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Sarah Swope:
Ecological interactions between exotic plant species and native and
exotic insects
PhD started in 2004
swope<at>biology.ucsc.edu
Sarah
earned her MS from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff where she
worked with Laura DeWald, Steve Hart and Tom Whitham on exotic plant
invasions in semi-arid grasslands. She worked as the
Ecologist for the Prescott National Forest in Arizona for four years
and is now a Research Plant Ecologist in the Exotic and Invasive Weeds
Research Unit of the USDA. Her thesis research at UCSC
focuses on plant-herbivore interactions, especially as applied to
exotic plants and biological control agents. She is using
yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) to
evaluate how single vs. multiple biocontrol agents may alter the
plant’s response to herbivory and ultimately the persistence of the
invasive population. Additionally, she is studying how C.
solstitialis invasion alters the behavior of generalist
pollinators and consequently reproductive success in the rare endemic Clarkia
gracilis tracyi.
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