2014 Mentors and Projects

Spatial variation in plant species range size and botanical collection effort. The size of the geographic distribution of a species, hereafter range size, is important in ecology and evolution for several reasons. In particular, patterns of variation in range size across species suggests that general mechanisms may underlay the relationships between the spatial distribution of organisms and body size, dispersal ability, abundance, and properties of the ecological niche. Range si...

Use-potential and conservation of tropical mountain forests in Peru and Bolivia: focus on Palm species in Bolivia. Palms (Arecaceae) are a large family of plants with about 2,500 species and are of economic importance to many countries and indigenous peoples of the tropics. They are found in the humid tropics and subtropics and are highly diverse in the Malesian and Neotropical regions but scarce in the African subcontinent. Palms are a major component of tropical ecosystems and...

Using population genetics to understand the relative contribution of selfed/outcrossed individuals to populations of a federally endangered plant species, Lewton's polygala (Polygala lewtonii). This project involves combining new genetic data with demographic data to answer questions about the reproductive biology of Polygala lewtonii, an endangered species endemic to Florida.

Edge Effects on Microclimate and Vegetation in Small Wet-Mesic Prairies Located in the heart of the St. Louis metropolitan area, just 10 miles west of downtown St. Louis, the 34-acre study Litzsinger Road Ecology Center (LREC) encompasses a rich variety of habitats including bottomland forest, restored prairie, and an urban creek. The LREC prairie was part of a larger prairie in pre-settlement times.