Who's in the lab?
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Alex Sutton, Postdoctoral Fellow
I am interested in understanding how environmental conditions influence population dynamics and how a species’ life history may augment its susceptibility to climate change. My PhD thesis focused on understanding the climatic and demographic drivers of population growth of Canada jays in Algonquin Provincial Park, ON. I look forward to broadening my research to investigate how climate, patterns of land use, and species interactions influence plant population dynamics.
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Sarah Herzog, Graduate Student
My research is focused on understanding native plant communities and population and how to best conserve them. I received my undergraduate degree in Ecology and Conservation Biology from the University of Idaho and my masters at South Dakota State University. My work has ranged from examining the morphological variation of Castilleja pilosa (Orobanchaceae) species complex, utility of DNA barcodes for the identification northern tallgrass prairie plant species, and understanding the relationships between phylogenetic diversity and other biodiversity measurements. My work in the Louthan Lab will focus on rare plant population dynamics.
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Shannon Lynch, Graduate Student
I am interested in species interactions, especially between plants and arthropods. In May 2020, I received my MS in biology from Rutgers University. During my time at Rutgers, I investigated the effects of urbanization using a food for defense ant-plant mutualism between tree cholla cacti and their ant defenders. In the summer of 2018, I conducted a survey along an urbanization gradient beginning in Albuquerque, NM and ending in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The following summer, I assessed how nectar and urbanization levels influenced ant aggression by simulating encounters with proxy prey (D. melanogaster larvae) on tree cholla across urban open spaces and desert wildlands. In the Louthan Lab, I hope to work at Konza Prairie Biological Station with similar species interactions while also utilizing some of the long-term data that have been collected there.
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Aleah Querns, Graduate Student
I received my undergraduate degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from North Carolina State University in 2017. I later interned for the Bureau of Land Management--an experience that ignited my interest in studying the ecology of invasive plant species to provide insight toward land management practices. I returned to NC State in 2018 to complete a Master's degree in Plant Biology and focused on understanding the role of thermal tolerance in promoting the invasion of Mimulus guttatus in the United Kingdom. As a grad student in the Louthan Lab, I hope to examine the interplay between climate and species interactions in determining the extent of invasive plant species.
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Thomas Leihsing, Undergraduate Technician
I am a current Sophomore double majoring in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology and Global Food Systems Leadership with a concentration in environmental sustainability. My interests include understanding the lasting effects of climate change on migratory birds, how large North American mammals drive biotic factors in their environments, and how extended periods of extreme drought impact freshwater habitats. I look forward to exploring more about how specific climatic events and different land management practices influence grassland ecosystems.
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Dylan Stockman, Undergraduate Technician
I am a senior at Kansas State University majoring in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. I hope to build a career helping to better our understanding of reptiles with an emphasis on snakes. I am also interested in habitat restoration where I would like to help conserve and restore habitat crucial to the survival of reptiles.
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Lab Alumni
Aaron Baumgardner
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Katharina Bremser
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