Current research
| 1) The World Herbivory Project The idea that plant-animal interactions are more intense in the tropics underpins much thinking about tropical ecology, global patterns in plant traits, and latitudinal gradients in biodiversity. In this project, we are making the first direct and global test of this idea by quantifying the intensity of herbivory and seed predation at 75 study sites around the world. We will investigate likely causes of these latitudinal gradients by quantifying relationships among site characteristics (soil fertility, rainfall, temperature etc); leaf chemical and physical defenses (e.g. toughness, C:N ratio, protein binding capacity); herbivore abundance, and the proportion of leaf area eaten. Finally, we will quantify the relationship between plant diversity and the strength of interactions between plants and animals. The major collaborators on this project are Lesley Hughes, Phyllis Coley, and Bill Foley, but I have established collaborations with about 40 other researchers from all around the world. See the world herbivory project website for more information. |
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a) Matching plant traits with environmental conditions to understand invasions in California. With Eric Seabloom and Enrique Jurado.
b) The relationship between seed traits and the evolution of plant breeding systems. With Steven Vamosi and Susan Mazer.
c) The evolution of seed size - a paleo perspective. With Bruce Tiffney.
d) Forest plant migration in changing landscapes: an integrated, pan-european approach (FLEUR). With Bente Graae, Martin Hermy, Guillaume Decocq, Martin Diekmann, Martin Zobel, Kris Verheyen, Mark Vellend, Kris Vandekerkhove, Thilo Heinken, Peter Poschlod, and Hans-Henrik Bruun.
e) Investigating relationships between plant size and reproductive output. With Daniel Falster.
f) Extending the mid-domain model to include non-spatial factors. With Kate Lyons.
g) Using present-day leaves to look for predictors of leaf nitrogen, leaf mass per area and herbivory in fossil leaves. With Barbara Cariglino, Dana Royer and Peter Wilf
h) 1) Quantifying the latitudinal gradient in plant height; 2) Using phylogenetic techniques to follow the evolutionary history of plant height; 3) Quantifying relationships between plant height and hydraulic efficiency. With Amy Zanne, Michelle Leishman and Laura Warman.
* I'm finishing a Diploma of Education in my "spare time", because I think university lecturers ought to learn how to teach.
* I am an Associate Editor for the Journal of Ecology