Nancy Emery
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences (plant evolution and community ecology)
Dr. Nancy Emery joined the Purdue faculty as an Assistant Professor in August of 2009, and she is planning to implement a series of research projects at the Ross Reserve studying spring ephemeral plant communities. Her research interests lie in understanding the evolution of the ecological niche, and how ecological processes shape the evolutionary trajectories of plant populations and species. Specifically, she aims to understand the ecological and evolutionary factors that determine the distribution patterns observed in plant populations. Dr. Emery has studied the mechanisms driving plant distributions in a variety of community types, ranging from salt marshes (Emery et al. 2001) to serpentine grasslands (Baack et al. 2006), and the majority of
Ross Biological Reserve. Her research to date has taken place in California vernal pool wetlands (Emery et al. 2009, Emery 2009, Emery et al. in revision). At the Ross Reserve, Dr. Emery and her students are establishing a research program that examines how gene flow, selection and the genetic architecture of populations interact to direct – or restrict – the process of adaptation to habitat patches in the spring ephemeral plant community. Her initial efforts will largely involve documenting distribution patterns of the spring ephemeral plant populations within the Reserve, and their ecological correlates (such as soil type, light availability, slope, aspect, etc.). Ecological mechanisms restricting populations to habitat patches will be examined using standard transplant techniques and environmental manipulations (e.g. Emery et al. 2001, Emery et al. 2009). The consequences of gene flow for local adaptation will be examined using a combination of transplant experiments coupled with pollinator observations and pollen limitations studies (as in Emery 2009), as well as the use of molecular markers to document patterns of gene flow across habitat patches within the reserve. Patterns of natural selection and the consequences of the genetic architecture of populations will be investigated using family-structured field experiments, where the genetic identities of individuals are known and patterns of genotypic selection can be quantified (as in Emery et al. in revision). Together, the studies planned by Dr. Emery at the Reserve will provide a comprehensive understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes driving distribution patterns in spring ephemeral populations characteristic of midwestern woodlands. Furthermore, this work will contribute empirical tests of a wide body of basic theory describing niche evolution in natural populations.
To view a video of me describing my work at the Ross click here.
Visit Nancy Emery's homepage for more detailed information about her research.