I am generally interested in the various natural and anthropogenic factors that influence the reproductive success in flowering plants. For my doctoral dissertation, I am taking a close look at the dual (sexual vs. clonal) reproductive strategies in Dicentra canadensis (Family Fumariaceae), a bumble bee-pollinated spring ephemeral native to the Eastern Deciduous Forests. I employ molecular tools and field experiments to examine how changes in genetic structure, as a consequence of prolonged clonal growth, may affect sexual reproductive success mediated by pollinator behaviors. I am also conducting a demographic study using population matrix models to examine how different reproductive strategies may affect population dynamics in the long run. Besides my dissertation research, I am also interested in how various habitat types in a landscape affect local pollinator populations and the reproduction of their host plants.
