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Research Interests: My collaborative research efforts have focused on threatened poplar riparian communities and pinyon woodlands in the western USA, and eucalypt forests in Tasmania, Australia. These studies utilize a genes-to-ecosystem approach to understand the genetic components of community structure and biodiversity, community heritability and evolution, and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of climate change. Specific studies/issues include: 1). How different plant genotypes support different arthropod and microbial communities, which in turn has a major impact on biodiversity. 2). How key mutualisms such as plant-fungal and ant-aphid interactions are influenced by the genetics of their host plants. 3). The quantitative genetics of interactions among keystone species such as beavers and beetles, which in turn determine the composition of the arthropod community. 4). The ecological, evolutionary and conservation implications of plant hybridization. 5). The role of plant ontogeny in affecting plant chemical defenses and their interactions with keystone herbivores. 6). The quantitative genetics of ecosystem processes such as decomposition, nitrogen mineralization and ecosystem productivity. 7). The role of environmental stress in affecting foundation plant species, pest outbreaks and community structure, 8). How climate change can be an agent of natural selection on foundation plant species, which then shifts the structure of the dependent community. In studying these basic issues we are working with the Bureau of Reclamation, the Ogden Nature Center and the Utah Department of Natural Resources to establish long-term and large-scale scientific experiments that address fundamental issues of both basic and applied value. For example, because all the trees in these plantings are clones of known genetic composition and/or pedigree we can quantify community heritability and quantify how genetic diversity in a foundation tree species affects the biodiversity of the community it supports. Understanding the genetic components of community structure and biodiversity are important for decision makers who want to restore habitats and maximize biodiversity.
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