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| Name: Dr. Catherine (Kitty) Gehring |
Research Interests: Plant and fungal ecology |
Research Description:
The goal of Dr. Gehring'sresearch program is to better understand the functioning of mycorrhizal fungi in natural systems. One way that members of her lab group work towards this goal is to examine how abiotic and biotic factors interact to affect the abundance and community composition of mycorrhizal fungi and how changes in these parameters then feedback to affect the performance of host plants. We combine field and laboratory experiments with microscopic and molecular analysis of ectomycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities.
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| Name: Dr. Tom Whitham |
Research Interests: Population and community ecology, ecological genetics |
Research Description:
Dr. Whitham's research is focused on cottonwood riparian communities and pinyon-juniper
woodlands. These studies emphasize plant-herbivore interactions and a community-level
understanding of the consequences of plant genetics and environmental stress
on keystone species. These studies include: 1) Plant-fungal and ant-aphid mutualisms.
2) Interactions among keystone species such as beavers and beetles which affect
the arthropod community. 3) Ecological, evolutionary and conservation implications
of plant hybridization. 4) The genetics of community structure and biodiversity.
5) The role of plant ontogeny in affecting herbivore population dynamics and
keystone species. 6) The ecosystem consequences of genetic variation in plant
resistance to herbivory, and 7) The role of environmental stress in affecting
dominant plants and pest outbreaks. This faculty member is also a mentor in the
NSF IGERT graduate training
program: NAU's IGERT PhD program seeks to identify key links between genes and the environment and is designed to train exceptional graduate students in molecular genetics, environmental sciences, and spatio-temporal modeling.
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| Name: Dr. George Koch |
Research Interests: Plant ecophysiology |
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