Most benthic marine organisms have a bipartite life with an early pelagic stage that enables dispersal of offspring, connecting spatially separated populations, and a late stage where individuals reside in a benthic habitat. Settlement of pelagic offspring to bottom associated substrates is the process that connects the two life history...
Functional traits of vascular plants have been an important component of ecological studies for a number of years; however, in more recent times vascular plant ecologists have begun to formalize a set of key traits and universal system of trait measurement. Many recent studies hypothesize global generality of trait patterns,...
I focus on addressing knowledge gaps relating to management of cryptogams in Oregon's public lands in Pseudotsuga menziesii-Tsuga heterophylla forests on the west side of the Cascade Range and dryland steppe in the Cascade Range's rainshadow.
While a great deal of research has illustrated the importance of late-successional forests for...
Although the Pacific Northwest has the least proportion of non-native plant species in relation to other regions of North America, exotic species continue to spread into mountainous areas, including the Cascade Range. In a forested landscape, road networks can act as corridors for exotic plant dispersal and establishment, helping species...
Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), an ornamental native to China, is an invasive species in Oregon and many other areas. In Oregon, butterfly bush invades disturbed areas, particularly riparian areas. The Oregon nursery industry has the highest farm-gate value of all agricultural commodities and butterfly bush is a significant plant to...
Lichens are an important part of the biota in western Oregon forests, where
they perform valuable ecological roles and contribute significantly to biodiversity.
Lichens in western Oregon are threatened by a number of factors including air
pollution and land use practices. If we wish to maintain the persistence of lichens...
This dissertation describes patterns in epiphytic macrolichen community composition, diversity, and biomass across various stand types in the Blue River watershed of western Oregon. It first examines the relative importance of ecological factors such as stand age, remnant tree retention, and topography to lichen communities in the landscape. It then...
The sensitive lichen Usnea longissima Ach., formerly a fairly common circumboreal species, has been extirpated from much of its range (e.g., Eastern Europe). Although the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW) remains a relative stronghold for the species, U longissima faces increasing pressure in the region from habitat loss, air pollution, and...
I surveyed epiphytic macrolichens and bryophytes in six stands in each of seven riparian stand types in the Oregon Coast Range. This study (Chapter 2) describes the association of epiphytes with stand types and the corresponding potential of forest canopy conversions to affect epiphyte communities. Species composition, diversity, and representation...
The diverse lichen flora of the Pacific Northwest is being impacted by
population growth and by forest management practices. Accumulating information
about our lichen flora will improve our conservation strategies. This dissertation first
collects information to improve our understanding of how lichen communities vary
among forests of differing structure, and...