Current Grad Students - P-Z

Email: aschwend@ku.edu

Advisor: Thomas Taylor

Education: Current Ph.D. candidate in botany; B.S. in biology from Truman State University.

Hometown: O’Fallon, MO

Research Interests: Paleobotany and paleoclimatology

Recent Publications:

• Schwendemann, A. B., Decombeix, A.-L., Taylor, E. L., Taylor, T. N. Collinsonites schopfii gen. et sp. nov., a herbaceous lycopsid from the Upper Permian of Antarctica. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. (In Press).
• Schwendemann, A. B., Taylor, T. N., Taylor, E. L., Krings, M., and Osborn, J. M. 2009. Modern traits in early Mesozoic sphenophytes: the Equisetum-like cones of Spaciinodum collinsonii with in situ spores and elaters from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica. In: Plants in Deep Mesozoic Time: Morphological Innovations, Phylogeny, Ecosystems (C. Gee, ed.). Indiana University Press. (In press).
• Schwendemann, A. B., Taylor, T. N., Taylor, E. L., Krings, and Dotzler, N. 2009. Combresomyces cornifer from the Triassic of Antarctica: evolutionary stasis in the Peronosporomycetes. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 154: 1-5.
• Schwendemann, A. B., Taylor, T. N., and Taylor, E. L. 2009. Pollen of the Triassic cycad Delemaya spinulosa and implications on cycad evolution. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 156: 98-103.
• Schwendemann, A. B., Wang, G., Mertz, M. L., McWilliams, R. T., Thatcher, S. L., and Osborn, J. M. 2007. Aerodynamics of saccate pollen and its implications for wind pollination. American Journal of Botany 94: 1371-1381.

Recent Presentations:

• Schwendemann, A. B., Taylor, T. N., Taylor, E. L. 2009. Parasitism of a Triassic conifer embryo and pteridosperm seed. Botany and Mycology 2009: A Joint Meeting of the Botanical Society of America and Mycological Society of America. Snowbird, Utah.
• Cohen, J., Schwendemann, A. B., Soltis, P. S. Job Panel Discussion. Botany and Mycology 2009: A Joint Meeting of the Botanical Society of America and Mycological Society of America. Snowbird, Utah.
• Schwendemann, A. B., Taylor, T. N., Taylor, E. L., Krings, M. 2008. Triassic symbionts: morphological and functional stasis in the Podocarpaceae. International Organisation of Palaeobotany Conference. Bonn, Germany.
• Schwendemann, A. B., Taylor, T. N., Taylor, E. L. 2008. Fossil Root Nodules Containing Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi from the Triassic of Antarctica. Botany 2008: Botany without Borders, A Joint Meeting of: Canadian Botanical Association/L’Association Botanique du Canada, American Fern Society, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, and the Botanical Society of America. Vancouver, BC, Canada.   
• Taylor, M. L. and Schwendemann, A. B. Navigating a Scientific Meeting. 2008. Botany 2008: Botany without Borders, A Joint Annual Meeting of: Canadian Botanical Association/L’Association Botanique du Canada, American Fern Society, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, and the Botanical Society of America. Vancouver, BC, Canada).
• Schwendemann, A. B., Taylor, T. N., Serbet, R., Taylor, E. L. 2007. Gondwanan Ferns from the Triassic of Antarctica. 2007. Botanical Society of America. Chicago, IL.
• Schwendemann, A. B., Serbet, R., Hermsen, E., Taylor, T. N., Taylor, E. L. 2007. Permineralized Plants from the Jurassic of Antarctica. 2007. Botanical Society of America. Chicago, IL.

Recent Awards:

• 2009. J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award, Botanical Society of America, $500.
• 2009. Summer Research Fellowship, KU Office of Research and Graduate Studies, $5000.
• 2008. Plant Biology Program, KU. Travel expenses, $1500.
• 2008. Paleobotanical Section of the Botanical Society of America, Travel Award, $500.
• 2008. International Organisation of Palaeobotany, Travel Award, $500.
• 2007. Plant Biology Program, KU. Travel expenses, $718

Advisor: Caroline Chaboo

Education: Current Ph.D. aspirant in entomology; M.S. in biology from Chungnam National University; B.S. in biology from Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea

Hometown: Pyongtaek, Korea

Research Interests: Phylogeny of subfamily Cassidinae (family Chrysomelidae) based on morphological, ecological, and molecular information including immature stages

Recent Publications:

• Kim Tae-Kyu, Choru Shin, Kee-Jeong Ahn, "The South Korean species of the genus Geodromicus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae)" The Canadian Entomologist. Forthcoming.
• Choru Shin and Kee-Jeong Ahn, "Camioleum choi, a new species in the omaliine tribe Anthophagini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from Korea" Zootaxa (2006) 1227: 57–62
• Choru Shin and Kee-Jeong Ahn, "New Record of the Genus Boreaphilus C. Sahlberg in Korea (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae)" Insecta Koreana (Dec 30, 2003) 20(3,4): 1–4.
• Cho, Y. B., C. Shin and Y. G. Choi. 2003. "Korean Cave Species of the Superfamily Staphylinoidea (Coleoptera) I". Insecta Koreana 20(2): 139–148.
• Young-Bok Cho and Choru Shin, "New Record of the Genus Tympanophorus Nordmann (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in Korea" Korean Journal of Entomology (2003) 33.1: 65–67

Email: camsiler@ku.edu

Advisor: Rafe Brown

Education: Current Ph.D. candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology; B.S. in biology from the University of Texas—Austin.

Hometown: Englewood, CO

Research Interests: Evolution of limb reduction and loss in a group of SE Asian skinks (lizards)

Recent Publications:

• Welton, L. J., C. D. Siler, A. C. Diesmos, and R. M. Brown.  In Press.  A new bent-toed Gekko (Genus Cyrtodactylus) from southern Palawan Island, Philippines.  Herpetologica.
• Brown, R. M., C. D. Siler, A. C. Diesmos, and A. C. Alcala. In Press.  The Philippines frogs of the genus Leptobrachium (Anura; Megophryidae):  taxonomic revision, phylogeny-based species delimitation, and descriptions of three new species.  Herpetological Monographs.
• Siler, C. D., D. S. Balete, A. C. Diesmos, and R. M. Brown. In Press.  A new legless loam-swimming lizard (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae: Genus Brachymeles) from the Bicol Peninsula, Luzon Island, Philippines. Copeia.
• Siler, C. D., A. C. Diesmos, and R. M. Brown. In Press. A new loam-swimming skink, genus Brachymeles (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from the Bicol faunal region, Luzon and Catanduanes islands, Philippines. Journal of Herpetology.
• Siler, C. D., A. C. Alcala, A. C. Diesmos, and R. M. Brown.  2009.  A new species of limestone forest frog, genus Platymantis (Amphibia: Anura: Ceratobatrachidae) from eastern Samar Island, Philippines.  Herpetologica 65(1):92–105.
• Siler, C. D., J. D. McVay, A. C. Diesmos, and R. M. Brown.  2009.  A new species of fanged frog, genus Limnonectes (Amphibia: Anura: Dicroglossidae) from southeast Mindanao Island, Philippines.  Herpetologica 65(1):105–114.
• Brown, R. M., C. Oliveros, C. D. Siler, and A. C. Diesmos.  In Press.  Phylogeny of Gekko from the northern Philippines, and description of a new species from Calayan Island.  Journal of Herpetology.
• Brown, R. M., C. Oliveros, C. D. Siler, and A. C. Diesmos.  2008.  A new Gekko from the Babuyan Islands, Northern Philippines.  Herpetologica 64(3):305–320.
• Siler, C.D., C.W. Linkem, A.C. Diesmos, and A.C. Alcala. 2007. New species of the genus Platymantis (Amphibia; Anura; Ranidae) from Panay Island, Philippines. Herpetologica 63(3): 351-364.
• Rosler, H., Siler, C.D., Brown, R.M., Demegillo, A.D., and Gaulke, M. 2006. Gekko ernstkelleri sp. n.—a new gekkonid lizard from Panay Island, Philippines. Salamandra 42(4): 197-211.

Recent Presentations:

• Siler, C.D. 2009. Historical Processes and Genetic Implications of Limb Reduction and Loss in an Island Skink Lineage.  Santo Tomas University Annual Biology Seminar Series.  Keynote Speaker.  Santo Tomas University, Manila, Philippines, March.
• Siler, C.D. 2008. Historical Processes and Genetic Implications of Limb Reduction and Loss in an Island Skink Lineage.  University of Kansas Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship Research Seminar.  Poster Presentation.  Lawrence, KS, December.
• Siler, C.D.  2008. Historical Processes and Genetic Implications of Limb Reduction and Loss in an Island Skink Lineage.  University of Kansas Natural History Museum Lunch Seminar.  Oral Presentation.  Lawrence, KS, October.
• Siler, C.D. 2007. Phylogeography and partitioned genetic analysis of Philippine bent-toed gekkos (genus Cyrtodactylus); Annual Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, St. Louis, MO, July.
• Siler, C.D. 2005. Systematic analysis of ecomorphology within Philippine narrow mouth frogs (genus Kaloula); Kansas Herpetological Society, Pittsburg, KS, November.

Recent Awards:

• Fulbright-Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program, 2008. Bridging the science-language barrier: An integrative approach to conservation and education in the Philippines.
• National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008. Historical processes and genetic implications of limb reduction and loss in an island skink lineage.
• Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship, 2005-2009.

Email: chaosong@ku.edu

Advisor: Ford Ballantyne

Education: Current M.A. student in ecology and evolutionary biology; B.S. (honors) in ecology from Peking University, 2009; B.S. in economics from Peking University, 2009.

Hometown: Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China

Research Interests: ecological modeling, ecological stoichiometry

Recent Awards:

• 2008, National Award for Undergraduates, Ministry of Education, China
• 2008, Excellent Undergraduate Student, Peking University, China
• 2007, Excellent Student Leader Award, Peking University, China
• 2007, Excellent Undergraduate Student, Peking University, China
• 2006, Excellent Undergraduate Student, Peking University, China

Email: kasparks@ku.edu

Advisor: Helen Alexander

Education: Current M.A. student and Ph.D. aspirant in ecology and evolutionary biology; B.S. in biology from Denison University

Hometown: Findlay, OH

Research Interests: Plant ecology and evolution, plant-pathogen interactions and nutrient availability effects

Email: ycsu@ku.edu

Advisor: Deborah Smith

Education: Current doctoral candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology; M.S. in biology from Tunghai University, Taiwan; B.S. in biology from Tunghai University, Taiwan.

Hometown: Taichung, Taiwan

Research Interests: Behavioral ecology, population genetics, and phylogenetics of spiders

Recent Publications:

• Su, Y. C., Chang, Y. H., Lee, S. C. and Tso, I. M. 2007. Phylogeography of the giant wood spider (Nephila pilipes, Araneae) from Asian–Australian regions. Journal of Biogeography 34: 177-191.
• Lee, J. W., Jiang, L., Su, Y. C. and Tso, I. M. 2004. Is Central Mountain Ridge a geographic barrier to giant wood spider Nephila pilipes (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) in Taiwan? A population genetic approach. Zoological Studies 43(1): 112-122.

Recent Presentations:

• Su, Y. C., Tso I.M. and Smith D. 2008. Phylogeography of Macrothele taiwanesis on Taiwan and Ryukyu Island Arc. American Arachnological Society 32^nd annual meeting; Berkely, CA, June.

Email: jeet@ku.edu

Websites:

• KU Herpetology:
  http://nhm.ku.edu/herpetology/
• Frogs of the Malay Peninsula: http://frogweb.gov/
• HerpWatch Philippines: http://www.herpwatch.org/
• Photograph Galleries: http://www.jeetworks.com/

Advisors: Rafe Brown and Mark Holder

Education: Current Ph.D. candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology; B.S. in biology from the University of Texas—Austin; M.S. in zoology from the University of Malaya

Research Interests: Biogeographical methods and simulations, phylogenetic methods, historical biogeography and phylogenetics of reptiles and amphibians of Southeast Asia

Recent Publications:

• Wiens, J., J. Sukumaran, A. Pyron and R. Brown. 2009. Evolutionary and biogeographic origins of high tropical diversity in Old World frogs (Ranidae). Evolution 63:1217–1231.
• Sukumaran, J. and C. W. Linkem. 2009. Choice of topology estimators in Bayesian phylogenetic analysis. Molecular Biology and Evolution 26(1): 1-3.
• Holder, M. T., J. Sukumaran and P. O. Lewis. 2008. A justification for reporting the majority-rule consensus tree in Bayesian phylogenetics. Systematic Biology 57(5): 814-821.
• Das, I., N. Yaakob and J. Sukumaran, 2007. A new species of Microhyla (Anura: Microhylidae) from the Malay Peninsula. Hamadryad 31(2): 304–314.
• Sukumaran, J., I. Das and A. Haas. 2006. A synopsis of bioacoustic studies of Anuran Amphibians of Borneo. Herpetological Review 37(3): 288-293.
• Sukumaran, J., Norsham Y., D. Yong. 2006. The herpetofauna of the Southeast Pahang peat-swamp forests. Hamadryad 30(1&2): 75-91.
• Brown, R.M., S. Richards, J. Sukumaran, and J. Foufopoulos. 2006. A new morphologically cryptic species of forest frog (genus Platymantis) from New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago. Zootaxa 1334: 45-68.
• Norsham Yaakob & J. Sukumaran. 2006. An inventory of the amphibians of Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia. Hamadryad 30(1&2): 102-107.
• Grismer, L., J. Sukumaran, J., Grismer, T. Youmans, P. Wood, R, Johnson. 2005. Report on the herpetofauna from the Temengor forest reserve, Perak, West Malaysia. Hamadryad 29(1): 15-32.
• Sukumaran, J. 2002. The amphibian fauna of a forested area in Temengor, Northern Peninsular Malaysia. Hamadryad 27(1): 1-10.

Recent Presentations:

• Sukumaran, J., M. T. Holder and R. Brown. 2009. Evaluating the Performance of Phylogeographic Test Statistics using Complex Simulations. Joint Annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB), and the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), Moscow, Idaho, USA, June 2009. Oral presentation.
• Sukumaran, J., B. Stuart, L. Grismer, and R. Brown. 2007.  Phylogeography of Microhyla : testing biogeographic hypotheses using relative divergence time estimation (preliminary results). Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, July 2007. Oral presentation.

Email: tiemannl@ku.edu

Advisor: Sharon Billings

Education: Current Ph.D. candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology; B.M. 1997 Trumpet Performance University of Wyoming

Hometown: Lakewood, CO

Research Interests: Soil ecology, soil microbiology, biogeochemistry, ecosystem ecology

Recent Publications:

• Tiemann, L. K. and S. A. Billings. 2008. Carbon controls on nitrous oxide production with changes in substrate availability in a North American grassland. Soil Science 173: 332-341.
• Tiemann, L. K. and T. R. Seastedt. 2006. Study shows introduced thistle may facilitate growth of some native grasses (Colorado). Ecological Restoration 24: 58-59.

Recent Presentations:

• Tiemann, L. K. and S. A. Billings. Soil moisture disturbance influences microbial community function and structure with impacts on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Soil Ecology Society Conference, Burlington, VT, July 2009. Contributed oral presentation.
• Tiemann, L. K. Linking microbial community function with community structure in Kansan grasslands. KU Field Station and Ecological Reserves Friday Seminar series, Lawrence, KS, May 2009. Invited oral presentation.
• Tiemann, L. K. Linking microbial community function with community structure in Kansan grasslands. Kansas State University Ecology group seminar series. Manhattan, KS, March 2009. Invited oral presentation.
• Tiemann,  L.K. and S. A. Billings. Soil moisture availability and variability dictate soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics in Kansan grasslands. Understanding and Forecasting Ecological Change, Annual Symposium, Kansas EPSCoR, Lawrence, KS, March 2009. Invited oral presentation.
• Tiemann, L. K. and S. A. Billings. Nitrogen amendments and woody encroachment increase enzymatic activity driving decomposition in a mesic grassland. 93rd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Milwaukee, WI, August 2008. Contributed oral presentation.
• Tiemann, L. K. and S. A. Billings. Nitrogen amendments and woody encroachment increase enzymatic activity driving decomposition in a mesic grassland. KU Field Station and Ecological Reserves Friday Seminar series, Lawrence, KS, May 2008. Invited oral presentation.
• Tiemann, L. K. and S. A. Billings. Nitrogen amendments and woody encroachment increase enzymatic activity driving decomposition in a mesic grassland. Annual Kansas EPSCoR Forecasting Ecological Change Symposium, Lawrence, KS, April 2008. Invited poster presentation.
• Tiemann, L.K. and S.A. Billings. Grassland and forest soil organic matter transformations and microbial function in the North American Midwent. 92nd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, San Jose, CA, August 2007. Contributed poster presentation.
• Tiemann, L. K. and S. A. Billings. Grassland and forest soil organic matter transformations and microbial function in the NorthAmerican Midwest. Annual Kansas EPSCoR Forecasting Ecological Change Symposium, Manhattan, KS, April 2007. Invited poster presentation.

Recent Awards:

2009

• Kansas Academy of Science Student Research Grant, Fall 2009.
• Tiemann, L. K. (Co-PI), Billings, S. A. (PI). Beyond the black box: understanding the relationship between microbial community structure and function under environmental stress and disturbance. NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, 24 mo. 6/01/09-6/01/2010.
• Fellowship recipient, National Science Foundation Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) Program, 36mo. 1/10/09-6/01/10.
• University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves Small Grant.

2008

• First Place, University of Kansas Graduate Student Research Competition.
• Third Place, Sigma Xi University of Kansas Graduate Student Research Paper Competition.
• Honorable Mention, ESA Soil Ecology Travel Grant Program.
• University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves Small Grant.

2007

• University of Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves Small Grant

2006

• Ida H. Hyde Scholarship, University of Kansas Division of Biological Sciences.
• University of Kansas Graduate School First-Year Fellowship

Email: oscartoro@ku.edu

Advisor: Mark Mort

Education: Current Ph.D. aspirant in ecology and evolutionary biology; Bachelor’s in biology from the Universidad de Concepción

Hometown: Santiago, Chile

Research Interests: Systematics of Chilean plants

Recent Publications:

• Ruiz E., Toro O., Crawford D., Stuessy T., Negritto M.A., Baeza C.M., & J. Becerra. In press. Phylogenetic relationships among Chilean species of Drimys (Winteraceae) based on ITS sequences and insertion/deletion events. Gayana Botánica 65(2).

Awards:

• Fulbright Award, 2008–09
• KU Tuition Scholarship, 2008–09

Email: lynnsv@ku.edu

Advisor: Deborah Smith

Education: Current Ph.D. candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology; M.S., Genetics, University of the Philippines, Los Baños; B.S., Biology (genetics), University of the Philippines, Los Baños.

Research Interests: Diversity and Phylogeography of Asian Honeybees.

Dissertation Research: Diversity of the complementary sex-determining (CSD) gene in Apis cerana F .

Recent Presentations:

• Villafuerte, L. 2004. Phylogeographic Analysis of mtDNA genes of Philippine Apis dorsata; 7th Asian Agricultural Association Conference, Philippines, February.

Email: furcifer@ku.edu

Advisor: Rafe Brown

Education: Current M.A. student in ecology and evolutionary biology; B.S. in biology from the University of Kansas, 2007

Hometown: Lawrence, KS

Research Interests: Philippine biodiversity, with primary focus on monitor lizards (genus Varanus)

Recent Publications:

• Welton, L.J., C.D. Siler, A. Diesmos, and R.M. Brown (In press) A new bent-toed Gekko (Genus Cyrtodactylus) from southern Palawan Island, Philippines and clarification of the taxonomic status of C. annulatus. Herpetologica.
• Welton, L.J., C.D. Siler, A. Diesmos, and R.M. Brown (In prep) Phylogeny-based species delimitation of southern Philippine bent-toed geckos and a new cryptic species of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.

Advisor: James Thorp

Education Current Ph.D. aspirant in ecology and evolutionary biology; M.S. in biology from the University of Central Arkansas; B.S. in biology from the University of Central Arkansas.

Hometown: Little Rock, AR

Research Interests: Ecology and management of large river ecosystems. My current research involves the use of remotely sensed data to characterize and classify the functional process zones (FPZs) of river networks. I hope to use a variety of species locality databases to explore the relationships between fish and macroinvertebrate diversity and the diversity of FPZs within river networks. I am also working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a FPZ based approach to river management.

Recent Publications:

• S.R. Adams, M.D. Schroeder, R.L. Clark, and B.S. Williams. In press. Fish assemblages across a riparian wetland connectivity gradient in the lower Arkansas River floodplain. Wetlands.
• Shostell, J.M. and B.S. Williams. 2007. Habitat complexity as a determinate of benthic macroinvertebrate community structure in cypress tree reservoirs. Hydrobiologia 575: 389–399.
• Shostell, J.M. and B.S. Williams. 2005. A new benthic sampling device for soft sediments in shallow habitats. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 20:595–602.

Recent Presentations:

• Williams, B.S. and S. Reid Adams. 2008. Patterns of macroinvertebrate diversity and community structure across a gradient of river-floodplain connectivity; Floodplain Ecosystem Symposium, Little Rock, AR.

Recent Awards:

• Kansas Academy of Science, Student Research Grant, 2008.

Email: ricw@ku.edu

Advisor: A. Townsend Peterson

Education: Current Ph.D. candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology; The University of Edinburgh, English Literature and Language, 2:1 MA (Hons); Open University, Natural Sciences (with Biology), 2:1.

Hometown: London, UK

Research Interests: Ecological niche modeling applied to a broad range of taxa (viral, bacterial, plant and insect), presently concentrating on the other major bird-borne scourge—bird ´flu

Recent Publications:

• Nakazawa, Y., Williams, R.A.J., Kugeler, K., Petersen, J., Mead, P., & Peterson, A.T. Submitted. Ecological niche separation of tularemia subtypes.
• Williams, R.A.J., & Peterson, A.T. 2009. Predictable ecology and geography of avian influenza (HPAI-H5N1) transmission in the Middle East and Northeast Africa. Journal of Health Geographics, 8:47.
• Williams, R. A. J., Fasina, F. O., & Peterson, A. T. 2008. Predictable ecology and geography of avian influenza (H5N1) transmission in Nigeria and West Africa. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 102:471-9.
• Martin Cereceda, M., Williams, R., & Novarino, G. 2008. Easy visualization of the protist Oxyrrhis marina grazing on a live fluorescently-labelled heterotrophic nanoflagellate. Journal of Current Microbiology 57: 45-50
• Peterson, A.T. & Williams, R.A.J.  2008. Risk mapping of highly pathogenic avian influenza distribution and spread. Ecology and Society, 13: 15.
• Peterson, A. T., Williams, R. & Chen, G. 2007. Predicting the global invasive potential of Asian Gypsy Moths (Lymantria dispar). Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 125: 39–44.
• Martin Cereceda, M., Williams, R., Guinea, A., & Novarino, G. 2007. An investigation of the fine structure, cell surface carbohydrates and appeal of the diatom Extubocellulus as prey for small flagellates. Protoplasma 232: 69-78.
• Nakazawa, Y., Williams, R., Peterson, A. T., Mead, P., Staples, E. & Gage, K. L. 2007. Climate change effects on Plague and Tularemia in the USA. Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases 7:529-540.
• Mohammed, K. Papes, M. Williams, R. Benz, B. & Peterson, A. 2006. Global invasive potential of ten parasitic witchweeds and related Orobanchaceae. Ambio-A Journal of the Human Environment 35: 281-288.

Recent Presentations:

• Williams, R.A.J. 2009.KU expedition to Ghana to collect avian specimens and test them for Avian Influenza viruses and Flaviviruses; Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, April.
• Williams, R.A. 2007. Predictable ecology and geography of avian influenza (H5N1) transmission in Nigeria and West Africa; American Ornithological Union Annual Meeting, Laramie, WY, August.
• Williams, R.A. 2007. Ecological niche modeling and disease; Joint Workshop on Ecological Forecasting: An Indo-US Initiative, Indo-US Science and Technology Forum, Pune, India, August.
• Williams, R.A. 2007. Serosurvey for West Nile virus in Kansas Ecological Reserves and other sites in Kansas, KSR, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, May.
• Williams, R.A. 2006. Ecology and epidemiology of West Nile virus in Kansas and beyond, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
• Williams, R.A. 2005. Ecological, temporal and geographical dynamics of plague in North America. GIS Symposium, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, November.
• Williams, R.A. 2004. Ecological and geographical dynamics of tularemia in North America. GIS Symposium, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, November.