The lab, Spring 2024 Dr. Jill Anderson Professor Department of Genetics and Odum School of Ecology jta24 (at) uga (dot) edu I am an evolutionary ecologist broadly interested in natural plant populations. I grew up in Chicago, where I gained an appreciation for tallgrass prairies as a child through restoration workdays. After I finished my undergraduate degree at Brown University, I spent three years working as a tropical field biologist in Yasuni National Park (Ecuador), Pando (Bolivia) and Lomas de Barbudal Reserve (Costa Rica). I started grad school at Cornell determined to study seed dispersal by frugivorous fish in tropical South America. Along the way, I developed a strong interest in local adaptation in plant populations. When I finished my Ph.D. in the labs of Monica Geber and Peter Marks, I began a postdoc with Tom Mitchell-Olds at Duke. Dr. Lillie Pennington NSF-PRFB Fellow Department of Genetics lillie.pennington (at) uga (dot) edu Broadly, I am interested in how adaptive responses vary across a species range. Chamaecrista fasciculata, the partridge pea, is the focus of my post-doctoral research. I am conducting a range-wide survey of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria that colonize the nodules the plant forms on its roots. I am also investigating the extent of local adaptation to local bacterial communities, as well as the impact of climate change on this symbiosis. I earned my degree in the Sexton Lab at UC Merced studying drought effects on natural populations across the range of the cutleaf monkeyflower, Erythranthe laciniata. Mia Rochford PhD. Candidate, Co-advised with Dr. Jennifer Cruse-Sanders Department of Plant Biology mia.rochford (at) uga (dot) edu I am a Ph.D. student in the plant biology department under the advisorship of both Dr. Anderson and Dr. Jenny Cruse-Sanders, director of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. My research interests include plant ecology, conservation, and environmental change. I am investigating the causes and consequences of rarity in plant populations. My project will also address the effects of habitat fragmentation on plant population dynamics under current climate change conditions. Samantha Day Briggs PhD. Candidate Department of Genetics samantha.day25 (at) uga (dot) edu My research focuses on understanding the balance of selective pressures that influence the evolution of flower size and how this balance will shift under climate change conditions. Using Iris missouriensis as a model species in a series of field experiments, I aim to dissect both the agents and targets of selection on flower size. Kelly (K.B) McCrum PhD. Candidate, Co-advised with Dr. Anny Chung Department of Plant Biology kelly.mccrum (at) uga (dot) edu My research looks at the interactions of plants and soil microbes under climate change. Broadly speaking, I want to ask: when climate change forces plants to shift their distribution into new areas, how do abiotic factors and the biotic interactions of novel microbial communities combine to affect plant fitness? I’m using a native southeastern wildflower, Elephantopus tomentosus, to investigate these interactions. I hope that this type of research can inform future conservation efforts, given that many plants have shifted their ranges poleward and upward in elevation due to climate change. Previously, I was a technician with Theodora Ross (University of Texas Southwestern) investigating the effect of BRCA1 mutations on the hematopoietic system in mice. Elizabeth (Liz) Thomas PhD. Student Department of Plant Biology eathomas (at) uga (dot) edu Broadly, my research interests lie at the intersection of plant population genetics, ecology, and biogeography, and utilizing eco-evolutionary approaches for applied plant conservation research. I’m particularly interested in how coadapted gene complexes, non-additive genetic effects, and selective agents differ across a species’ range, and how this can inform effective germplasm collection and maintenance strategies for conservation and restoration actions. I’m working with Chamaecrista fasciculata (patridge pea) to explore these phenomena. Ephie Magige PhD. Student ephiemagige (at) uga (dot) edu
