The effect of consumers on plant population dynamics
Ecologists have long sought to understand the impact of consumers on plant population dynamics. It is well established that insect herbivores affect individual plants. However, some researchers have posited that they are unlikely to impact plants at the population level. Consider a gardener thinning their plants to remove plants that would likely die due to overcrowding and improve the performance of the remaining plants. If insects act as natural thinning agents, only removing excess plants that would die anyway, or if plants compensate for the loss through improved performance of plants that escape herbivory, equilibrium population size is likely to be unaffected by herbivory. There is increasing evidence, though, that herbivores do play a role in regulating plant populations, yet most models showing this affect do not incorporate density-dependence. In collaboration with Jim Eckberg, Svata Louda, Sergey Berg, and Tom Miller, I built a density-dependent population model for an exotic thistle, Cirsium vulgare, to test for the effect of insect herbivory on density-dependent population growth and to quantify how this interaction outcome varies across our study region of eastern Nebraska. For the thrilling results, check out the publication in Ecology Letters here.
Channel islands plant populations
I worked with Diane Thomson at the Claremont Colleges and Kathryn McEachern at USGS in the Channel Islands to study how plant populations are recovering after the removal of large invasive herbivores and how the recovery is complicated by climate change.
Check out their websites for more information on the project and other ongoing research in southern California:
http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dthomson/
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/kathryn-mceachern
Check out their websites for more information on the project and other ongoing research in southern California:
http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dthomson/
https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/kathryn-mceachern
Ecology of bird loss
I was one of many interns to work with Haldre Rogers on her Ecology of Bird Loss project in the Mariana Islands, studying how bird loss due to the invasive brown tree snake affects forest dynamics.
The project is active and growing, so check out the project page to learn more about current studies in the Marianas:
http://ecologyofbirdloss.blogspot.com/
The project is active and growing, so check out the project page to learn more about current studies in the Marianas:
http://ecologyofbirdloss.blogspot.com/