People in the Lab

Postdoctoral Fellows

Patrick Vogan - Patrick completed his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, where he worked on the physiological ecology of C3 and C4 species.  Patrick has begun several projects in the lab, including studies of photosynthetic adaptation to drought, the evolution of physiological plasticity, and the effects of fungi and invasive species on the physiology and competitive ability of Acer saccharum.

Graduate Students

Gary Poon - Gary is a M.Sc. candidate who is studying the  evolution of competitive abilty in native species in response to invasion by garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata).

Sabina Stanescu - Sabina is a M.Sc. candidate who is studying how mycorrhizal fungi influence resource acquisition and competition among plant species.

Research Associates and Technicians

Elizabeth Seifert - Liz is working on many projects with us and with the Caruso Lab, including studies of the community structure of mycorrhizal fungi and the ecology and evolution of sex ratio variation.  She also keeps our elemental analyzer happy.

Undergraduate Researchers

None at this time, but we are seeking students for the 2012-2013 academic year!

Lab Alumni

Postdoctoral Fellows

Kathryn Yurkonis -  In a colloaboration between our lab and Jonathan Newman's lab in the School of Environmental Sciences, Kathryn studied the effects of endophyte infected grasses on grassland community and ecosystem dynamics. Kathryn completed her Ph.D. at Iowa State University, and is now an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at the University of North Dakota.

Graduate Students

Mark Sherrard - Mark was the first official member of our lab, and completed a M.Sc. thesis on the genetic basis and evolution of drought escape mechanisms in the Mediterranean annual grass, Avena barbata.  He liked it enough to stay on and complete a Ph.D. on the evolutionary ecology of plant adaptation to biotic and abiotic components of soils.  He was a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University, and is now an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Northern Iowa.

Ben Sikes - For his Ph.D., Ben studied the  successional dynamics and feedbacks between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.  He was co-advised by John N. Klironomos, and is now a Smith postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin.

Christine Creese - Christine completed a M.Sc. thesis on climate adaptation and correlated evolution in Pinus.  She is now a Ph.D. student at UCLA.

Research Associates and Technicians

Allison Lambert - Allison worked on many projects, including using phylogenies to understand character evolution, the evolution of physiological correlations, and the ecology and evolution of sex ratio variation (in the Caruso Lab).  She also kept our elemental analyzer healthy and happy.  Allison is now a researcher in Florida.

Noah Sokol - Noah worked on interactions between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the evolution of root architecture. 

Melissa Arcand - Melissa worked on plant-mycorrhizal interactions, kept the lab running smoothly, and setup our (formerly) new elemental analyzer.  She is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Saskatchewan.

Catherine Shantz - Catherine patiently measured xylem and leaf anatomy on many samples.  She completed an M.Sc. degree in the Caruso Lab at UG.

Tomomi Suwa - After finishing an undergraduate degree at  UG, Tomomi spent some time working on plant-herbivore interactions and xylem function.  She went on to do a M.Sc. at the University of Nebraska and is now a Ph.D. student at Michigan State University.

Undergraduate Researchers

Angela Bell - Angela spent the summer of 2011 in our lab working on a variety of projects, including studies of the functional traits of  plants that predict invasion success, and the effects of mycorrhizal fungi on the outcome of competition in plant communities.

Emily Drystek - Emily completed a 4th year thesis (2011) on biodiversity and ecosystem function by examining whether endophyte infection influences the invasive ability of grasses.  She was co-advised by Kathryn Yurkonis.

Nigel Gale - Nigel completed a 4th year thesis (2011) on the effects of variation in rainfall patterns on the evolution of physiological plasticity in Avena barbata. He was co-advised by Christina M. Caruso.

Emily Upham-Mills - Emily completed a 4th project course (2011) and studied the effects of competition on the evolution of physiological traits in Avena barbata.

Rachel Germain - Rachel completed a 4th year thesis (2010) project on the effects of transgenerational plasticity (AKA maternal effects) on drought adaptation.  She was co-advised by Christina M. Caruso.

Noah Sokol - Noah completed 4th year thesis project (2009) on the evolution of plant mycorrhizal interactions.  He received an NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) and then worked as a research technican in the lab. 

Karen Dam - Karen was an NSERC USRA student (2008) and worked on physiological responses to drought in A. barbata. 

Tracie King - Tracie was an NSERC USRA student (2006, 2007) and completed a 4th year thesis project on the effects of garlic mustard invasion on plant-mycorrhizal interactions. 

Alison Walden - Alison was an NSERC USRA student (2005) and completed a 4th year thesis project on polyploidy and hydraulic function in fireweed (Chamarion angustifolium). 

Megan Clifford - Megan was an NSERC USRA student (2004) and completed a 4th year thesis project on genetic relatedness and competition intensity in Lobelia siphilitica.  She also made many leaf hydraulic measurements on A. barbata. 

Tomomi Suwa - Tomomi completed a 4th year thesis project on the physiological basis for tolerance to herbivory in A. barbata. 

Amy Turnbull - Amy was a University URA (Undergraduate Research Award) awardee (2003) and helped set up our lab and worked on a variety of projects.