How will California’s grassland-shrubland interface be affected by a warming climate? Given my interests in plants, water, meteorology, and vegetation change over time, I am approaching this broad question through a multifaceted research strategy with a focus on the water relations physiology of Baccharis pilularis (coyote brush, Asteraceae), a common shrub native to California. The three areas of my research include investigations in 1) intraspecific variation of B. pilularis water relations, 2) ontogenetic effects of seasonal B. pilularis water relations and water sources, and 3) seasonal water relations and water sources of B. pilularis during seedling establishment when competing with neighbors in high- and low-fog coastal grasslands.
Allison G. Kidder
Graduate Student
Institution:
Dawson Lab
Summary
Published articles Show More
Genetic variation within a dominant shrub structures green and brown community assemblages.
Published in BMC Ecology
Two rising challenges in ecology are understanding the linkages between above- and belowground components of terrestrial ecosystems and connecting genes to their ecological consequences. Here, we blend these emerging perspectives using a long-term common-garden experiment in a coastal dune ecosystem, whose dominant shrub species, Baccharis pilulari...
