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Welcome to the Pulliam lab Institute of Ecology
715 Biological Sciences Building lab phone: 706-542-3407 |
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Our lab group is interested generally in species distribution patterns and the processes effecting these patterns. Species distributions are the result of a number of processes, all of which may contribute to varying degrees for different species and in different regions. Among the factors influencing species distributions are dispersal capabilities, biotic interactions, and habitat suitability, each of which may consist of a complex set of processes and do not occur in isolation from the rest of the world.
The current primary lab project is attempting to understand how understory plant species respond to climatic and land use gradients by studying the distributions and demography of six understory forb species exhibiting a range of life history characteristics. These species are Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon's Seal), Smilacina racemosa (False Solomon's Seal), Hepatica americana (Round-leaved liverwort), Hexastylis arifolia (Little Brown Jugs), and the terrestrial orchids Tipularia discolor (Crane-fly orchid) and Goodyerea pubescens (Rattlesnake Plantain). We're working primarily across an environmental gradient from south of Athens to the Coweeta LTER in the Southern Appalachian mountains. This project is funded by NSF grant DEB-0075313 (read abstract).
Students in the lab are working on a range of topics, all essentially driven by similar basic questions about species distributions. Itamar is studying how the interaction of dispersal, habitat-specific demography and land-use history influence the distribution of Hexastylis arifolia. Complementing Itamar's direct measures of ant-mediated dispersal, Michael has been looking at the genetic structure of Hexastylis populations using allozymes. Arlena is interested in how behavioral characteristics interact with habitat structure to influence both population dynamics and genetic structure within mammals. Jeff is looking at the ecological and evolutionary interactions between Goodyera pubescens and its mycorrhizal fungi.
Josh Ness has defended his dissertation, which explored a "food-for-protection" mutualism between a tree species (Catalpa bignonioides) and native ant and parasitic wasp communities, as well as how this mutualism is rendered defunct in sites invaded by the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta.
Meet the lab...
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email
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| Ron Pulliam |  |
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| Current Students |
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Arlena Wartell
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| Scott Eustis | |||
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| Robert Warren | |||
| Mia White | |||
Recent Lab Alumni
| Jeff Diez | ||
| Robert Harris |
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| Michael Bokaemper | ||
| Cathy
Ricketts |
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| Jamila Mohammad | ||
| Crystal Ogle |
Links of Interest:
Ecology 8310: Population Ecology Lecture Notes
Institute
of Ecology homepage
Coweeta homepage
Hunter lab
See a list of Ecology
faculty
Evolutionary
Biology at UGA
Other UGA departments:
Genetics
Botany
Marine Sciences
Landscape Design
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Summer 2003 l
to r:
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RobertW, Scott, Jamila,
KyungAh, Jeff, Ron
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