Publications:
First Author Manuscripts
DeLaMater D.S., Couture J.J., Puzey J.R., and Dalgleish H.J. 2021. Range-wide variations in common milkweed traits and their effect on monarch larvae. American Journal of Botany.
Link: https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajb2.1630
Co-authored Manuscripts
Valdez SR, Daleo P, DeLaMater DS III, Silliman BR. 2023. Variable responses to top-down and bottom-up control on multiple traits in the foundational plant, Spartina alterniflora. PLoS ONE 18(5): e0286327.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286327
Wright, J., DeLaMater, D., Simha, A., Ury, E., and Ficken, C. 2020. Changes in Prescribed Fire Frequency Alter Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics. Ecosystems.
Link: https://rdcu.be/b8jkw
Manuscripts In Review
Simha A, Coughlin A, Anderson S, DeLaMater D, Wong R, Wright J, Thayer E. In Review. “This is fine”: form, function, and fire risk predict key dimensions of flammability in fire-adapted longleaf pine savanna. New Phytologist.
Morton J, Hensel J, DeLaMater D, Angelini C, Atkins R, Prince K, Williams S, Boyd A, Parsons J, Resetarits E, Smith C, Valdez S, Monnet E, Farhan R, Mobilian C, Smith D, Craft C, Byers J, Alber M, Pennings S, Silliman B. In Review. Mesopredator release moderates trophic control of plant biomass in a Georgia salt marsh. Ecology.
DeLaMater D.S., Couture J.J., Puzey J.R., and Dalgleish H.J. 2021. Range-wide variations in common milkweed traits and their effect on monarch larvae. American Journal of Botany.
Link: https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajb2.1630
Co-authored Manuscripts
Valdez SR, Daleo P, DeLaMater DS III, Silliman BR. 2023. Variable responses to top-down and bottom-up control on multiple traits in the foundational plant, Spartina alterniflora. PLoS ONE 18(5): e0286327.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286327
Wright, J., DeLaMater, D., Simha, A., Ury, E., and Ficken, C. 2020. Changes in Prescribed Fire Frequency Alter Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics. Ecosystems.
Link: https://rdcu.be/b8jkw
Manuscripts In Review
Simha A, Coughlin A, Anderson S, DeLaMater D, Wong R, Wright J, Thayer E. In Review. “This is fine”: form, function, and fire risk predict key dimensions of flammability in fire-adapted longleaf pine savanna. New Phytologist.
Morton J, Hensel J, DeLaMater D, Angelini C, Atkins R, Prince K, Williams S, Boyd A, Parsons J, Resetarits E, Smith C, Valdez S, Monnet E, Farhan R, Mobilian C, Smith D, Craft C, Byers J, Alber M, Pennings S, Silliman B. In Review. Mesopredator release moderates trophic control of plant biomass in a Georgia salt marsh. Ecology.
Research Career Timeline:
2018-Present
- I am co-advised by Drs. Justin P. Wright and Brian R. Silliman.
- I am interested in answering the question “How does environmental change affect the interactions that underlie the structure of communities and the function of ecosystems?” I use salt marsh ecosystems to investigate this question.
- Salt marshes are important coastal environments which furnish us with many valuable ecosystem services, yet about half of all salt marshes, globally, have been destroyed. Increasing air temperatures, eutrophication, and runaway grazing are among the many threats facing salt marshes. In order to efficiently conserve and restore these imperiled systems, we must first understand how these biotic and abiotic forces interact to influence the structure and function of salt marshes. Smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) forms the foundation of salt marsh communities in the Eastern US, and is often controlled from the top-down by the marsh periwinkle (Littoraria irrorata), a gastropod grazer.
2016-2018:
- I was advised by Dr. Harmony J. Dalgleish.
- I used the model interaction between the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and its host plant, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) to ask the question "How do plant traits vary through broad climatic gradients, and how does that variation in plant traits affect plant-herbivore interactions?" This work can be organized into two main components: 1) a comprehensive field sampling effort through the entire range of common milkweed, followed up with an extensive chemical analysis of foliar compounds and 2) controlled experiments in a greenhouse and growth chamber. I presented our preliminary findings at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting 2017 and am currently authoring a manuscript for publication.
2016:
- At SUNY Plattsburgh State University (advised by Dr. Jacob Straub), I combined observational data provided by the NY Department of Environmental Conservation (Region 5) with habitat maps to produce a report to inform management decisions regarding habitat preferences of American black duck (Anas rubripes) and mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) populations in the Adirondacks.
- At the Lake Champlain Research Institute, I worked under Dr. Tim Mihuc studying the impact of the invasive spiny water flea (Bythotrephes longimanus) on the plankton community of Lake Champlain.
2015:
- As a Field Technician at the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at SUNY Plattsburgh State University, working under Dr. Jacob Straub, I aided in the research of cavity-nesting duck habitats in the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, in Vermont. I presented our findings at the 2015 NY Waterfowl & Wetlands Collaborative Network, in Oswego NY, and I was invited to present my findings at the 2016 SUNY Undergraduate Research & Creative Works Poster Program in Albany NY. This research was vital in informing management efforts to protect and preserve duck populations.