Erin Riordan - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Erin Riordan

Research paper thumbnail of Association of genetic and phenotypic variability with geography and climate in three southern California oaks

American journal of botany, Jan 12, 2016

Geography and climate shape the distribution of organisms, their genotypes, and their phenotypes.... more Geography and climate shape the distribution of organisms, their genotypes, and their phenotypes. To understand historical and future evolutionary and ecological responses to climate, we compared the association of geography and climate of three oak species (Quercus engelmannii, Quercus berberidifolia, and Quercus cornelius-mulleri) in an environmentally heterogeneous region of southern California at three organizational levels: regional species distributions, genetic variation, and phenotypic variation. We identified climatic variables influencing regional distribution patterns using species distribution models (SDMs), and then tested whether those individual variables are important in shaping genetic (microsatellite) and phenotypic (leaf morphology) variation. We estimated the relative contributions of geography and climate using multivariate redundancy analyses (RDA) with variance partitioning. The modeled distribution of each species was influenced by climate differently. Our an...

Research paper thumbnail of Functional trait diversity of Cyclanthaceae and its convergent evolution with Araceae in Neotropical forests

Functional trait diversity of Cyclanthaceae and its convergent evolution with Araceae in Neotropical forests

PeerJ

The Cyclanthaceae comprise a relatively small family of about 230 species and 12 genera in the Pa... more The Cyclanthaceae comprise a relatively small family of about 230 species and 12 genera in the Pandanales that is widespread in wet Neotropical forests. The great majority of species can be divided into three growth forms (understory herbs, epiphytes, and root-climbing hemiepiphytes) that share functional traits with similar growth forms present in the Araceae, a member of the Alismatales and not closely related. Our objectives were first to characterize the diversity, functional growth forms, and ecological traits of Cyclanthaceae at the La Selva Biological Station. Specific functional leaf and canopy traits of terrestrial herbs and epiphytes are very similar and associated with ecological success in both families. We further examined the functional traits of root-climbing hemiepiphytes, a specialized growth form that links the two families but rare in other families and argue that their specialized functional traits allow them to be considered as a distinct functional growth form....

Research paper thumbnail of List of California sage scrub species

List of California sage scrub species

<p>Number of herbarium record localities (N) and overall model performance measured as the ... more <p>Number of herbarium record localities (N) and overall model performance measured as the mean test area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) score (min–max). Taxonomy follows the second edition <i>The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California</i><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0086487#pone.0086487-Baldwin1&quot; target="_blank">[48]</a>.</p

Research paper thumbnail of Projected Anthropogenic Land Use Change Maps

Projected Anthropogenic Land Use Change Maps

<p>Projected 21<sup>st</sup> century change in anthropogenic land use (2000–205... more <p>Projected 21<sup>st</sup> century change in anthropogenic land use (2000–2050, 2050–2080, 2000–2080) under the IPCC-SRES A1B scenario. Anthropogenic uses include developed areas, cultivated crops, hay/pasture, mining, and mechanically disturbed (logged) land. Land use-land cover maps were resampled to 1 km resolution from the USGS LandCarbon 250 m resolution land use-land cover maps for the continental United States <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0086487#pone.0086487-Sleeter1&quot; target="_blank">[9]</a>.</p

Research paper thumbnail of California shrubs and subshrubs

California shrubs and subshrubs

Research paper thumbnail of Appendix 5. Predicted baseline and future suitable habitat for University of California Natural Reserve System sensitive plant species

Appendix 5. Predicted baseline and future suitable habitat for University of California Natural Reserve System sensitive plant species

Appendix 5 contains habitat suitability maps for the 180 sensitive plant species modeled in the R... more Appendix 5 contains habitat suitability maps for the 180 sensitive plant species modeled in the Riordan and Rundel (2019) report entitled "Evaluating the Future Role of the University of California Natural Reserve System for Sensitive Plant Protection under Climate Change". Occurrences, baseline (1971–2000) suitable habitat, future (2070–2099) suitable habitat, and future suitable habitat change are provided for each species. Future suitable habitat shows the spatial agreement in predicted future habitat across the five future climate scenarios. Future habitat change shows the consensus where there is spatial agreement under least three climates scenarios for stable habitat, habitat loss, and habitat gain. Dotted line indicates 100 km limit for the full dispersal scenario. High resolution maps for all species are in a zipped folder. [Appendix5. zip]. See Riordan and Rundel (2019) for further details on modeling methods and interpretation of suitable habitat maps.

Research paper thumbnail of Appendix 1. University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS) Sensitive Plant Species

Appendix 1. University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS) Sensitive Plant Species

Appendix 1 from Riordan and Rundel (2019) report entitled "Evaluating the Future Role of the... more Appendix 1 from Riordan and Rundel (2019) report entitled "Evaluating the Future Role of the University of California Natural Reserve System for Sensitive Plant Protection under Climate Change" provides a list of sensitive vascular plant taxa recorded on University of California Natural Reserve System reserves. Status and taxonomy follow the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (as of September 30, 2018). Data was compiled from reserve species lists, floras, and occurrence data downloaded in 2013-2014 from the Consortium of California Herbaria (CCH), California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), and CalPhotos. Please note that this list is incomplete and may contain errors stemming from mis-identifications, taxonomic uncertainties, or location uncertainties. Occurrences do not include observations made or digitized after 2013. Sensitive plant status for some taxa may change with periodic revisions to the CNPS rare plant inventory....

Research paper thumbnail of MicrosatelliteData

MicrosatelliteData

Data generated at Victoria Sork Lab, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). This file conta... more Data generated at Victoria Sork Lab, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). This file contains the genotypes for 9 microsatellite loci and 128 individuals collected in 20 populations of Engelmann oak (Quercus engelmannii

Research paper thumbnail of Data from: Influence of environmental heterogeneity on genetic diversity and structure in an endemic southern Californian oak

Data from: Influence of environmental heterogeneity on genetic diversity and structure in an endemic southern Californian oak

Understanding how specific environmental factors shape gene flow while disentangling their import... more Understanding how specific environmental factors shape gene flow while disentangling their importance relative to the effects of geographical isolation is a major question in evolutionary biology and a specific goal of landscape genetics. Here, we combine information from nuclear microsatellite markers and ecological niche modelling to study the association between climate and spatial genetic structure and variability in Engelmann oak (Quercus engelmannii), a wind-pollinated species with high potential for gene flow. We first test whether genetic diversity is associated with climatic niche suitability and stability since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Second, we use causal modelling to analyze the potential influence of climatic factors (current and LGM niche suitability) and altitude in the observed patterns of genetic structure. We found that genetic diversity is negatively associated with local climatic stability since the LGM, which may be due to higher immigration rates in unstable patches during favourable climatic periods and/or temporally varying selection. Analyses of spatial genetic structure revealed the presence of three main genetic clusters, a pattern that is mainly driven by two highly differentiated populations located in the northern edge of the species distribution range. After controlling for geographic distance, causal modelling analyses showed that genetic relatedness decreases with the environmental divergence among sampling sites estimated as altitude and current and LGM niche suitability. Natural selection against non-local genotypes and/or asynchrony in reproductive phenology may explain this pattern. Overall, this study suggests that local environmental conditions can shape patterns of genetic structure and variability even in species with high potential for gene flow and relatively small distribution ranges

Research paper thumbnail of Appendix 4. SDM Performance and Suitable Habitat Predictions

Appendix 4. SDM Performance and Suitable Habitat Predictions

Appendix 4 provides detailed information on species distribution model (SDM) performance and suit... more Appendix 4 provides detailed information on species distribution model (SDM) performance and suitable habitat predictions for rare plants evaluated in the Riordan and Rundel (2019) report entitled: "Evaluating the Future Role of the University of California Natural Reserve System for Sensitive Plant Protection under Climate Change." See Riordan and Rundel (2019) for further details on species selection, modeling methodology, and results.

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating the Future Role of the University of California Natural Reserve System for Sensitive Plant Protection under Climate Change

Protected areas are critical for conserving California's many sensitive plant species but their f... more Protected areas are critical for conserving California's many sensitive plant species but their future role is uncertain under climate change. Climate-driven species losses and redistributions could dramatically affect the relevance of protected areas for biodiversity conservation this century. Focusing on the University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS), we predicted the future impact of climate change on reserve effectiveness with respect to sensitive plant protection. First, we evaluated the historical representation of sensitive plant species in the NRS reserve network by compiling species accounts from checklists, floras, and spatial queries of occurrence databases. Next, we calculated projected climate change exposure across the NRS reserve network for the end of the 21 st century (2070-2099) relative to baseline conditions under five future climate scenarios. We then predicted statewide changes in suitable habitat for 180 sensitive plant taxa using the same future climate scenarios in a species distribution modeling approach. Finally, from these predictions we evaluated suitable habitat retention at three spatial scales: individual NRS reserves (focal reserves), the NRS reserve network, and the surrounding mosaic of protected open space. Six reserves-Sagehen Creek Field Station, McLaughlin Natural Reserve, Jepson Prairie Reserve, Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve, Sedgwick Reserve, and Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center-were selected as focal reserves for analyses. * VESR Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve ** Use agreement with Yosemite National Park provides an additional 761,000 acres with 641-3997 m elevation range *** Use agreement with Anza-Borrego Desert State Park provides an additional 615,000 acres with 18-1888 m elevation range * CRPR species within 2 miles of Crooked Creek, Barcroft, and Summit Stations ** CRPR species in the Granite Mountains area (André 2006) *** CRPR species in the White Mountains area (Morefield 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Californian oaks

Influence of climatic niche suitability and geographical overlap on hybridization patterns among ... more Influence of climatic niche suitability and geographical overlap on hybridization patterns among southern

Research paper thumbnail of Plant profile for Rhus ovata

Plant profile for Rhus ovata

Research paper thumbnail of Plant profile for Adenostoma fasciculatum

Plant profile for Adenostoma fasciculatum

Research paper thumbnail of Phylogeny and Introgression of California Scrub White Oaks ( Quercus section Quercus )

The taxonomy of oaks (Quercus) is always a challenge because many species exhibit variable phenot... more The taxonomy of oaks (Quercus) is always a challenge because many species exhibit variable phenotypes that overlap with other species. The scrub White Oaks of California are no exception. In California, Quercus section Quercus (i.e., White Oaks) includes six species of scrub oaks plus four tree oak species. Field identification utilizes leaf traits and acorns, when available, as well as geographic location, but often botanists – with the exception of specialists – are not confident of their assignments. Complicating our understanding of scrub oaks further is the historical and ongoing introgression among taxa. Fortunately, new research using nuclear microsatellite genetic markers and RADseq-based sequences are clarifying their evolutionary relationships. Based on these genetic markers, we describe the phylogenetic relationships among the California scrub and tree White Oaks. Given the impact of hybridization in oaks, we then present a specific example involving three Southern Califo...

Research paper thumbnail of Plant profile for Eriodictyon trichocalyx

Plant profile for Eriodictyon trichocalyx

Research paper thumbnail of Functional traits of broad-leaved monocot herbs in the understory and forest edges of a Costa Rican rainforest

PeerJ, 2020

Broad-leaved monocot herbs are widespread and dominant components of the shaded understories of w... more Broad-leaved monocot herbs are widespread and dominant components of the shaded understories of wet neotropical forests. These understory habitats are characterized by light limitation and a constant threat of falling branches. Many shaded understory herb species have close relatives that occupy forest edges and gaps, where light availability is higher and defoliation threat is lower, creating an opportunity for comparative analysis of functional traits in order to better understand the evolutionary adaptations associated with this habitat transition. We documented ecological, morphological and ecophysiological traits of multiple herb species in six monocot families from each of these two habitats in the wet tropical rainforest at the La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We found that a mixture of phylogenetic canalization and ecological selection for specific habitats helped explain patterns of functional traits. Understory herbs were significantly shorter and had smaller leave...

Research paper thumbnail of Using species distribution models with climate change scenarios to aid ecological restoration decisionmaking for southern California shrublands

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil right... more In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992.

Research paper thumbnail of Trans Situ Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives

Crop Science, 2019

W ith accelerating changes in climatic conditions in agricultural regions deemed globally importa... more W ith accelerating changes in climatic conditions in agricultural regions deemed globally important for maintaining the food security of humankind, plant breeders have increasingly turned to crop wild relatives (CWR) to address heightened abiotic and biotic stress now affecting food crops Zhang et al., 2017a). As a subset of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), a CWR is defined as a "wild plant taxon that has an indirect use derived from its relatively close genetic relationship to a crop" . Crop wild relatives can be useful as breeding materials, rootstock, biomimicry analogs to improve crop resistance and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors Zhang et al., 2017a), or as resilient alternatives to conventional crops . Their traits may augment the drought, heat, and salinity tolerance found in land races or cultivars to improve growth and yield in arid landscapes. Some strategies for their use include matching crop phenology to seasonal moisture availability, improving water use efficiency, shifting root/shoot ratios, selecting to escape or avoid stress in critical periods of crop life cycles, and evaluating secondary compounds or morphological features to reduce biotic or abiotic stress (

Research paper thumbnail of Best practices for reporting climate data in ecology

Nature Climate Change, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Association of genetic and phenotypic variability with geography and climate in three southern California oaks

American journal of botany, Jan 12, 2016

Geography and climate shape the distribution of organisms, their genotypes, and their phenotypes.... more Geography and climate shape the distribution of organisms, their genotypes, and their phenotypes. To understand historical and future evolutionary and ecological responses to climate, we compared the association of geography and climate of three oak species (Quercus engelmannii, Quercus berberidifolia, and Quercus cornelius-mulleri) in an environmentally heterogeneous region of southern California at three organizational levels: regional species distributions, genetic variation, and phenotypic variation. We identified climatic variables influencing regional distribution patterns using species distribution models (SDMs), and then tested whether those individual variables are important in shaping genetic (microsatellite) and phenotypic (leaf morphology) variation. We estimated the relative contributions of geography and climate using multivariate redundancy analyses (RDA) with variance partitioning. The modeled distribution of each species was influenced by climate differently. Our an...

Research paper thumbnail of Functional trait diversity of Cyclanthaceae and its convergent evolution with Araceae in Neotropical forests

Functional trait diversity of Cyclanthaceae and its convergent evolution with Araceae in Neotropical forests

PeerJ

The Cyclanthaceae comprise a relatively small family of about 230 species and 12 genera in the Pa... more The Cyclanthaceae comprise a relatively small family of about 230 species and 12 genera in the Pandanales that is widespread in wet Neotropical forests. The great majority of species can be divided into three growth forms (understory herbs, epiphytes, and root-climbing hemiepiphytes) that share functional traits with similar growth forms present in the Araceae, a member of the Alismatales and not closely related. Our objectives were first to characterize the diversity, functional growth forms, and ecological traits of Cyclanthaceae at the La Selva Biological Station. Specific functional leaf and canopy traits of terrestrial herbs and epiphytes are very similar and associated with ecological success in both families. We further examined the functional traits of root-climbing hemiepiphytes, a specialized growth form that links the two families but rare in other families and argue that their specialized functional traits allow them to be considered as a distinct functional growth form....

Research paper thumbnail of List of California sage scrub species

List of California sage scrub species

<p>Number of herbarium record localities (N) and overall model performance measured as the ... more <p>Number of herbarium record localities (N) and overall model performance measured as the mean test area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) score (min–max). Taxonomy follows the second edition <i>The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California</i><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0086487#pone.0086487-Baldwin1&quot; target="_blank">[48]</a>.</p

Research paper thumbnail of Projected Anthropogenic Land Use Change Maps

Projected Anthropogenic Land Use Change Maps

<p>Projected 21<sup>st</sup> century change in anthropogenic land use (2000–205... more <p>Projected 21<sup>st</sup> century change in anthropogenic land use (2000–2050, 2050–2080, 2000–2080) under the IPCC-SRES A1B scenario. Anthropogenic uses include developed areas, cultivated crops, hay/pasture, mining, and mechanically disturbed (logged) land. Land use-land cover maps were resampled to 1 km resolution from the USGS LandCarbon 250 m resolution land use-land cover maps for the continental United States <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0086487#pone.0086487-Sleeter1&quot; target="_blank">[9]</a>.</p

Research paper thumbnail of California shrubs and subshrubs

California shrubs and subshrubs

Research paper thumbnail of Appendix 5. Predicted baseline and future suitable habitat for University of California Natural Reserve System sensitive plant species

Appendix 5. Predicted baseline and future suitable habitat for University of California Natural Reserve System sensitive plant species

Appendix 5 contains habitat suitability maps for the 180 sensitive plant species modeled in the R... more Appendix 5 contains habitat suitability maps for the 180 sensitive plant species modeled in the Riordan and Rundel (2019) report entitled "Evaluating the Future Role of the University of California Natural Reserve System for Sensitive Plant Protection under Climate Change". Occurrences, baseline (1971–2000) suitable habitat, future (2070–2099) suitable habitat, and future suitable habitat change are provided for each species. Future suitable habitat shows the spatial agreement in predicted future habitat across the five future climate scenarios. Future habitat change shows the consensus where there is spatial agreement under least three climates scenarios for stable habitat, habitat loss, and habitat gain. Dotted line indicates 100 km limit for the full dispersal scenario. High resolution maps for all species are in a zipped folder. [Appendix5. zip]. See Riordan and Rundel (2019) for further details on modeling methods and interpretation of suitable habitat maps.

Research paper thumbnail of Appendix 1. University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS) Sensitive Plant Species

Appendix 1. University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS) Sensitive Plant Species

Appendix 1 from Riordan and Rundel (2019) report entitled "Evaluating the Future Role of the... more Appendix 1 from Riordan and Rundel (2019) report entitled "Evaluating the Future Role of the University of California Natural Reserve System for Sensitive Plant Protection under Climate Change" provides a list of sensitive vascular plant taxa recorded on University of California Natural Reserve System reserves. Status and taxonomy follow the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (as of September 30, 2018). Data was compiled from reserve species lists, floras, and occurrence data downloaded in 2013-2014 from the Consortium of California Herbaria (CCH), California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), and CalPhotos. Please note that this list is incomplete and may contain errors stemming from mis-identifications, taxonomic uncertainties, or location uncertainties. Occurrences do not include observations made or digitized after 2013. Sensitive plant status for some taxa may change with periodic revisions to the CNPS rare plant inventory....

Research paper thumbnail of MicrosatelliteData

MicrosatelliteData

Data generated at Victoria Sork Lab, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). This file conta... more Data generated at Victoria Sork Lab, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). This file contains the genotypes for 9 microsatellite loci and 128 individuals collected in 20 populations of Engelmann oak (Quercus engelmannii

Research paper thumbnail of Data from: Influence of environmental heterogeneity on genetic diversity and structure in an endemic southern Californian oak

Data from: Influence of environmental heterogeneity on genetic diversity and structure in an endemic southern Californian oak

Understanding how specific environmental factors shape gene flow while disentangling their import... more Understanding how specific environmental factors shape gene flow while disentangling their importance relative to the effects of geographical isolation is a major question in evolutionary biology and a specific goal of landscape genetics. Here, we combine information from nuclear microsatellite markers and ecological niche modelling to study the association between climate and spatial genetic structure and variability in Engelmann oak (Quercus engelmannii), a wind-pollinated species with high potential for gene flow. We first test whether genetic diversity is associated with climatic niche suitability and stability since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Second, we use causal modelling to analyze the potential influence of climatic factors (current and LGM niche suitability) and altitude in the observed patterns of genetic structure. We found that genetic diversity is negatively associated with local climatic stability since the LGM, which may be due to higher immigration rates in unstable patches during favourable climatic periods and/or temporally varying selection. Analyses of spatial genetic structure revealed the presence of three main genetic clusters, a pattern that is mainly driven by two highly differentiated populations located in the northern edge of the species distribution range. After controlling for geographic distance, causal modelling analyses showed that genetic relatedness decreases with the environmental divergence among sampling sites estimated as altitude and current and LGM niche suitability. Natural selection against non-local genotypes and/or asynchrony in reproductive phenology may explain this pattern. Overall, this study suggests that local environmental conditions can shape patterns of genetic structure and variability even in species with high potential for gene flow and relatively small distribution ranges

Research paper thumbnail of Appendix 4. SDM Performance and Suitable Habitat Predictions

Appendix 4. SDM Performance and Suitable Habitat Predictions

Appendix 4 provides detailed information on species distribution model (SDM) performance and suit... more Appendix 4 provides detailed information on species distribution model (SDM) performance and suitable habitat predictions for rare plants evaluated in the Riordan and Rundel (2019) report entitled: "Evaluating the Future Role of the University of California Natural Reserve System for Sensitive Plant Protection under Climate Change." See Riordan and Rundel (2019) for further details on species selection, modeling methodology, and results.

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating the Future Role of the University of California Natural Reserve System for Sensitive Plant Protection under Climate Change

Protected areas are critical for conserving California's many sensitive plant species but their f... more Protected areas are critical for conserving California's many sensitive plant species but their future role is uncertain under climate change. Climate-driven species losses and redistributions could dramatically affect the relevance of protected areas for biodiversity conservation this century. Focusing on the University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS), we predicted the future impact of climate change on reserve effectiveness with respect to sensitive plant protection. First, we evaluated the historical representation of sensitive plant species in the NRS reserve network by compiling species accounts from checklists, floras, and spatial queries of occurrence databases. Next, we calculated projected climate change exposure across the NRS reserve network for the end of the 21 st century (2070-2099) relative to baseline conditions under five future climate scenarios. We then predicted statewide changes in suitable habitat for 180 sensitive plant taxa using the same future climate scenarios in a species distribution modeling approach. Finally, from these predictions we evaluated suitable habitat retention at three spatial scales: individual NRS reserves (focal reserves), the NRS reserve network, and the surrounding mosaic of protected open space. Six reserves-Sagehen Creek Field Station, McLaughlin Natural Reserve, Jepson Prairie Reserve, Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve, Sedgwick Reserve, and Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center-were selected as focal reserves for analyses. * VESR Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve ** Use agreement with Yosemite National Park provides an additional 761,000 acres with 641-3997 m elevation range *** Use agreement with Anza-Borrego Desert State Park provides an additional 615,000 acres with 18-1888 m elevation range * CRPR species within 2 miles of Crooked Creek, Barcroft, and Summit Stations ** CRPR species in the Granite Mountains area (André 2006) *** CRPR species in the White Mountains area (Morefield 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Californian oaks

Influence of climatic niche suitability and geographical overlap on hybridization patterns among ... more Influence of climatic niche suitability and geographical overlap on hybridization patterns among southern

Research paper thumbnail of Plant profile for Rhus ovata

Plant profile for Rhus ovata

Research paper thumbnail of Plant profile for Adenostoma fasciculatum

Plant profile for Adenostoma fasciculatum

Research paper thumbnail of Phylogeny and Introgression of California Scrub White Oaks ( Quercus section Quercus )

The taxonomy of oaks (Quercus) is always a challenge because many species exhibit variable phenot... more The taxonomy of oaks (Quercus) is always a challenge because many species exhibit variable phenotypes that overlap with other species. The scrub White Oaks of California are no exception. In California, Quercus section Quercus (i.e., White Oaks) includes six species of scrub oaks plus four tree oak species. Field identification utilizes leaf traits and acorns, when available, as well as geographic location, but often botanists – with the exception of specialists – are not confident of their assignments. Complicating our understanding of scrub oaks further is the historical and ongoing introgression among taxa. Fortunately, new research using nuclear microsatellite genetic markers and RADseq-based sequences are clarifying their evolutionary relationships. Based on these genetic markers, we describe the phylogenetic relationships among the California scrub and tree White Oaks. Given the impact of hybridization in oaks, we then present a specific example involving three Southern Califo...

Research paper thumbnail of Plant profile for Eriodictyon trichocalyx

Plant profile for Eriodictyon trichocalyx

Research paper thumbnail of Functional traits of broad-leaved monocot herbs in the understory and forest edges of a Costa Rican rainforest

PeerJ, 2020

Broad-leaved monocot herbs are widespread and dominant components of the shaded understories of w... more Broad-leaved monocot herbs are widespread and dominant components of the shaded understories of wet neotropical forests. These understory habitats are characterized by light limitation and a constant threat of falling branches. Many shaded understory herb species have close relatives that occupy forest edges and gaps, where light availability is higher and defoliation threat is lower, creating an opportunity for comparative analysis of functional traits in order to better understand the evolutionary adaptations associated with this habitat transition. We documented ecological, morphological and ecophysiological traits of multiple herb species in six monocot families from each of these two habitats in the wet tropical rainforest at the La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We found that a mixture of phylogenetic canalization and ecological selection for specific habitats helped explain patterns of functional traits. Understory herbs were significantly shorter and had smaller leave...

Research paper thumbnail of Using species distribution models with climate change scenarios to aid ecological restoration decisionmaking for southern California shrublands

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil right... more In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992.

Research paper thumbnail of Trans Situ Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives

Crop Science, 2019

W ith accelerating changes in climatic conditions in agricultural regions deemed globally importa... more W ith accelerating changes in climatic conditions in agricultural regions deemed globally important for maintaining the food security of humankind, plant breeders have increasingly turned to crop wild relatives (CWR) to address heightened abiotic and biotic stress now affecting food crops Zhang et al., 2017a). As a subset of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), a CWR is defined as a "wild plant taxon that has an indirect use derived from its relatively close genetic relationship to a crop" . Crop wild relatives can be useful as breeding materials, rootstock, biomimicry analogs to improve crop resistance and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors Zhang et al., 2017a), or as resilient alternatives to conventional crops . Their traits may augment the drought, heat, and salinity tolerance found in land races or cultivars to improve growth and yield in arid landscapes. Some strategies for their use include matching crop phenology to seasonal moisture availability, improving water use efficiency, shifting root/shoot ratios, selecting to escape or avoid stress in critical periods of crop life cycles, and evaluating secondary compounds or morphological features to reduce biotic or abiotic stress (

Research paper thumbnail of Best practices for reporting climate data in ecology

Nature Climate Change, 2018