People of the Smith Lab

Melinda D. Smith, Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Yale University
Box 208106
Yale University
New Haven, CT 06520-8106 USA
phone: (203) 432 9422
Email: melinda.smith@yale.edu


I am a plant community ecologist interested in understanding patterns, determinants, and dynamics of diversity and species abundance and how these relate to the functioning of ecosystems. Much of my research is conducted in the field, though my research does involve lab work as a well. I focus on grassland ecosystems, in particular tallgrass prairie in the Central Great Plains of the U.S., but I am also initiating research locally in New England old field and salt marsh communities.

Melinda Smith's CV

Shenghua Yuan, Post-Doctoral Associate

Shenghua's research interests lie in the gene regulation response to external stimuli (bending, gravitropism et al.) or changes (draught, saline condition) using quantatitive real-time PCR, array technique and promoter analysis, and gene function test using reverse genetics (gene mutation) or forward genetics (protein function test). She is investigating the genomic response of two native species Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans in tallgrass prairie.
Email: shenghua.yuan@yale.edu    Shenghua Yuan's Page

Nicole Hagenah, Post-Doctoral Associate

Nicole's research interests lie in addressing ecological questions within the context of Conservation Biology. Her current research, is focused on understanding the impacts of natural disturbances and global environmental changes on mesic savanna grassland ecosystems.
Email: Hagenah@ukzn.ac.za    Nicole Hagenah's Page

Cynthia Chang, Graduate Student

Cynthia’s research interests lie in understanding the role of biological diversity in community and ecosystem processes. Her dissertation seeks to understanding the role of diversity in invasion resistance of native tallgrass prairie. There, she will examine the role of both species diversity and population genetic diversity of a dominant species in preventing invasion.
Email: cynthia.chang@yale.edu     Cynthia Chang's Page

Meghan Avolio, Graduate Student

Meghan is interested in how plant communities respond to climate change. She is focusing on two aspects of the plant community, the genotypic diversity within a dominant species, and the mutualistic mycorrhizal fungal community associated with the plant community. Her dissertation research is focused on understanding the impact of climate change on a complex biotic community, the tallgrass prairie, and aims to link genotypic diversity of dominant species with their associated mutualists, and assess the implications of these interactions for the plant community.
Email: meghan.avolio@yale.edu    Meghan Avolio's Page

Kim Komatsu La Pierre, Graduate Student

Kim is interested in the ways top-down and bottom-up forces interact to influence grassland communities. She is currently focusing on how changes in light availability, plant tissue chemistry, and litter quality, in response to alterations in resource availability and herbivory, may be driving changes in primary production and diversity within grasslands. In addition, Kim is interested in how changes in soil resource availability and vertebrate herbivory may feed up to influence the invertebrate community or drive woody encroachment into grasslands.
Email: kimberly.komatsu@yale.edu    Kim Komatsu La Pierre's Page

Beth Forrestel, Graduate Student

Beth is generally interested in how phylogenetic and functional diversity play a role in the maintenance of biodiversity. For her research, she aims to study a series of globe-wide comparisons to understand how the biogeographical history and phylogenetic structure of plant communities are linked to ecosystem function.
Email: elisabeth.forrestel@yale.edu    

Lab Alumni

Postdocs

Deron Burkepile Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Florida International University

Catherine E. Burns Ph.D. is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Maine

Undergraduate Students

Lauren Hallett is on a Fulbright to Australia

Lab Techs

Tadj Schreck is now at UC Irvine in the Mooney Lab

Victoria (Tory) Nelson

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