PLANT LAB INTERNS AND INTERN PROJECTS,  Updated by Eric Menges, July 2007

 Following the list of projects is a list of potential intern research ideas. Other ideas are welcome; the lists are merely provided to stimulate ideas!

 Intern Program History 1989-2006

 Number of internships: 65

 Reports completed (or published): 57

 Publications from intern research: 35

 Graduate degrees subsequently obtained: 22

 Interns currently in graduate school: 20

 

INDIVIDUAL INTERNS, PROJECTS, PUBLICATIONS, PROF. POSITIONS

* Patrick McIntyre, fall 1997

Gall and their effects on Palafoxia feayi

(report completed)

MS, Northern Arizona University

* Abigail McCarthy, summer and fall 1998

Outbreeding depression in Dicerandra frutescens

(report completed)

* Philip Higuera, fall 1998 and winter 1999

Dendroecology of south Florida slash pine

(report completed)

PhD, University of Washington

* Molly Hunter, fall 1998 and winter 1999

Effects of allelopathy by Florida rosemary on germination and growth of scrub plants

(report completed; manuscript published as Hunter and Menges 2002 in  American Journal of Botany 89:1113-1118)

PhD, Colorado State University (in process)

* Karin Kettenring, summer and fall 1999

Effects of herbivory on reproduction of Liatris ohlingerae (the scrub blazing star0

(report completed, ms in preparation)

PhD, University of Minnesota

* Amy Armbruster, summer and fall 1999

The effects of disturbance caused by firelanes and fires on the population densities of five Lake Wales Ridge endemics

(report completed)

* Martina Petru, fall 1999 and spring 2000

Effects of experimental disturbances on microsites and plant demography

(MS thesis completed, manuscripts published as Petru and Menges 2002 in Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 130:89-100 and Petru and Menges 2004 in American Midland Naturalist 151:)

MS, University of South Bohemia; PhD Leipzig (in process)

* Will  Satterthwaite, spring and summer 2000

Population viability of Eriogonum floridanum with fire

(report completed, manuscript published as Satterthwaite et al. 2002 in Ecological Applications 12:1672-1687)

* Nicole Lang, fall 2000 and spring 2001

Seed bank dynamics of southern Lake Wales Ridge sandhill communities

(report completed). University of Washington MS program

* David Matlaga, spring 2001-spring 2002

Fire-related edge effects on two bayhead sites

(report prepared as ms in preparation) University of Miami PhD program

PhD, University of Miami (in process)

* Dee Sipe, summer 2001

Effect of fire and drought on fruit production and fruit size of Serenoa repens

(report completed)

MS, Oregon State University (in process)

*Jane Carlson, summer 2001

Seed dispersal by Gopherus polyphemus) at Archbold Biological Station, Florida

(report published as Carlson et al. 2003 in Florida Scientist 66:147-154)

PhD, Louisiana State University (in process)

* Lars Brudvig, summer and fall 2001

Herbivory and postgrazing response in Hypericum cumulicola

(report published as Brunvig and Quintana-Ascencio in Florida Scientist 66: 99-108)

PhD program, Iowa State University

 * Molly Matthias, spring 2002.

The effects of density and fire history on pollinator visitation and fecundity in Asimina obovata (Annonaceae).

(report completed)

* Betsey Hermanson (Boughton), spring and summer 2002

Do ecotones really exist in Florida scrub? A quantitative analysis of vegetation gradients

(report published as Boughton et al.  2006 Journal of Vegetation Science)

University of Central Florida PhD program

* Courtney McCusker, spring and summer 2002

Sundews in seasonal ponds (approx. title)

(no report)

University of Illinois, MS program.

* Matt Trager, summer and fall 2002

Outcrossing effects in Hypericum cumulicola, a federally endangered central Florida scrub endemic

(report published in Florida Scientist, 2005)

MS, University of Florida, working on PhD

* Jenny Schafer, fall 2002

Where, oh where, does Paronychia chartacea grow? Effects of fire, microhabitat, and gap size.

(research ongoing, report in preparation)

PhD, University of Florida (in process)

* Amanda Brothers, spring 2003

The Effects of Pollinator Exclusion on Flower Development and Fruit Set in Polygala lewtonii

(report published as Brothers and Weekley in American Journal of Botany)

Graduate Program, Indiana University

* Orou Gande Gaoue, spring and summer 2003

Population viability analysis of an endemic Florida scrub mint

(report included in Menges et al. 2006 in Biological Conservation)

PhD, University of Hawaii (in process)

* Jessica Salo, summer 2003

Factors that influence gap occupancy in the rosemary scrub

(report completed, included in manuscript in revision)

* Josephine Tucker, fall 2003

Effects of lichens on seed germination of Liatris ohlingerae

Report included in Weekley et al. in preparation

* Stephanie Neimeister, fall 2003 and spring 2004

Effects of litter on seed germination of Liatris species

Report included in Weekley et al. in preparation

* Laura Calabrese, spring and summer, 2004.

Do Calamintha ashei’s allelopathic properties affect other Florida scrub plants?

Report completed, also published as Calabrese and Menges 2007 in Florida Scientist

University of New Mexico, PhD program

* Robin Zimthefer, spring and summer, 2004.

What influences diversity in rosemary scrub gaps?

Report included in Menges et al. in revision

* Andrew Tweel, summer and fall, 2004.

Variation in tannin activity of several scrub oaks

Report completed, published as Tweel and Menges in revision, Florida Scientist

* Tracy Hmielowski, summer and fall, 2004 and spring 2005

The Dirt Under Lichens : Effects of Ground Lichen Mats on Soil Nutrients in Florida Scrub

Report completed, ms Hmielowski et al., in preparation.

* Heather Lynn Lindon, fall 2004 and spring 2005

Smoke signals: enhanced germination of some Florida species through smoke exposure

Report completed, ms in revision as Lindon and Menges, Castanea

Washington State University, PhD program

* Katie Stuble, spring 2005

Predation rates of scrub seeds under various microsite conditions

(no report)

University of Georgia, MS program

* Beth Richards, summer and fall 2005. Sun and shade leaves in dominant scrub plants

Report completed; manuscript, Richards et al.  in preparation

University of Central Florida, PhD program

* Theresa Strazisar, summer and fall 2005

Germination of the invasive exotic rosary pea (Abrus precatorius) in response to site and microsite factors

Report completed

* Martha Ellis, summer and fall 2005

Modeling population dynamics in Florida Ziziphus

Report as manuscript, Ellis et al. Endangered Species Research in press

University of Montana PhD program

 * Kim Adams, spring and summer 2006

Dynamics of water in three Florida scrub species

Report in preparation

* Ian Pfingsten, fall 2006 and winter 2007

Chromomorphic comparison of Dicerandra species

No report

* Hadiya (Dee) White, 2006-2007

The effect of rhizospheric communities on nutrient availability during the colonization and growth phase of Lupinus diffuses

Research in progress

Governors State University, MS program

* Rebecca Hewitt, fall 2006 and spring 2007

Allelopathic effects of Ceratiola ericoides (Empetraceae) on germination and survival of six scrub species

Report completed, manuscript, Hewitt and Menges, American Journal of Botany, submitted

* April Hansgate, fall 2006 and spring 2007

Restoration of disturbed rosemary scrub : an examination of germination and survival success of three rare and endemic herbs

Report in preparation

University of Maryland, MS program

 * David Zaya, spring and summer 2007

Research underway

* Jennifer Navarra, spring and summer 2007

What conditions are supporting exotic grass dominance on improved pasture sites in the ABS reserve?

Research underway

University of Central Florida, MS program

* Sarah Hicks, spring and summer 2007

Research underway

* Lauren Sullivan, summer and fall 2007

RESEARCH IDEAS THAT MIGHT WORK FOR INTERN PROJECTS (n=15)

1. Broad-scale study of reproductive effort with time since fire in scrubby flatwoods or other habitats. Would follow up more detailed work of Ostertag and might lead to interesting conclusions on the evolution of flowering schedules.

2. Life history strategies of plants of seasonal ponds. Would expand on work of Menges and Kohfeldt, Maliakal, and Lang.

3. Do sprouting shrubs recruit seedlings in long-unburned areas? This pattern has been found for similar spp. in CA chapparel. Could be part of a broad survey for seedlings of dominant shrubs.

4. Effects of scrub jays on oak demography. Scrub jays bury lots of acorns and do not recover them all. What happens to them ? Do seedlings result?

5. Growth strategies among resprouting scrub plants. These plants vary in their ways of recovering (height, canopy, spread). Abrahamson and Menges have outlined a potential study.

6. Effects of burning vs. clipping on response of individual species of scrub plants. In other systems, results are often similar. Has both evolutionary and management implications.

7. Effects of physical disturbance on seedling recruitment. Could be important; has been studied by Petru but more work is possible.

8. Effects of burial on scrub plants. They may have evolved in conditions where sand movement was common. Beach and dune plants can often tolerate gradual or partial burial and have evolved specific growth responses. Studied by Petru on seeds.

9. Herbivory. Some work by Abrahamson and Melika on galls and intern projects of Goss, Kettenring, Brunvig, and McIntyre on Liatris ohlingerae, Hypericum cumulicola and Palafoxia feayi.

10. Gender specialization. We have conducted or are conducting studies on Florida rosemary and Nolina brittoniana. Burkhart's intern project on Polygonella spp. Other plants might be interesting to study, e.g. Ilex opaca var. arenicola, Smilax auriculata. Are females found in more benign microhabitats or habitats as predicted by theory? Do males have more rapid growth?

11. Seed dispersal. Very little has been done on any species, except for Finer’s intern project on Dicerandra frutescens.

12. Bare spaces created by fire. Hot spots can create open space (although this is not well documented). How often and under what conditions does this occur ? Are there different spp that come in ? Are they permanent ? Hiero did a project on this in flatwoods.

13. Fire Spread Modeling. To what extent are different vegetation types and different fire histories conducive to carrying fire? ABS has fire maps that could be used as empirical data to build the model, or to test a model based on general principles and sampling of fuels.

14. Are their specific cues associated with fire that promote germination? One intern project has been done using smoke. Other possibilities include wet/dry heat.

15. Sand pines can have either serotinous or non-serotinous cones. Are proportions related to recent fire history, age of plant, geographic position? Does serotiny affect seed predation or herbivory?

Plant Ecology Lab: Research Assistants and Interns Supervised (Current Affiliation)

ASSISTANTS AND INTERNS SUPERVISED (Current Affiliation):

Research Assistants:

1. Noreen Gallo
2. Kevin Main (Archbold Biological Station)
3. Nancy Kohfeldt
4. Rebecca Yahr (Duke University)
5. Margaret Evans (Arizona State University)
6. Christina Casado (University of Missouri-St. Louis)
7. Carl Weekley (Archbold Biological Station)
8. Dorothy Mundell
9. Samara Hamze
10. Alaa Wally (SUNY-Cortland)
11. Darien McElwain 

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