I chose to major in biology while in college in the hopes of spending as much time outdoors as possible.  Students working with me will have plenty of opportunities to conduct fieldwork in a variety of habitats, as well as pursue studies in the greenhouse and laboratory.  One of my main interests includes plant reproductive biology and the animals that are responsible for floral pollination.  I have researched hummingbird-pollinated flowers in the mountains of southern Arizona, as well as, plants in the coffee family in the rainforests of both Costa Rica and Panama.  I have observed pollen tube growth within several species to determine if these species are capable of accepting their own pollen to produce seeds, or if they have to receive pollen from a different plant in order to set seed.  Pollen tubes can be viewed in the laboratory using fluorescence microscopy (see photo).

    Conservation biology is also one of my major interests, especially after seeing the extent of habitat loss and fragmentation occurring across the United States and abroad.  While conducting research on a state endangered plant in Ohio, I compared levels of genetic variation among Ohio and Michigan populations.  This plant, prairie valerian [Valeriana ciliata] (see photo), is found only in the mid-west in the unique wetland fen habitat.  I have also worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (DNAP).  Working with DNAP has made me increasingly aware of the negative impact of non-native, invasive plant species to natural areas.  As part of my job with DNAP, I have been documenting the extent of non-native, invasive plant species populations in our state nature preserves using GPS (Global Positioning System), and projecting these data onto aerial photos using GIS (Geographical Information System) software.  Students working with me will be encouraged to pursue questions related to endangered plants locally as well as globally, including studies of their reproductive biology, genetic diversity, and distribution.  Both the extent and quality of the plant species habitats and impacts on these habitats will be studied and recorded using GPS/GIS. (See the photo of the pink Dragon’s-mouth Orchid [Arethusa bulbosa], a state-endangered species in Ohio, that requires extensive habitat management to ensure its continued blooming and reproduction.)

Last Up Dated July 02, 2003
Contact Amy Faivre at: aefaivre@cedarcrest.edu