Research in my lab is primarily focused on ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that can enhance invasion and colonization success in plants. I have longstanding interests in biological invasions, not only for their conservation implications but also for the conceptual insights they provide that go beyond invasions – including what factors limit colonization success more generally. Within this overarching framework, two areas of emphasis encompass the majority our research projects. The first is focused on invasiveness, or key characteristics of colonizing and/or invading species that influence their success. The second is focused on invasibility, or key characteristics of recipient habitats that influence the success of colonizing and/or invading species once they are introduced. These are, of course, not easily disentangled!
Currently, this research can (mostly) be boiled down into three big questions:
1) What are the ecological implications of intraspecific diversity (genetic and/or phenotypic) for colonization success?
2) How does interspecific hybridization and/or polyploidy influence invasiveness and colonization success in plants?
3) How does human land-use and its associated stressors influence invasibility of wetlands and key characteristics of wetland plant species?
I’m an Assistant Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University. I’m looking for motivated and creative graduate students and undergraduates to help out in with lab, field and greenhouse projects. If you’re interested in getting involved, or you’d just like to know more, please contact me!
Click here for my Google Scholar profile