Holly M. Martinson

Advisors: Dr. Robert Denno & Dr. William Fagan

Previous Education:
B.S. Biology Duke University

Research Interests:
The area and connectivity of habitat patches can greatly influence species occupancy and abundance in spatially heterogeneous environments. In spatially-structured communities with limited dispersal between patches (metacommunities), individual species’ responses to spatial factors may lead to differences in trophic structure across a patch network. A major focus of my research is to determine how species that differ in key ecological traits, such as trophic position, diet breadth, and dispersal ability, respond to the area and connectivity of habitat patches in a landscape. Specifically, I will identify if differential effects across species lead to critical thresholds in patch area and connectivity. To this end, I have been studying the assemblage of arthropods found on natural patches of the salt marsh grass Spartina patens, via extensive field surveys and experiments. This relatively tractable model system provides a unique opportunity to quantify the effects of area and connectivity on a full community of interacting species.

Location of Research:
Salt marsh in Great Bay Wildlife Management Area
Tuckerton, New Jersey

Publications:
Okamura H, Garcia-Rodrigues C, Martinson H, Qin J, Virshup DM, Rao A. 2004. A conserved docking motif for CK1 binding controls the nuclear localization of NFAT1. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 24(10): 4184-4195.

Lal A, Glazer CA, Martinson HM, Friedman HS, Archer GE, Sampson JH, Riggins GJ. 2002. Mutant epidermal growth factor receptor up-regulates molecular effectors of tumor invasion. Cancer Research. 62(12): 3335-3339.

Awards:
2004 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Research Program Honorable Mention