Past Lab Members
Jane Cipra
Jane's thesis was on the invasion ecology of the yellow bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus) in Humboldt Bay's coastal dunes. Jane investigated the mechanisms by which lupines facilitate the further spread of non-natives by artificially reproducing the lupines' physical effects: shade, wind absorption, and nitrogen enrichment of the dune soil. The preliminary results of this experiment showed that nitrogen treatments increased both native and non-native cover. Shade treatments also increased native cover but decreased non-native cover. Some combined treatments had marginally significant results that may indicate developing trends.
Email: yana AT xmission DOT com
Jen Palladini
Jen’s interest in how changes in mutualist communities affect plant population dynamics led her to study seed dispersal in logged forests. She investigated how ant communities are affected by logging and whether these changes could play a role in limiting the recruitment of western trillium (Trillium ovatum) seedlings, whose seeds are adapted for ant dispersal. By utilizing stands that varied in age from 5 to 427 years and were initiated by clearcut logging or stand replacing fires, she evaluated how ant community composition and seed removal rates by ants changed as a function of forest age. Jen has moved on to begin work on her PhD at the University of Montana under in John Maron’s lab.
David Loya
Thesis completed in 2004. Title: Timber harvest effects on redwood understory plant communities: implications of sampling efficacy and richness estimators. David's thesis was the first to apply measures of sampling efficacy toward questions regarding the effects of logging on understory plant species. He is currently working as a biologist in Humboldt County.
Email: dloya1@yahoo.com
Jason Nuckols
Thesis completed in 2002. Title: Assessing the role of seed banks and fire in the restoration of coastal prairie. Currently, Jason is working for The Nature Conservancy as the Willamette Valley Preserve Manager. His office is at Willow Creek Preserve in Eugene, but he works on approximately 8 other landholdings and easements in the Willamette Valley.
Email: jasonnuckols@hotmail.com