Laura Burkle

   Postdoctoral Research Associate 
   Washington University in St. Louis, Biology Department
   Ecology, Evolution & Population Biology


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Education

Ph.D. (2008)           Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
                                 Biology: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

B.A. (2000)             Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
                                 Biology and Environmental Studies
                                 1999 -- School for International Training, Natural and Cultural Ecology, Australia

2009                        Bee Course
                                 Southwestern Research Station and the American Museum of Natural History

Areas of Interest

Ecology/evolution – population/community ecology; plant-animal interactions; conservation; pollination biology; entomology; conservation; global change; phenology; pollinator health; citizen science; aquatic-terrestrial interface; mutualisms & cheaters; invasive species; biostatistics; sustainable agriculture; natural history.

Research Experience 

2008-present           Postdoctoral Research Associate        
                                  Washington University in St. Louis, MO
                                  Advisor:  Dr. Tiffany Knight
                                  Population and community dynamics of plants and pollinators

2003-2008              Graduate Student
                                 Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH & University of Georgia, Athens, GA
                                 Advisor:  Dr. Rebecca Irwin
                                 Bottom-up effects of nutrient enrichment on plants, pollinators, & their interactions

2002-2003                 Research Technician II

                                 University of Georgia, Athens, GA & Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, CO
                                 Advisor:  Dr. Rebecca Irwin
                                 Ecology and evolution of multispecies interactions

2000                        Research Assistant
                                 Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, CO
                                 Advisor:  Dr. Alison Brody
                                 Importance of pollination, nectar robbing, & seed predation for plant reproduction

1999-2000                 Undergraduate Honors Student
                                 Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
                                 Advisor:  Dr. Barry Logan
                                 Photosynthetic acclimation of understory evergreens

Grants and Awards

2009                       NSF RAPID: Comparing historic and contemporary plant-pollinator interaction networks to investigate the effects of climate change and invasive species.  PI. $74,998
2009                       North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, Honey Bee Health Improvement.  $2,974
2007                       Dartmouth College Filene Teaching Award.  $1,000

2007                       American Philosophical Society, Lewis and Clark Fund.  $3,300.
2007                       Botanical Society of America, Graduate Student Research Award.  $500.
2007                       Dartmouth College Graduate Student Travel Award.  $500
2007                       NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, recommended for funding
2005                       Explorer’s Club.  $1,200.
2005                       Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, Snyder Memorial Grant.  $500.
2005                       Dartmouth College, Graduate Alumni Research Award.  $750.
2005                       Sigma Xi, Grants-in-aid of Research.  $220.
2004                       NSF Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Honorable Mention
2003                       University of Georgia, Presidential Fellowship.  $22,000
2003                       Colorado Mountain Club Foundation.  $1,600.
2003                       NSF Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Honorable Mention

Publications

Burkle, L.A. and R.E. Irwin.  The importance of interannual variation and bottom-up nitrogen enrichment for plant-pollinator networks.  Oikos, in press.  PDF

Burkle, L.A. and R.E. Irwin.  Nectar sugar limits solitary bee larval performance. Environmental Entomology 38(4): 1293-1300.  PDF

Burkle, L.A.
and R.E. Irwin.  2009.  The impact of nutrient availability on floral characters and pollination in Ipomopsis aggregata and Linum lewisii.  Plant Ecology 203: 83-98.  PDF

Burkle, L.A.,
R.E. Irwin, and D.A. Newman.  2007.  Predicting the effects of nectar robbing on plant reproduction: implications of pollen limitation and plant life-history traits.  American Journal of Botany 94: 1944-1950.  PDF

Burkle, L.A. and B.A. Logan.  2003.  Seasonal acclimation of photosynthesis in eastern hemlock and partridgeberry in different light environments.  Northeastern Naturalist 10(1):1-16.  PDF

Manuscripts (Available upon request)

Burkle, L.A. and R.E. Irwin.  Beyond biomass: the effects of community-level nitrogen enrichment on floral traits, pollinator visitation and plant reproduction.  Journal of Ecology, in review.

A.J. Miller-Rushing, E. Johnston, and L.A. Burkle.  The effects if climate change on the timing and abundance of Diptera in a subalpine meadow.  in prep.

Teaching Experience

2009-present   Faculty
                         Practical Skills in Environmental Biology Research (BIO/EnvSt 393)
                         Washington University in St. Louis

2009                Lecturer
                         Global Climate Change
                         University of Missouri--St. Louis

2008               Faculty
                        Plant-Animal Interactions
                        Rocky Mountain Biological Lab


2007               Teaching Assistant
                        Biology Foreign Studies Program, Dartmouth College.
                        Costa Rica and Little Cayman Island.
                                    Ecology of Tropical Ecosystems (BIO 55)
                                    Field Research in Tropical Ecology (BIO 57)
                                    Coral Reef Ecology (BIO 46).
 
2006, 2007     Invited lecturer
                         Ecology (BIO 16), Dartmouth College.

2004, 2005     Laboratory Instructor
                         Ecology and Evolution, Dartmouth College (BIO 14).

2001               Naturalist Educator
                        Ferry Beach Ecology School, Saco, ME

2000-2001     Sea Grant Education Intern
                        University of Georgia’s Marine Education Center & Aquarium, Skidaway Island, GA

High School and Undergraduate Mentoring

2009-present    Undergraduate Research Program, Mentor, Tyson Research Center, MO
2009-present    Tyson Environmental Research Leadership Program, Mentor, Tyson Research Center, MO
2008                  NSF REU Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab
     
2008                  Independent Study Student Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab         
2006-2007       Undergraduate Mentor, Lewis and Clark College
2006                 NSF REU Undergraduate Mentor, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab
2004-2007       Research Mentor, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab

Presentations

2009          Burkle, L.A.  Food and Fungi: the combined effects of food supplementation and Varroa mite control on honey bee health.  North American Pollinator Protection Campaign International Conference, Washington, DC.

2009          Burkle, L.A. and T.M. Knight.  Comparing historic and contemporary plant-pollinator interaction networks to explore the effects of climate change and invasive species.  Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM.

2008          Burkle, L.A.  The bottom-up effects of nitrogen on plant, pollinators, and their
interactions.  Invited lecture, Washington University in St. Louis, Tyson Research Center, MO.

2007          Burkle, L.A. and R.E. Irwin.  The effects of nitrogen on plant-pollinator mutualisms. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, San Jose, CA.

2006          Burkle, L.A. and R.E. Irwin.  The impact of nutrient availability on floral traits and pollination in Ipomopsis aggregata and Linum lewisii. Dartmouth College Graduate Student Poster Session, Hanover, NH.

2004          Burkle, L.A.  Plant-pollinator interactions and environmental conditions.  Institute of Ecology Graduate Student Symposium, Athens, GA.

Memberships

Botanical Society of America
Ecological Society of America  
Entomological Society of America
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory