Professor in Evolution and Ecology

Sharon Y. Strauss
Section of Evolution and Ecology
2320 Storer Hall
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
systrauss@ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 752-8415

Strauss Lab
Phone: (530) 752-8416

People

Ania Truszczynski
John Chau
Michelle Afkhami
Ryder Diaz
Jon Haloin
Jay Sexton
Patrick McIntyre
Jean Burns

Current students:

Ania Truszczynski-Ania is interested in invasions and the importance of phylogenetic novelty in invasiveness.

John Chau-John is interested in pollination and other aspects of the evolution of the niche in a clade of related plant species.

Michelle Afkhami-I am interested in how the interaction between plants and “microbes” (e.g. rhizobia, pathogens, mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi, etc) impact community-level dynamics and function. A large body of work has been devoted to the study of pairwise interactions between plants and microbial communities and between plants and insects. My interests lie in how all three of these “players” interact. For my master’s work with Jennifer Rudgers (at Rice University), I focused on the symbiosis between endophytic fungi and plants.  I found that vertical transmission of the endophyte was imperfect and looked at how biotic (herbivory) and abiotic (drought) factors influenced transmission.  In the future, I plan to investigate how interactions between invasive plants and microbial symbionts affect native plant communities and their associated insect herbivores and/or pollinators.  

Ryder Diaz- Ryder is interested in pollinator communities and invaders

Jon Haloin (jrhaloin@ucdavis.edu) – Predators as selective agents on plant defense traits in Mimulus gutatus and eco-evolutionary feedbacks in natural systems.

Jay Sexton (jpsexton@ucdavis.edu)– My research explores the contexts, time scales, and patterns of adaptations within and between varied landscapes and taxa.  My dissertation examines the Sierran endemic, Mimulus laciniatus, an annual plant, to understand 1) the evolutionary potential of populations to tolerate different climates and 2) the role of gene flow on climate adaptations across the species range. Replicate populations across a strong elevation gradient are being examined in common gardens approximating current and warmer Sierran climates.  Estimates of molecular variation among and within populations will be obtained to understand these adaptive responses in the context of 
gene flow.

Patrick McIntyre (pjmcintyre@ucdavis.edu)- I am interested in adaptation in changing environments.  In particular, I am investigating how polyploidy may affect the ability of plants to adapt to changing environments, using the Claytonia perfoliata polyploid complex to investigate the basis of wider ecological tolerances characteristic of polyploid versus diploid populations within this group. I am also studying how polyploidy and hybridization affect the evolution
of plant-arthropod interactions.

Post-Docs

Jean Burns-My primary research interest explores the integration of increasing levels of biological organization in influencing species distributions, a central question in ecology.  I address these questions using invasive species as model systems, because introduction of species to a new habitat is an unintentional experiment that allows us to assess factors limiting species distributions.  My research has primarily focused on understanding what traits are associated with the introduction and success of exotic species, the role of environment in determining the relationships between traits and invasiveness, and the relationships among demography, environment, and invasiveness.  To address these questions, it is necessary to compare invasive species with less successful introduced species.  My research is novel because I compare native, introduced noninvasive, and introduced invasive plants to evaluate mechanisms for successful invasion at multiple levels of biological organization, from species traits, to population demography, dispersal ecology, and community assembly.