Plant Organismal Biology
The Plant Organismal Biology Group at the University of Tennessee provides a congenial intellectual and collaborative environment for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students who use a variety of empirical approaches to study plant life. Our research programs focus on ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales from molecules to ecosystems, and from prehistoric plant communities to potential future climates and plant assemblages. Teaching interests are similarly broad, with approaches ranging from field trips to formal classroom settings to student-organized and student-led seminars and research projects on a variety of current and historical topics. Core-participants in the group have their home within the Division of Biology and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. In addition, we interact closely with scientists at the Environmental Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL-ESD) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
The Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology is nationally and internationally renowned for its contributions to organismal plant biology. The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology has contributed greatly to the fields of theoretical ecology, conservation ecology, evolutionary ecology, plant physiology, genetics and developmental biology, including plant-microbe interactions, mycology, and systematics. Both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are offered.
Research Activities
The research activities and related publications of the faculty are found on their world wide web home pages. External research funding obtained by individuals in the group includes recent grants from the NSF, USDA, EPA, USGS and NIH. The Joint Institute for Energy and Environment coordinates and facilitates collaborative research between ORNL-ESD, TVA, and UT.
Core Faculty
All core faculty are housed in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, though several have joint appointments in more than one department.
- Dr. Taylor Feild, Assistant Professor. Plant ecophysiology, evolutionary biology, paleobotany, structure-function relationships in plants. His research uses field- and laboratory-based studies to investigate the functional evolution of plants, in particular the evolution of xylem structure/function in leaves, stems, and roots. (tfeild@utk.edu)
- Dr. James Fordyce, Assistant Professor. Evolutionary ecology, chemical ecology, phenotypic plasticity, plant-insect interactions. His research integrates phylogenetics, population genetics, quantitative and qualitative chemistry, manipulative field and laboratory experiments, and natural observations. Major projects include the role of host plant variation in driving diversification of insect herbivores, the effectiveness of chemical versus structural defenses of plants against herbivores, plant mediated indirect interaction among herbivores, and the sequestration of plant secondary compounds by insect herbivores. (jfordyce@utk.edu)
- Dr. Nathan Sanders, Assistant Professor. Behavioral ecology, community ecology, invasion biology, macroecology, plant-insect interactions, conservation biology. His research uses a combination of experimental and descriptive approaches to pursue these interests. (nsanders@utk.edu)
- Dr. Daniel Simberloff, Professor and Nancy Gore Hunger Chair of Excellence in Environmental Studies. Population and community ecology, evolution, biogeography, invasion biology, conservation biology, statistical ecology, plant-insect interaction. His research uses a variety of approaches, including descriptive field surveys, literature surveys and field and greenhouse experiments. (dsimberloff@utk.edu)
- Dr. Ed Schilling, Professor. Plant systematics, especially of the sunflowers family, molecular tools in systematics. (eschilling@utk.edu)
- Dr. Jen Schweitzer, Assistant Professor. Ecosystem ecology, plant/field ecology, community/ecosystem genetics. Her research utilizes both descriptive and experimental approaches in the field to examine interactions between plant genetic variation and the diverse organisms associated with plants (e.g. herbivores, endophytes, soil microorganisms) on community and ecosystem processes. Her current research is focused on ecological and evolutionary feedbacks from plant traits, arthropod and mammalian herbivores and soil microbial communities on nutrient cycles in diverse ecosystems. (Coming Spring 2007!)
- Dr. Randy Small, Associate Professor. His research investigates the interplay between molecular systematics and molecular evolution in studies of plant evolutionary biology. Additional projects are underway using population-level genetic markers to evaluate species boundaries and relationships among populations in several groups. His current focus is on studies of nuclear-encoded gene families in species of Gossypium and Hibiscus (Malvaceae), both for their potential phylogenetic utility, as well as basic studies of gene family evolution. His research incorporates both field and laboratory components. (rsmall@utk.ed))
- Dr. David Smith. Associate Professor and Associate Curator of the Herbarium (Bryophytes & Lichens). Community Ecology, Florisitics, Systematics, Taxonomy, and Phytogeography of Bryophytes. Geographic focus on Alaska (especially Aleutian Islands), Southern Appalachians (Blue Ridge & Cumberland), Tennessee, southeastern US. Special Interests: Takakia, discovery, basal classification among bryophytes, developmental morphology, evolutionary perspective. Other interests: Rare and Endangered plants; Invasive plants; Environmental Assessment, All Taxa Inventory in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The bryophyte collection is world-class (ca. 200,000 curated specimens) representing approximately 85% of the world's genera. (dsmith@utk.edu)
- Dr. Joseph Williams, Assistant Professor. Plant evolutionary biology. He uses a combination of population genetic tools and advanced microscopy to address micro- and macro-evolutionary questions related to the evolution of plant reproductive biology and embryology, mating systems, phylogeography and hybrid zones. (joewill@utk.edu)
- Dr. Eugene Wofford Research Associate Professor. Curator of the UT Herbarium. Floristics, biosystematics, phytogeography and endangered species. (bewofford@utk.edu)
Associated Faculty
Other faculty associated with the group include:
- Dr. Joe Bailey, Assistant Professor. Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Community-Ecosystem Genetics and Ethnobotany. His research has focused on experimental approaches to understanding the effects of plant genetic variation on population, community and ecosystem level processes across spatial scales. Joe has worked with many dominant plant species, arthropods, keystone vertebrate herbivores such as beavers and elk, and avian predators to understand the ecological and evolutionary links across these levels of organization.
- Dr. Joe Clark, Southern Appalachian Field Laboratory & USGS-Biological Resources Division. Landscape ecology.
- Dr. Aimee Classen, ORNL-ESD. Ecosystem ecology, plant-herbivore interactions, microbial ecology, global change. Research in her lab focueses on the interactions and feedbacks among communities of plants, insects, and microbes and ecosystem processes, especially carbon and nutrient cycling.
- Dr. Paul Hanson, ORNL-ESD, Ecosystem ecology, plant physiology.
- Dr. Sally Horn
- Dr. Richard Norby, ORNL-ESD. Forest tree physiology, plant physiological ecology, global change.
- Dr. Wilfred (Mac) Post, ORNL-ESD. Global carbon cycle, land use change, forest responses to environmental changes.
- Dr. Frank van Manen, Southern Appalachian Field Laboratory & USGS-Biological Resources Division. Landscape ecology.
- Dr. Stan Wullschleger, ORNL-ESD. Plant physiological ecology; interested in measuring and modeling plant response to environmental stress; quantifying carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems; and application of molecular techniques to the study of ecosystem genomics.
Students
There are about 20 M.S. and Ph.D. students who incorporate a focus on plant organismal biology in their graduate program. The student group is highly multi-disciplinary, with interests ranging from basic and applied techniques in genetics and molecular ecology to application of ecological understanding and systematics. Students are funded through research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and graduate fellowships, and are regular recipients of grants from regional and national funding agencies. Other students are employed outside the university setting, with private corporations (e.g., environmental consulting firms) and governmental organizations (e. g., Tennessee Valley Authority).
Courses Offered
A wide variety of courses offered by several Departments support the focus in Plant Organismal Biology. Courses include: General Ecology, Field Botany, Field Ecology, Evolutionary Ecology, Advanced Evolutionary Ecology, Plant Ecology, Plant Evolutionary Morphology, Conservation Biology, Advanced Taxonomy of Flowering Plants, Basic Concepts in Organic Evolution, Foundations of Ecology, Foundations of Evolution, Mathematical Ecology, Advanced Mathematical Ecology, Paleobiology and Graduate Seminars in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (recent examples include "Developmental Evolution," "Plant Speciation," "Global Change," "Adaptive Radiations," and "Molecular Systematics"). We are also developing a seminar course that will be offered each semester to encourage faculty and student interactions on current research topics. In alternate semesters, we read and discuss a book or series of current articles, and present and discuss research ideas and ongoing research projects.
Facilities and Equipment
Facilities include numerous environmental growth chambers and greenhouses, a 12-hectare woodlot within the city of Knoxville, the National Environmental Research Park and the Walker Branch Watershed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, an herbarium with almost 600,000 specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes and fungi, a DNA sequencing facility, two computer laboratories with a total of 30 workstations, and a variety of additional support facilities for graduate students.
Program Inquiries
The best way to find out about our program is to visit us in Knoxville; we certainly welcome such visits that will allow you to talk to students as well as faculty. When inquiring about the program, please tell us about yourself. What biology, ecology, evolution and statistics courses have you taken? What computer skills do you have? What areas of research are of interest to you? What are your GPA and GRE scores? Are you interested in a M.S. or Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology? What are your career plans? Answers to these questions will enable us to better respond to your inquiries.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
569 Dabney Hall
Knoxville, TN 37996-1610
Phone: (865) 974-3065