PlantTalk ― An informal discussion group of students, staff, and faculty interested in plant biology and ecology.

During Spring Semester 2008, PlantTalk meets on Thursdays at Noon in KRC 110.  Schedule for the semester is:

Date           Speaker                       Topic or Title                                          

Feb   7       Organizational meeting

      14       Bob Nowak                 Gillson & Hoffman (2007) Science 315:

                                                 53-54.

                                                 Reynolds et al. (2007) Science 316:847-

                                                 851

      21       Tom Jones                  Kareiva et al. (2007) Science 316:1866-

                                                 1869.

                                                 Hobbs et al. (2006) Global Ecol

                                                 Biogeogr 15:1-7

                                                 Jones manuscripts:

                                                      "Five Dubious Attitudes"

                                                      "Dual Rationale"

      28       Beth Leger                 Can mycorrhizae affect plant population

                                                genetics? Competition, facilitation, and

                                                mycorrhizal colonization in six California

                                                annual grassland species

                                                Suggested readings:

                                                Selosse et al. (2006) TREE 21:621-628

                                                Whitfield (2007) Nature 449:136-138.

Mar   6       Alan Talhelm              Moisture Stress Modulates the Effect of

                                                Elevated CO₂ on Intrinsic

                                                Photosynthetic Water-Use Efficiency

      13       Zach Nelson               Historical fire regime in mountain

                                                sagebrush landscapes of the Colorado

                                                Plateau, Utah Highlands, and eastern

                                                Great Basin

      20       Dongwook Ko             Fire regime, legacy effects, and

                                                cheatgrass invasion in the Great Basin

                                                of central Nevada

      27       SPRING BREAK

Apr   3       Robin Tausch              Woodland-Sagebrush Successional

                                                Dynamics: Evidence for a Threshold?

      10       Erin Espeland             Demographic and ecological factors

                                                influence evolutionary potential: adding

                                                evolutionary process to restoration

                                                practice

      17       Sarah Ganschow         Upscaling plant allometry to the stand

                                                scale: productivity, mortality, and carbon

                                                allocation

                                                Suggested readings:

                                                    Niklas & Enquist (2002) Amer J Bot

                                                       89:812-819

                                                    Niklas et al (2003) Evol Ecol Res

                                                       5:459-468

      24       Peter Weisberg           Climate change and Great Basin

                                                alpine vegetation (a discussion of

                                                research directions)

May   1      Organizational meeting to discuss topical format for Fall 2008