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Michael has chosen to look at the complex interactions in
primary succession that involve elk. At the Mount St. Helens National
Volcanic Monument, these large herbivores roam widely across devastated
surfaces. They influence vegetation by biomass removal through herbivory,
nutrient deposition via waste excretion and seed dispersal through defecation.
He is undertaking a series of observations (scat analysis), experiments
(exclosure studies) and modeling to unravel the long-term net effects of
elk on plant succession. Is the net effect of elk on the rate of succession
negative or positive? Differential browsing, nutrient input through
defecation and urination, physical disturbances and seed dispersal all
interact. His research will specifically address whether (1) elk influence
successional rates of plants; (2) the positive effects of seed dispersal by
elk are offset by the negative effects of elk herbivory, and (3) how these
patterns might change over time.
Michael is well prepared for this complex task. He received B.A. in Biology
from the University of Oregon, a M.S. in Environmental Education from
Southern Oregon University and a M.A.T. in Secondary Science Education from
Pacific University. Between all this schooling, he gained practical
experience as a botanist with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, as a G.I.S.
instructor in Tillamook, OR, and a science/math teacher in a public high
school in Hillsboro, OR. He plans a career in teaching and research at the
University level after completing his doctoral studies at the UW, sometime
in 2010 or thereabouts.
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