CURRICULUM VITAE
JANE E. CARLSON
75 North Eagleville Road, U-3043
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06268
(860) 486-5731
E-MAIL: carlson.jane@gmail.com
EDUCATION
2002-2007: Ph.D. Department of Biological Sciences, Section of Systematics, Ecology and Evolution, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA 70803
1998-2002: B.S. Department of Natural Resources, Magna Cum Laude with Distinction in Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York USA 14850
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Ecological interactions that fuel plant evolutionary processes, i.e.,
selection on traits and species diversification. How pollinators, herbivores,
and abiotic conditions contribute to the evolution
and maintenance of plant traits in wild populations.
RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS
2007-present: Postdoctoral research
fellow, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of
Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. Topic: Evolutionary radiations in South African Proteaceae. Funded by NSF grants to Kent Holsinger
and Rachel Prunier.
PUBLICATIONS
Carlson, J. E., and K. E. Harms. 2007. The benefits of bathing buds: water calyces protect flowers from a microlepidopteran herbivore. Biology Letters: 3: 405-407. (pdf).
Carlson, J. E. 2007. Male-biased nectar production in a protandrous herb matches predictions of sexual selection theory in plants. American Journal of Botany 94(4): 674-682. (pdf).
Carlson, J. E., and K. E. Harms. 2006. The evolution of gender-biased nectar production in hermaphroditic plants. The Botanical Review 72(2): 179-205. (pdf).
Carlson, J. E., E. S. Menges, and P. L. Marks. 2003. Seed dispersal by Gopherus polyphemus at Archbold Biological Station, Florida. Florida Scientist 66(3): 80-87.
MANUSCRIPTS IN REVIEW
Carlson, J. E. in review. Hummingbird responses to
gender-biased nectar production: Are nectar biases maintained by natural or
sexual selection? Proceedings
of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological
Sciences.
HONORS AND AWARDS
April 2007: C. W. Edgerton Honor Award for significant research achievements in the field of plant biology. Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. $500.
March 2005: Garden Club of America Award in Tropical Botany. “The adaptive significance of variable nectar rewards in the neotropical herb Chrysothemis friedrichsthaliana”. Garden Club of America and World Wildlife Fund, Washington DC, USA. $5,500.
July 2004: The Explorers Club Exploration Fund. “Plant-pollinator interactions in the Neotropics: Do plants benefit from natural variation in nectar rewards?” The Explorers Club, New York, NY, USA. $1200.
Jan. 2004: Sigma-Xi grant-in-aid of research program. “The adaptive significance of female-biased nectar rewards in a neotropical herb”. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Research Triangle Park NC, USA. $450.
July 2003: Organization for Tropical Studies post-course award. “The water calyx of Chrysothemis friedrichsthaliana” Organization for Tropical Studies, San Pedro, Costa Rica $480.
April 2003: Bernard Lowy Fund for the Study of Tropical Botany. Tuition and airfare to Organization for Tropical Studies field course in Costa Rica. Louisiana State University LA, USA. $2500.
Jan. 2003: Sigma-Xi grant-in-aid of research program. “Seed predator avoidance by Solenophora calycosa, a neotropical shrub”. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Research Triangle Park NC, USA. $500.
Aug. 2002: Louisiana State University, Board of Regents Fellowship for 4 years, Baton Rouge LA, USA.
May 2002: Undergraduate Thesis Distinction in Research: “Seed dispersal by Gopherus polyphemus at Archbold Biological Station, Florida”. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, USA..
SKILLS
Scientific illustration (see webpage), Spanish fluency, SAS statistical software and multivariate statistics.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Aug. 2002-Present: Ph.D. Student, Department of Biological Sciences. LSU. Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Advisor: Dr. Kyle E. Harms, phone (225) 578-7566. Dissertation title: Floral traits, pollinator behavior and plant reproduction: tests of natural and sexual selection in the hummingbird pollinated herb Chrysothemis friedrichsthaliana. Field work performed at Centro Tropical of the Neotropical Foundation, located on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.
June-Aug. 2003: Student, Organization for Tropical Studies field course in Costa Rica: OTS-03 Tropical Biology, an Ecological Approach.
May-Aug. 2002: Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences. LSU Baton Rouge LA, USA. Supervisor: Dr. James Cronin, phone (225) 578-7218. Topic: Metapopulation dynamics of Prokelisia planthoppers on Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass).
May-Aug. 2001: Research Intern, Plant Ecology, Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid FL, USA.Supervisor: Dr. Eric Menges, phone (863) 465-2571. Topic: Diet and potential for seed dispersal by the gopher tortoise, demography of Lake Wales endemic herbs, fire ecology.
Sept.-May 1999-2002: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, USA Supervisors: Dr. Monica Geber (Ecology, 2001-2002), Dr. Joseph Yavitt (Natural Resources 1999-2001) Topics: Pollination ecology of Clarkia xantiana (lab assistant for Dave Moeller, 2001-2002), microbial activity in anoxic wetland soils (lab assistant for Kurt Smemo, 1999-2001).
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
January-May 2007. Teaching assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, LSU, Baton Rouge LA, USA. Instructor for Introductory Biology laboratory for majors.
June-Aug 2006. Teaching assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, LSU, Baton Rouge LA, USA. Instructor for Principles of Ecology Laboratory. Trained students on data collection in the field, as well as basic data analysis and statistical techniques.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Carlson, J.E. 2006. Pollinator preferences match gender-specific pollination needs: evidence for sexual selection in a hermaphroditic herb. Ecological Society of America 91st Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee [oral paper]
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Carlson, J.E. 2007. Do sweeter rewards sire more seeds? Nectar, hummingbirds, and floral evolution in a Neotropical herb. Departmental seminar in the Department of Biology, Amherst College. Host: Associate Professor Ethan J. Temeles.
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
The American Botanical Society 2005-present
The Ecological Society of America 2005-2007
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Sept-Nov. 2007: Volunteer at Southern Vermont Natural History Museum, Marboro, VT, USA. Supervisor: Jason Saltman, phone (802) 579-3023. Wrote 9 interpretive signs for a nature trail on Hogback Mountain.