Research

Phylogeography of vascular plants and terrestrial non-vascular cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens) with an emphasis on species narrowly restricted to alpine and hyperoceanic environments in Pacific Northwestern North America.  Application of methods in molecular systematics to testing hypotheses about the origins of the alpine and hyperoceanic floras. Comparative study of genetic variation within and among populations of geographically widespread vs. geographically restricted species from those environments.

Historical evolution and origins of rare lineages and the practice of conservation biology as it applies to naturally rare species. Application of knowledge about stenoclimatic floras from geographically restricted mesohabitats to the problem of monitoring the effects of climate change on the biota.

Taxonomic and floristic research for treatments of several genera and families included in the forthcoming Flora of North America, Vol. 29, Marchantiophyta. Future research plans include a series of research expeditions into the North Cascades and coastal archipelagos of British Columbia and southeastern Alaska, and eventually to the Aleutian Islands.

Phylogeographic analysis of molecular and morphological variation in Gaudichaudia (Malpighiaceae), a genus of vines with a mixed mating system forming a hybrid complex among tetraploid lineages. Methods include analysis of restriction sites on the chloroplast genome, randomly amplified DNA, and morphometric analysis. Recent taxonomic revisions include description of six new species.
 

Current Research Projects

Ecology of the Deep Bryophyte Community in Crater Lake, Oregon

Bryophyte and Lichen Flora of the Klamath - Siskiyou Mountains and Adjacent Coastal Regions

Bryophyte Flora of North America: Anthelia, Blepharostoma, Cryptocolea, Hygrobiella, Sphenolobopsis

Phycobiont Evolution in Umbilicaria (Lichenized Ascomycete)

Phylogeography and Systematics of Gaudichaudia (Malpighiaceae) in Mexico and Mesoamerica

Systematics and Evolution of High Elevation Endemic Species in the genus Draba

Systematics and Conservation of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plant Species

Scientific Scholarship

2003. Anthelia. Bryophyte Flora of North America. Flora North America Vol. 29, Marchantiophyta. Oxford University Press manuscript in preparation.

2003. The hyperoceanic cryptogam flora in Pacific Northwestern North America: A review and evaluation of competing biogeographic hypotheses. manuscript in preparation.

2002. Six new species and taxonomic revisions in Mexican Gaudichaudia (Malpighiaceae). Madroño 49(4):237-255.

2002. Reticulate ancestry in Mexican Gaudichaudia (Malpighiaceae) analyzed with RAPD's and southern hybridization. Madroño 49(4):256-273.

2002. Bryophyte expedition on the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, in the Peninsular Ranges of Southern California. Evansia 19(1): 1-8. [with co-authors K.Kellman, J.Spence, L.Stark, J.Shevock, W.Doyle].

2001. Pacific Northwest sea stack cryptogams:  I. Scapania scandica in Oregon. Evansia 18(3): 73-81.
A satellite project publication for theInternational Biodiversity Observation Year, DIVERSITAS.

2001. Cryptocolea. Bryophyte Flora of North America, Provisional Electronic Edition, Buffalo Museum of Science.  In press in: Flora North America Vol. 29, Marchantiophyta. Oxford University Press.

2000. Hepaticae of the Klamath Mountains:  I. Anastrophyllum minutum in the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon and California. Evansia 17(4): 137-140.
 
 

2003. Exploration for populations of rare and disjunct hyperoceanic and oceanic-montane bryophytes in periglacial environments. NPS NOCA-00045 Investigator's Annual Report. North Cascades National Park.

2002. Origins of the hyperoceanic cryptogam flora in Pacific Northwestern North America. Contributed paper at Annual Meeting, American Bryological and Lichenological Society, Storrs, CT.

2002. Rare cryptogams in the microclimate zone at lava tube openings: results of preliminary surveys at Lava Beds National Monument. Invited speaker, Meeting of the National Park Service, Klamath Network, 20-21 November 2002, Ashland, OR.


2001. Cryptogams of the Siskiyou Mountains: an introduction.  Invited speaker, Siskiyou Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon, Ashland, OR.

2001. Mesohabitat and Rarity in Cryptogams: Implications for Conservation. Invited speaker, Washington Natural Heritage Program, Olympia, WA.

2001. Geobotany and Rarity in the Flora of the Siskiyou Crest.  Invited speaker, Flora of the Northern Siskiyou Mountains, Jepson Herbarium Workshop, Ashland, OR.

2001. A hybrid complex involving the Southern Oregon endemic, Ranunculus austro-oreganis (Ranunculaceae): Management recommendations for a rare plant with fuzzy species boundaries. Cost-share grant technical report to Medford District Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Dept. of Interior.

2001. Active learning in large lecture: note-taking incentives that enable learning. Workshop presentation, Lilly-West Conference on College and University Teaching, International Alliance of Teacher Scholars, Lake Arrowhead, CA.

2001. Debunking myths about grazing as a management tool. Invited speaker, Annual Summer Membership Meeting, Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, Ashland, OR.

2000. Phycobiont fidelity in Umbilicaria. Amer. J. Bot. 87(6): 9 [abstract], Contributed paper at Annual Meeting, American Bryological and Lichenological Society, Portland, OR.

1996. Reticulate Evolution in Gaudichaudia (Malpighiaceae). Invited speaker, Biology Colloquium, Sonoma State University

1996. Setting priorities for conservation biology: species, clades, or communities? Host, Roundtable Discussion, Bay Area Biosystematists, Berkeley, CA.

1995. Bryophytes of cave formations at Lava Beds National Monument on the Modoc Plateau, California.
Contributed paper at Annual Meeting, American Bryological and Lichenological Society, Jasper.

1994. Geometry of the fuzzy species concept: phylogenetic species and the entropy-subsethood theorem.
Contributed paper at Annual Meeting, Willi Hennig Society, Copenhagen.

1994. Geometry of the tokogeny/phylogeny boundary and the coefficient of hybridity. Amer. J. Bot. 81(6):163, Contributed paper at Annual Meeting, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Knoxville.

1994. Geometry of the Fuzzy Species Concept. Poster presentation at Annual Meeting, Society for the Study of Evolution Athens.

1994. Geometry of the tokogeny/phylogeny boundary and the fuzzy species concept: measuring species using randomly amplified DNA, or Not 'Is it a species?', but 'How much of a species is it?  Contributed paper at Annual Meeting, Society for the Study of Evolution, Athens.

1993. Randomly amplified DNA is a powerful tool for analyzing reticulate ancestry in Gaudichaudia (Malpighiaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 80(6):154 [abstract], Contributed paper at Annual Meeting, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Ames, IW.

1993. Reticulate evolution in Gaudichaudia (Malpighiaceae): phylogenetic and biogeographic analysis of molecular and morphological variation in a polyploid complex of neotropic vines. Amer. J. Bot. 80(6): 154-155 [abstract], Contributed paper at Annual Meeting, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Ames, IW.

1991. Resolving reticulate ancestry in Gaudichaudia using randomly amplified DNA and cpDNA in combination. Invited seminar speaker, Department of Botany Seminar, Duke University.

1987. Besseya bullii populations in Michigan.  Michigan's Natural Heritage Program, Scientific Publication 86.

1986. Search of likely habitat for the rare and threatened herbaceous perennial, Besseya bullii (Scrophulariaceae). Michigan's Natural Heritage Program, Scientific Publication 87.

Graduate Research Mentoring 

Smith, Sean (in progress) Flora of Lava Beds National Monument.

Malloy, John D. 2005. Crest to Coast: A curriculum and Resource Guide for the Crest to Coast Course.

Lang, Robert 2005. Ecological Sensibility: Perception, Value, and Meaning in Environmental Education.

Clery, Shannon 2004. Botanical diversity and rare plant distributions on Condrey Mountain.

Mergenthaler, Kristi (in progress) A geobotanical  field guide to the Siskiyou Crest.

Clark, Jason 2003. Floristic diversity and rare plant distributions on the north face of El Capitan, Siskiyou Wilderness, Del Norte County, California.

Sweeney, Robert 2003. Environmental and habitat variables affecting five rare plant species in serpentine fens of the Klamath Mountains.

O'Donnell, Jamie 2003. An ecological study of the flora on Preston Peak: establishing baseline data for studying impacts of climate change on subalpine vegetation in the Siskiyou Mountains. (2003 SOU Outstanding Graduate Student, Guanajuato Award)

Sims, Lori J. 2002. Atlas of the rare plant species on Lake Peak, Oregon: baseline data for global climate change monitoring.

Duvall, Tyler J. 2002. A field guide to the common plants on Mt. McLoughlin, Sky Lakes Wilderness, Jackson County, Oregon.

Hammer, Lori A. 2002. Educational materials for the 10 Most Endangered National Forests campaign.

Jordan, Elizabeth N. 2002. Wildflowers of Mt. Ashland, a wildflower key and field guide.

Hunter, Roberta H. 2002.  Integrating environmental education into K-5 curriculum: a case study.

Brubaker, Jennifer L. 2001. Citizens' guide to public participation with the BLM and USFS.

Koerner, Ekaterina 2001. Public outreach for the Agate Desert vernal pools. (2001 SOU Outstanding Graduate Student, Guanajuato Award)

Finney, Ross 2000. The Ashland green business program. (2000 SOU Outstanding Graduate Student, Guanajuato Award)

Hopkins, Catherine E. 1999. The environmental benefits of straw bale construction: a curriculum guide.

Orgain, Ashley D. 1999. Shifting Sands, an educational kit for barrier island education.

Eberhart, Amy J. 1998. Natural history of the trees and shrubs along Bear Creek.

Undergraduate Senior Research Mentoring

Carey, Greg 2003. Testing for population structure and interspecies hybridization in the southern Oregon endemic plant, Fritillaria gentneri (Liliaceae) using randomly amplified DNA. [voted "2002/2003 Outstanding Graduating Senior in Biology" by SOU Biology Department Faculty]

Bergan, Mudra 2002. Vascular plant inventory of the Sphagnum Bog Research Natural Area, Crater Lake National Park.

Oberg, Sarah 2002. Flora of Wagner Butte, second highest peak in the Siskiyou Mountains.

Tapia, Bianca 2002. Survey of vascular plants on Swan Mountain, Kangaroo Roadless Area, Rogue River National Forest.

Benjamin, Justin and George Tsoulfas 2001. Demographic analysis of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) on Mt. McLoughlin, Sky Lakes Wilderness, Jackson County, Oregon.

Green, Diane 2001. PCR troubleshooting for Trebouxia isolates from the lichen genus Umbilicaria.

Proctor, Julie 2001.  Flora of Mt. McLoughlin, Sky Lakes Wilderness, Jackson County, Oregon: a systematic survey of the eastern slope.

Holden, Katherine 2000. Phylogenetic analysis of Draba based on inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) amplifications.

Donahue, Jacquelien 2000. First-year results of a program for monitoring the health of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) at Crater Lake National Park.

Lathrop, Shalynn 2000. A field guide to wildflowers of Rough and Ready Creek, Illinois River Valley, Oregon.

May, Melissa 2000. Characteristics of upland meadow plant communities within the Cascade-Siskiyou Ecological Emphasis Area.

Kyle, Allison 1999. Genetic and morphological variation within and among populations of Eriogonum pyrolifolium and Eriogonum marifolium along an environmental gradient on Mt. Shasta.

Scientific Society Memberships and Professional Affiliations

Research Associate, UC and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley
International Association for Plant Taxonomy
American Society of Plant Taxonomists
American Bryological and Lichenological Society
Botanical Society of America
Native Plant Society of Oregon
California Botanical Society
California Lichen Society
International Alliance of Teacher Scholars

Education and Professional Training

Postdoctoral Training, Bryophyte Lab, University of California, Berkeley 1994-1997
Ph.D. (Botany), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 1994
B.S. (Botany), University of Maryland, College Park 1977

Teaching Experience

Southern Oregon University, Ashland OR 1997-present
Diablo Valley College, Concord, CA  1996
University of California, Dept. Integrative Biology, Berkeley, CA  1996
Jepson Herbarium, U.C. Berkeley, 1995-1996
Saint Mary’s College, Moraga, CA 1995
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI  1982-1990
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI  1978-1979

Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit, SOU Representative, 2002-2004
University Curriculum Committee, 1999-2004, Committee Chair, 2001/2002
Curriculum Realignment Action Committee, 2003-2004, Committee Chair, 2003
School of Sciences Biotechnology Laboratory, Co-Director, 2002-2003
SOU Arboretum Planning Committee, Chair, 2002-2004
Curator of the Southern Oregon University Herbarium
Masters Degree Program in Environmental Education, Co-Director
School of Sciences Core Curriculum Committee, 1998-1999
Biology Department Scheduling Committee, 1999-2002
Biology Department Equipment Committee, 1999-2004
Biology Department Personnel Committee, 2004

Service to the Community

ABLS 2002 A. J. Sharp Award, Panel of Judges
Chairman, Westside Conservation Committee, NPSO, 1998 - present
Board of Directors, 1998-2000, Native Plant Society of Oregon
Board of Directors, Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, 2002 - present
Board of Directors, Secretary, Siskiyou Regional Education Project, 1998-2002
Editorial Board of Advisors, Forest News, Headwaters Environmental Center
Board of Directors, Cotton-Way Foundation, Earth Teach Forest Park, 1997-1999
SOU campus host for John Muir's ghost, 1998 - 1999
Founding Member and Organizer of:
        Spring Outing, Botanical Excursion, Foray,
        Retreat and Escape to the Environment (SO BE FREE) 

NONVIOLENCE IS THE ANSWER TO THE
CRUCIAL POLITICAL AND MORAL QUESTIONS
OF OUR TIME



Collecting cryptogams on Phantom Ship, in the Crater Lake Caldera, Crater Lake National Park