Deric Miller, MS  Graduated 2014

Deric holds a B.A. in English from Transylvania University and a B.S. and MS in Biology from UK.  His research focused on the tragedy of the commons in root competition, with Drs. McLetchie and Crowley as joint advisors.  This work seeks to identify factors relevant to plant over-competition in root systems, such as genetic similarity, spatial organization, nutrient availability, and plant development while exploring the underlying mechanisms. Extracurricularly, he enjoys mid-twentieth century European cinema, independent comic books, lots of opera, video games of all types, and writing ridiculous paragraphs about himself in the third person.

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McLetchie

Lab

Alexandra Weiser, MS Graduated 2015

I got my BS degree at Georgetown College, and while conducting undergraduate research there I found the McLetchie Lab. Here, I examine sexually dimorphic traits in plants, and will compare photosynthetic capacity between male and female plants. My interests include but are not limited to: cooking, baking, interior design, world religions (present and past), conservation, gardening, traveling, horticulture (especially orchids), hiking, skiing, being outdoors, and being a mom to my pets and beautiful daughter. I enjoy my role as a Teacher's Assistant, working with students as a class as well as individually. I love living in the Bluegrass and have family in Dubai, India, Mississippi, and Tennessee

Under ConStruction 

Jonathan Moore, PhD Completed August 2017

I study the causes of sexual dimorphisms in dioecious plants and their subsequent consequences on adult sex ratios.  While the causes of sex ratio bias is not well understood, adult sex ratios vary across and within major clades of land plants (from all male to all female populations) and are likely due to sexual dimorphisms.  These sexual dimorphisms may have evolved because of the differences in sex function between male and female plants.  In the non-vascular plants, female sex ratio bias is more common than male bias.  I am interested in understanding why this is the case since it would seem that females have a higher cost of sexual reproduction due to offspring production. The higher female cost of reproduction is assumed to cause higher mortality of females in woody angiosperms, but it is becoming increasingly clear that some angiosperms (herbaceous and clonal) have female biased adult sex ratios.  The number of bryophyte species exhibiting female bias and the increasing awareness of female bias in angiosperms makes female biased dioecious bryophytes good model systems.  I use the common dioecious sidewalk moss, Bryum argenteum, as a model to determine the underlying causes of female-biased sex-ratios. 

Rose Marks, PhD candidate Completed May 2019

I am investigating the ecological patterns and genetic mechanisms of dehydration tolerance in the tropical liverwort Marchantia inflexa. My interest in this topic stems from an understanding that organisms are threatened by global climate change. With increasing variation in annual rainfall species are forced to endure prolonged periods of dryness and drought. Thus, adaptations that allow organisms to survive in an increasingly dry and unpredictable environment are necessary for species persistence. Furthermore, understanding the basic mechanisms of dehydration tolerance can provide insight into methods for developing stress tolerant crops that will remain productive in the changing environment. My work addresses the mechanism of dehydration tolerance by targeting fine scale differences in tolerance within a single species. In my spare time I can usually be found climbing rocks, training for climbing rocks, or talking about climbing rocks. I also love baking cakes. 

Zachary Stanley MS 2019 

Juliana Silva e Costa, Visiting Scholar 2017

I am a Brazilian graduate student, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, and I’m a visiting the University of Kentucky during the period of July to December 2017. I am interested in study liverwort’s morphology, ecology and physiology, connecting these traits with their habitat and environmental requirements. In McLecthie laboratory I am studying population sex ratio variation and physiological characteristics of a leafy liverwort.