| Robert D. Holt Director Professor and Arthur R. Marshall, Jr., Chair in Ecology Ph.D., Harvard University 111
Bartram Hall e-mail: rdholt@ufl.edu
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My core personal research focuses on theoretical and
conceptual issues at the population and community levels of ecological
organization, and on the task of linking ecology with evolutionary
biology. In addition to basic research, I am interested in bringing
modern ecological theory to bear on significant applied problems,
particularly in conservation biology. I have also carried out
large-scale experiments on habitat fragmentation. My students include
both theoreticians and empirical, experimental ecologists. I have
historically collaborated with many faculty at a wide range of
institutions, both inside and outside the USA. Web page with
links to publications and research interests.
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| Michael Barfield Assistant Scientist Ph.D., University of Kansas 111
Bartram Hall e-mail: mjb01@ufl.edu
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I
have worked at the Arthur R. Marshall,
Jr., Ecological Sciences Laboratory doing research on
theoretical population biology since 2001. Publications are available
through the link below. They include research on adaptation in
source-sink systems (Holt
et al. 2003, 2004a, 2004b, 2005; Holt and Barfield 2008, 2009b),
infectious disease ecology (Orive et al. 2005; Holt and Barfield 2006),
effects of temporal variation on populations (Holt and Barfield 2003;
Holt et al. 2003, 2004b; Roy et al. 2005), evolution (Filin et al.
2008; Knight et al. 2008) and arctic lake ecology (O'Brien et al. 2004,
2005). Web
page
with links to publications.
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| Manojit Roy Post-Doctoral Associate Ph.D., University of Pune (India) 110
Bartram Hall e-mail: roym@ufl.edu
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I am a theoretical ecologist, and I use mathematical and
computational models to address questions in
population/community ecology and infectious disease
epidemiology.
Among my current interests are: 1) Using individual-based models of
populations and communities, with
neighborhood interactions among individuals, to explore the role of the
spatial range and type of these interactions in generating aggregation
(“clustering”) patterns of the individuals. 2)
Using
spatially explicit metapopulation and metacommunity models to study the
conditions for population persistence and species coexistence in
spatio-temporally varying environments. 3) Using both ODE-based and
explicit (spatial and network-based) models of populations and
communities to explore the patterns of spread of an infectious disease
through the population/community, conditions of pathogen invasion
success and endemism, and effects of the
“background”
community interactions on host-pathogen dynamics.
A central focus of my research is in understanding the interplay of
spatial and social interactions, both ecological and epidemiological,
in shaping real ecological communities. |
| Ricardo Holdo Post-Doctoral Associate Ph.D., Princeton University 110
Bartram Hall e-mail: rholdo@ufl.edu
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My research focuses on understanding the determinants of tree abundance, distribution, dynamics, and community composition in savanna ecosystems. Savannas are interesting systems for the study of tree populations because they incorporate a wide range in the amount of woody cover across space and time, and the causes of this variation are still not well understood. Savannas provide an ideal laboratory for teasing apart the relative impact of top-down effects (such as fire and herbivory) versus bottom-up effects (e.g., soil moisture and nutrients) in structuring tree populations. I have been focusing on this problem across trophic levels and at multiple spatial scales through work in southern and east Africa, by combining statistical analyses of observational data (e.g., time series and spatial patterns of tree abundance and tree life history processes), field experiments, and simulation modeling. I am particularly interested in the challenges posed by fitting both statistical and dynamic models to data, and use a combination of likelihood and Bayesian approaches in my work. I am also interested in multi-trophic relations in ecosystems and the feedbacks between fire, plants, herbivores, and soil nutrients in particular, and have conducted work on vegetation feedbacks on the dynamics of fire and the population and movement dynamics of herbivores. Much of my work on animal population and movement dynamics has been conducted collaboratively as a postdoctoral associate in the Holt lab, focusing on the Serengeti ecosystem of East Africa. An additional area of research that I have been involved in with the Serengeti is in the development of socio-ecological models of savanna dynamics. We are using these models to improve our understanding of savanna resilience and dynamics as a result of feedbacks between natural and human-dominated systems. |
| Smriti Bhotika Ph.D. Candidate, Interdisciplinary Ecology B.S., U. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 110
Bartram Hall e-mail: sbhotika@ufl.edu
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I am interested in
community ecology and more specifically in species niches and the role
of resource and habitat availability in generating ecological patterns
and processes. My research investigates habitat use by the
community of ungulate herbivores in the Serengeti-Mara, a protected
area in East Africa. The study examines how the habitats used
by
each species varies seasonally and over time and also investigates if
habitat use can be understood from a community perspective by
considering species traits such as body size. I am also
interested in the effects of human activity on community and ecosystem
functioning, sustainable management of natural resources, and
conservation.
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| Kristen Sauby Ph.D. Candidate, Biology M.S., Mississippi State 110
Bartram Hall e-mail: ksauby@ufl.edu
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| Cedric Worman Ph.D. Candidate M.S., University of Florida 619 Carr e-mail: apuuli_c@hotmail.com
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I am interested in restoration ecology focusing on the
interaction between ecosystem recovery and consumers, specifically
mammals. Primarily my work has dealt with the interactions
between mammals and their environments. My M.Sc. work
examined
medium-scale habitat selection by Blue Monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni)
and Grey-cheeked Mangabeys (Lophocebus
albigena) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. My
current PhD. work is looking at the role feral hogs (Sus scrofa)
play in altering the nutrient flow in a tidal marsh-mesic hammock
system in the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge,
Florida.
I’m also interested in behavior, sexual selection, the
evolution
of evolutionary stable strategies, tropical ecology, anthropogenic
habitat changes, and the interplay between conservation and
culture. More pictures
and list of publications. |
| Vitrell Sherif Lab Manager 111
Bartram Hall e-mail: vitrell@ufl.edu
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| Vitrell
is the administrative lab manager for the Arthur R. Marshall, Jr.
Laboratory and is also a member of the IAHE. |
| Vanessa Trujillo Student Assistant 111
Bartram Hall e-mail: vaness88@ufl.edu
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I’m a senior at UF in Biology, assisting Dr. Robert Holt and
also working at the Financial Aid Office. My long-range goal is to
identify a
research focus for graduate school.
Some
topics I am interested in are animal behavior, chemical ecology and
tracking
evolution.
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| Previous
Personnel Visiting Professor Luiz Dos Anjos, here for 2008, Londrina State U., Londrina, Brazil. Postdocs Tiffany Knight, postdoc 2003-4, now assistant professor of biology at Washington U. in St. Louis. Her website there. Nicholas Friendenberg, postdoc 2003, now research scientist, Stony Brook University, NY. His website. Graduate Students Tristan Kimbrell, Ph.D. 2007, now postdoc at the University of Miami. Tania Kim, M.S. 2006, now Ph.D. student at Florida State University. Gabriela Blohm, M.S. 2008, now Ph.D. student here under Marta Wayne and Craig Osenberg. Connie Clark, Ph.D. 2009, now Assistant Scientist at Woods Hole Research Center. Student Assistant David J. Hall, now graduate student at the University of Alabama. Recent Visitors Sam Scheiner, Program Director, Division of Environmental Sciences, National Science Foundation. Colleen Webb, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Colorado State University. Richard Golmulkiewicz, Professor, Department of Mathematics & School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University. |
Page last updated 28 August 2009 by Michael Barfield, e-mail: mjb01@ufl.edu