This page has links to research descriptions of current members of the Plant Ecology Research Group in the Forseth Lab.
Red Fleet, UT. This is the site of our research on Cryptantha flava, a semi-desert perennial.
Alan Griffith - is currently an assistant professor at Mary Washington College.
Andrew McElrone - is currently a post-doctoral associate at Duke University.
Mike Peek - is currently a post-doctoral associate at Utah State University.
Dr. Alexander Wait - Dr. Wait was a post-doctoral associate in the lab working on the NSF-sponsored Cryptantha project. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, Southwest Missouri State University, 901 South National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65804. Alexander's research interests include physiological and chemical ecology of plants, and plant-animal interactions. Current research focuses on 1) the consequences of drought on the demography of a semi-desert perennial in Utah; and 2) the effects of nitrogen availability on leaf development, herbivore attack, and compensatory growth in wild and crop plants. Opportunities for graduate research (M.S. only) are available in Dr. Wait's lab in the areas of ecology, conservation and restoration biology. This includes research at the newly developed Bull Shoals Biological Station (see link on Alexander's home page).
Anne Innis - Anne is currently a doctoral student conducting a comparative study of the physiology and reproductive characteristics of an introduced shrub, Rubus phoenocolasius and a native shrub, Rubus argutus. Invasive species displace native species, threaten biodiversity and alter the function of ecosystems. Determining both the characteristics of invasive species and those of the invaded habitat will enhance management and prevention of further invasions. The most effective studies of invasive species involve a comparison of closely related invasive and native species. This study uses two perennial Rubus congeners, an invasive species, wine raspberry (Rubus phoenicolasius), and a native species, sawtooth blackberry (Rubus argutus). Rubus phoenicolasius is invading fields and successional forests, typical R. argutus habitat, along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. In a study of reproductive life history traits, R. phoenicolasius was shown to self-pollinate more than R. argutus. Of the mature individuals, R. phoenicolasius were more likely than R argutus to be reproductive. R. phoenicolasius produced greater numbers of fruit with more seeds per fruit than R. argutus. Self-pollination, high fruit and seed set of R. phoenicolasius may drive rapid population growth. With the worldwide problem of invasive species, it is necessary to understand what characteristics define invasive species and quantify the effects of invasive species on plant communities.