Foster lab in South Carolina

Bryan L. Foster

Professor
Plant Community Ecology
Ph.D., Michigan State University
Phone: (785) 864-4361
Fax: (785) 864-5860

Areas of Interest and Research

Broadly, research in our lab explores how biotic interactions, resource availability, and species pools interact to govern the assembly, diversity, and functioning of plant communities. We are also interested in understanding the impacts of management and human-induced global changes on biodiversity and ecosystem function and applying this understanding to the conservation and restoration of native plant communities.

Current Research Topics

Current Lab Members

Alex Bittel (M.A aspirant). abittel@ku.edu

David Hall (Ph.D. aspirant). d460h434@ku.edu

Cheryl Murphy (Ph.D. Candidate): Grassland ecology; soil microbial ecology. murphyc@ku.edu

Mari Pesek (Ph.D. aspirant). marifrances@ku.edu

Sheena Parsons (Technician). sheenap@ku.edu

Justin Sharkan (undergraduate researcher). sharkyj3@gmail.com

Former Postdocs

Todd Aschenbach, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Grand Valley State University.

Gregory Houseman, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University.

Suneeti Jog, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler.

Former Graduate Students

Todd Aschenbach, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Grand Valley State University.

Cathy Collins, Postdoctoral Researcher, Washington University

Timothy Dickson, Field Station Staff Scientist, Tyson Research Center, Washington University

Irene Khavin, M.A.

Quinn Long, Postdoctoral Researcher, Kansas Biological Survey

Erin Questad, Postdoctoral Researcher, USDA Forest Service, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Hilo Hawaii.

Selected Publications (in PDF format)

Alexander, H. M., B.L. Foster, F. Ballantyne IV, C. D. Collins, J. Antonovics, and R. D. Holt. 2012. Metapopulations and metacommunities: combining spatial and temporal perspectives in plant ecology. Journal of Ecology 100:88-103. (Invited by editor; 100th year anniversary issue).

Dickson, T. L. and B. L. Foster 2011. Fertilization decreases plant biodiversity even when light is not limiting. Ecology Letters 14:380-388.

Questad, E. J. and B. L. Foster. 2011. Evaluating patterns of biodiversity in managed grasslands with spatial turnover metrics. Biological Conservation 144:1050-1058

Foster B. L., E. J. Questad, C. D. Collins, C. A. Murphy, T. L. Dickson and V. H. Smith. 2011. Seed availability constrains plant species sorting along a soil fertility gradient. Journal of Ecology 99:473-481.

Foster B. L., I. S. Khavin I. S., C. A. Murphy, V. H. Smith, M. E. Ramspott, K. P. Price and K.

Kindscher. 2010. Integrated responses of grassland biodiversity and ecosystem properties to hay management: a field experiment. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 113:103-119.

Aschenbach, T., B. L. Foster and D. W. Imm. 2009. The initial phase of a longleaf pine-wiregrass savanna restoration: species establishment and community responses. Restoration Ecology 18:762-771.

Collins, C. D. and B. L. Foster. 2009. Community-level consequences of mycorrhizae depend on Phosphorus availability. Ecology 90:2567-2576.

Collins, C. D., B. L. Foster and R. D. Holt. 2009. Patch size effects on plant species decline in an experimentally fragmented landscape. Ecology 90:2577-2588.

Foster. B. L., K. Kindscher, G. R. Houseman and C.A. Murphy. 2009. Effects of hay management and native species sowing on grassland community structure, biomass and restoration. Ecological Applications 18:1884-1896.

Foster, B. L., and C. D. Collins. 2009. Colonization of successional grassland by Ulmus rubra Muhl. In relation to landscape position, habitat productivity, and proximity to seed source. The Torrey Botanical Society 136:392–402.

Collins, C. D., and B. L. Foster. 2008. The role of topography and soil characteristics in the relationship between species richness and primary productivity in a Kansas grassland. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 11:105-117.

Dickson, T. L., and B. L. Foster. 2008. The relative importance of the species pool, productivity and disturbance in regulating grassland plant species richness: a field experiment. Journal of Ecology 96: 937-946.

Questad, E. J. and B. L. Foster. 2008. Coexistence through spatio-temporal heterogeneity and species sorting in grassland plant communities. Ecology Letters 11:717–726.

Foster, B. L., C.A. Murphy, K. Keller, T. Aschenbach, E. J. Questad and K. Kindscher. 2007. Restoration of prairie community structure and ecosystem function in an abandoned hayfield: a sowing experiment. Restoration Ecology 15:652-661.

Questad, E. J. and B. L. Foster. 2007. Vole disturbances and plant diversity in a grassland metacommunity. Oecologia 153: 341-351.


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