Echinacea Project 2014
B.A., Biology, Carleton College, 2012-present
Research Interests
I am interested in herbivores of Echinacea, specifically Aphis echinaceae, a recently described aphid species that is an Echinacea angustifolia specialist. Aphis echinaceae does not survive on Echinacea pallida, an exotic species of Echinacea that has been introduced locally, but will it survive on hybrids of E. angustifolia and E. pallida? If it does, how does it affect the fitness of the hybrid plants, if at all?
Statement
I come from the mixed woodlands of Lincoln, Massachusetts. I have enjoyed getting to know the ecology of Minnesota by working in prairie, oak savannah, and forest restorations in the Cowling Arboretum at Carleton College. I am fascinated with the interaction of human and non-human systems, and I plan to pursue a career in conservation biology to find ways to optimize the relationship between the two. The Echinacea Project is an exciting way to study the effects of anthropogenic change on prairie plants.
