Lauren Carley, PhD: Causes and consequences of intraspecific variation in plants

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Lauren Carley is an evolutionary ecologist interested in how species-environment interactions drive patterns of biodiversity across scales, from alleles and genes to species and communities. With a focus on plants and the organisms they interact with closely--including herbivores, pollinators, microbes, and other plants--her work leverages laboratory, greenhouse, and field approaches to empirically address basic questions spanning ecology, evolution, and genetics.

In this talk, she will give an overview of her research program, which explores the ecological and evolutionary circumstances that promote the maintenance of variation in natural systems. She will also highlight past collaborations with undergraduate researchers and demonstrate how plant ecological and evolutionary research in the greenhouse and in the field can be a powerful tool for learning, and doing, science.