Abby Kula

akula at umd.edu

Advisors: Dr. Michele Dudash & Dr. Charlie Fenster

Previous Education:
B.S. Entomology, Texas A&M University
M.S. Biology, Kansas State University

Research Interests:
Although my past research experiences are in areas ranging from insect ecology to agronomy to plant populations and belowground reproduction, my primary research interest is the interaction between plants and insects, especially those relationships that involve complex interactions. For instance, my undergraduate research was on the effects of a biocontrol weevil on native flies within native thistles and the insects' combined effects on thistle seed production in the Nebraska Sand Hills, and my Masters research explored the multiple interactions between grasshopper herbivory, mycorrhizal symbiosis and host plant growth in tallgrass prairie. The aim of my dissertation research is to understand nursery pollination in Silene stellata (Caryophyllaceae). Adult moths of Hadena ectypa (Noctuidae) pollinate S. stellata flowers, while their larvae consume many of the fruits produced. An added complexity of this system is that the outcome of the interactions may be altered by pollination by other moths that do not consume fruits.

Location of Research:
Mountain Lake Biological Station (Pembroke, VA)

Publications:
Kula, A.A.R, D.C. Hartnett and G.W.T. Wilson. 2005. Effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis on tallgrass prairie plant–herbivore interactions. Ecology Letters. 8: 61-69.

Dalgleish, H.J., A.R. Kula, D.C. Hartnett and B.K. Sandercock. 2008. Responses of two bunchgrasses to nitrogen addition in tallgrass prairie: the role of bud bank demography. American Journal of Botany. 95(6): 672-680.

Reynolds, R.J., A.A.R. Kula, C.B. Fenster and M.R. Dudash. Invited for revision. Variable nursery pollinator importance and its effect on plant reproductive success. Oecologia.

Louda, S.M., T.A. Rand, A.A.R. Kula and A.E. Arnett. Invited for revision. Priority resource access mediates competitive intensity between an invasive weevil and native floral herbivores. Biological Invasions.

Funding Sources:
2006 ESA Plant Population Biology Section travel award
2007 Mountain Lake Biological Station Research Fellowship
2008 Walton Fellowship (Mountain Lake Biological Station)
2008 Darwin Fellowship (BEES Program)
2009 Hobbs Award (Mountain Lake Biological Station)