyte communities? Evidence from intra- versus interspecific trait variation

<p>This talk was presented on 8/9//2015 at the Ecological Society of America annual meeting. It describes results from research on functional trait variation of epiphytic macrolichens in tree canopies.</p

Posters

<p>Contains posters presented at professional meetings and research symposia.</p

Does environmental heterogeneity promote diversity? Large scale insight from lichens and birds

A talk given on April 8, 2016 at the Cal Poly Biology Department weekly seminar. Describes two research projects on how spatial variability in the environment can affect species richness

Opposing mechanisms drive diversity patterns of core and occasional bird species

<p>This talk was presented at the 2011 Ecological Society of America annual meeting on 8/12/2011. It describes research on environmental drivers of avian species richness across the United States from surveys conducted by the North American Breeding Bird Survey. We divided communities into core species, those that were observed to occur consistently through time, and transient (or 'occasional') species, those that were only observed infrequently, and showed that different environmental factors were correlated with richness in each of these two groups. We concluded that different mechanisms determine the number of core and transient species in ecological communities.</p

Presentations

<p>Contains slides from talks presented at professional meetings and departmental seminars.</p

Taxon-free detection of cross-scale assembly processes in lichen epiphyte communities

A presentation given at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Aug. 10, 2016. Describes research on lichen epiphytes in the North Carolina Piedmont and Mountains

Environmental optimality, not heterogeneity drives local and regional species richness in lichen epiphytes

A presentation given at the American Society of Naturalists meeting in 2016 at Asilomar, CA. Describes research on environmental drivers of lichen epiphyte species richness across U.S. forests at both forest patch and regional scales and utilizes data from the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program and Forest Health Monitoring program

Do more niches or better niches promote species richness? Insight from local and regional drivers of lichen diversity across U.S. forests

<p>Versions of this talk were presented at the 2014 Gordon Research Conference and Seminar on "Unifying Ecology Across Scales" as well as at the 2014 Ecological Society of America annual meeting. It describes an analysis of macrolichen species richness from 2,000 forest inventory plots surveyed by the U.S. Forest Service. Specifically, we investigated whether the effects of environmental heterogeneity or mean environmental conditions on species richness differ between local and regional scales. We also assess the relative importance of local versus regional processes on local species richness. The presentation discusses a framework for generating and answering questions about how environmental heterogeneity and optimality influence species richness within the context of local-regional dynamics.</p

Do lichen functional traits track canopy microclimates

<p>This talk was presented on 2/21/2014 at the UNC Biology Dept. "Lunch Bunch". It describes preliminary results from research on functional trait variation of epiphytic macrolichens in tree canopies. Specifically, I examine whether traits such as chlorophyll content or water-holding capacity vary consistently with light or temperature. </p