Biology, University of Northern Iowa
I am a doctoral graduate student at Ohio University interested in plant ecology and evolution. I completed my master’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa, working on the productivity and viability of different prairie biomass feedstocks. I am currently studying species that occur only on gypsum outcrops. These exposures create a patchy, island-like distribution of gypsiferous soils in the Chihuahua Desert of North America. Gypsum is considered an extreme soil because it contains a large quantity of both calcium and sulfur that can be toxic to plants. My research will explore the fitness and evolutionary consequences for those species that live on gypsum and identify common dispersal syndromes affiliated with this patchy landscape. Finally, I will predict the effect of projected climate change on species that grow only on gypsum outcrops and identify those that are at the highest-risk of being unable to mediate the effects of climate change.
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
ON DEMAND