PEOPLE
Research Associates
Marlin Bowles-Plant Conservation Biologist & Principal Investigator
Current projects:
Understanding plant diversity underlying Chicago region plant communities; interpreting effects
of differing frequency and intensity of fire on prairie and savanna vegetation; comparing
naturally occurring prairie remnants with prairie restorations; using tree ring analysis
to understand chronological change in Chicago region forests and savannas; assessing long-term
viability of restored and natural populations of the federal listed Cirsium pitcheri, Asclepias
meadii, and Platanthera leucophaea.
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Jenny McBride-GIS Specialist
Research Interests:
Illustrating/understanding historic Chicago region vegetation as described by the Public Land
Survey; open source software and GIS applications; propagation and monitoring of endangered and
threatened species.
Current Projects:
GIS mapping/quantifying the pre-settlement vegetation of the Chicago area by geographic region;
developing tools for analysis of vegetation data collected by the Illinois Natural Areas
Inventory; developing digital maps with data base linkages for Illinois Natural Areas Inventory
sites; developing an interactive web map of accessioned specimens at The Morton Arboretum
click here to view Morton Arboretum map;
designing and maintaining the Plant Conservation Biology website. (But she's actually a poet.)
Selected publications
McBride, J. & M. Bowles. Vegetation pattern of DuPage and Will counties at the time of European settlement. 2001.
Pages 63-71 in: Proceedings of the 12th Northern Illinois Prairie Workshop. College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
pdf
McBride, J. 2004. Using historic survey data in conservation GIS. ESRI User Conference, San Diego, CA.
pdf
McBride, J. & M. Bowles. 2007. Searching the Public Land Survey for
Illinois Natural History. Report to Chicago Wilderness and Illinois Conservation Foundation. The
Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Ill.
pdf
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Department of Biological Sciences
Chicago State University, 9501 S King Dr
Chicago IL 60628
773-995-2442 tbell22@csu.edu
Research interests:
My research focuses on population viabiltiy analysis (PVA) of endangered plants. This work
estimates probability of population persistence to assess their recovery status and restoration
success, as well as effects of management such as prescribed fire,invasive species control, hand
pollination, and protection from herbivory.
Current Projects:
Demographic Trend Analysis and a PVA Index for Illinois populations of the Federal Threatened
Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid (Platanthera leucophaea).
Population ecology of the Illinois threatened Savanna Blazingstar, Liatris scariosa var.
nieuwlandii.
Integrating long-term PVA and Repeated Genetic Sampling of Natural and Restored Populations of
the Federal Threatened Pitcher's Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri).
Selected publications
Bowles, M, J. McBride, & T. Bell. 2001. Restoration of the federally threatened Mead's milkweed. Ecological Restoration 19:235-241.
Bell, T., M. Bowles, & K. McEachern. 2003. Projecting the success of plant population restoration with viability analysis. Pages 313-348 In, C.A. Brigham & M.M. Schwartz (editors), Population Viability in Plants. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg.
Bowles, M., L. Zettler, T. Bell & P. Kelsey. 2005. Relationships between soil characteristics, distribution and restoration potential of the federal threatened eastern prairie fringed orchid, Platanthera leucophaea (Nutt.) Lindl. The American Midland Naturalist 154: 273-285.
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RESEARCH ASSOCIATE Michael Jones, Botanist, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LTD
Research Interests: Distribution and status of Illinois Endangered plant species, Evaluating
native plant communities. Deer browse effects, Tree ring analysis.
Current Projects:
Deer Browse effects on woody species. (Funded by Illinois Department of Natural Resources).
Population status of Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) in Illinois (funded by Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board)
Selected Publications & Reports
Jones, M. D. 1994. The Flora and Vegetational History of Winnebago Co., Illinois. Published by Winnebago Co. Forest Preserve District, Rockford, Illinois.
Jones, Michael, D. 1997.Oak Ridge Prairie County Park Plant Inventory and Community Assessment. 1997. Report to Lake County Parks and Recreation, Indiana.
Jones, Michael, D. 1998. Floristic Survey of Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks, LaSalle County, Illinois. Report to Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Bowles, M.& M. Jones, & J. McBride. 2003. Twenty-Year Changes in Burned and Unburned Sand Prairie Remnants in Northwestern Illinois and Implications for Management. The American Midland Naturalist 149: 35-45.
Bowles, M.& M. Jones. 2005. Long-term changes in endangered and threatened plants of the Indian Dunes, Hoosier Prairie, Clarke & Pine and Tolleston Ridges Nature Preserves. Report to Indiana Department of Conservation, Division of Nature Preserves.
Bowles, M. and M. D. Jones. 2007. The prairie-wetland continuum in the Chicago region of northeastern Illinois. Ecological Restoration, Vol. 25 (1): 29-39.
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Illinois College
1101 West College Avenue
Jacksonville, Illinois 62650-2299 USA
Phone: (217) 245-3479, lwzettle@ic.edu
Research interests:
Orchid Recovery Program (ORP) at Illinois College
Recovery of endangered orchids through the use of mycorrhizal fungi to prompt in vitro and in
situ seed germination, and ex vitro seedling establishment (=symbiotic seed germination).
Manipulation of biotic (mycorrhizal fungi) and abiotic factors (photoperiod, seed stratification)
to improve orchid seed germination and seedling survivability on soil.
Ecological and physiological processes that influence size, distribution, and perpetuation of
natural orchid populations (e.g., pollination mechanisms, distribution of mycorrhizal fungi).
Distribution and identification of orchid mycorrhizal fungi in natural substrates, and in orchid roots.
Fungal diversity and physiological interactions with arthropods (e.g., ticks, crickets).
Selected publications:
Zettler, LW, J Sharma, and F Rasmussen.2003.Mycorrhizal Diversity (Chapter 11, pp. 185-203). In, Orchid Conservation, edited by K Dixon, SP Kell, RL Barrett, and PJ Cribb. Natural History Publications, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. (ISBN 983-812-078-2)
Zettler, LW, KA Piskin*, SL Stewart*, JJ Hartsock*, ML Bowles, and TJ Bell. 2005. Protocorm mycobionts of a Federally threatened orchid, Platanthera leucophaea, and a technique to promote leaf formation in seedlings. Studies in Mycology 53: 163-171.
Zettler, LW, S Perlman, DJ Dennis*, SE Hopkins*, and SB Poulter*. 2005. Symbiotic germination of the Federally endangered Hawaiian endemic, Platanthera holochila (Orchidaceae) using a mycobiont from Florida: a conservation dilemma. Selbyana 26(1,2): 269-276.
Zettler, LW, SB Poulter*, KI McDonald*, and SL Stewart. 2007. Conservation-driven propagation of an epiphytic orchid (Epidendrum nocturnum) with a mycorrhizal fungus. HortScience 42(1): 135-139.
Yoder, JA, MJ Chambers, MR Condon, JB Benoit, and LW Zettler. 2009. Regulation of the external mycoflora of the giant Madagascar hissing- cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa, by its mite associate, Gromphadorholaelaps schaeferi, and its implications on human health. Symbiosis 47: 93-98
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Marlin Bowles
