Bio:
Carolyn Whiting is a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin. She is interested in plant ecology and conservation. Her dissertation research is focused on how plant communities and populations are affected by fire and by invasive grasses. Carolyn received a B.A. in Biology from Smith College, Massachusetts, and then worked as an ecologist for a mining company in Queensland, Australia, before coming to Austin.
Lecture title:
Fire, non-native invasive grasses, and central Texas plant communities
Lecture description:
Fire creates and maintains grasslands and savannas (ecosystems with trees or shrubs and open grassy areas). In the past, fire probably regularly occurred in central Texas, but we know very little about the details of the historical fire regime. Modern experiments using fire can help us understand the effects of fire past and present, and can therefore help us make management and conservation decisions. I am investigating whether fire can be used to control the non-native, invasive grass, Bothriochloa ischaemum var. songarica (King Ranch bluestem), and improve biodiversity.