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The Invasion Biology and Restoration Ecology Lab investigates the effects and
interactions of plants with ecosystems at the community and ecosystem levels.
Dr. Meyerson's recent work has focused on
the common reed, Phragmites australis, in coastal areas of the eastern
United States seaboard.
Check out the Meyerson Lab Podcast Blog to find video and audio podcasts created by Dr. Meyerson, lab members, and students in Dr. Meyerson’s classes
Laura Meyerson, Assistant Professor
Dr. Meyerson's research interests are in invasion biology,
environmental policy, and restoration ecology. Her field research investigates
the effects and interactions of plants with ecosystems at the community and
ecosystem levels, particularly with respect to invasive species. She is
interested in developing methods and tools that integrate ecological knowledge
into restoration efforts in order to increase their success and the
predictability of their outcomes. Her policy research is both national and
international in scope and works to foster coordination and standardization of
approaches and to bring the invasive species issue to the center stage of
policy.
Recent
Publications Full
C.V.
Listen to an audio podcast on Dr. Meyerson's research
Joshua P. Atwood, Ph.D. Candidate
Josh's research interests involve invasive plant ecology, evolution, and island biogeography. At URI, Josh has completed a two-year NSF IGERT fellowship examining multidisciplinary problem solving in coastal ecosystems. As part of his IGERT fellowship, Josh completed an internship with the Oahu Early Detection Project, an invasive plant detection program sponsored by the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, HI. Josh is now an NSF graduate research fellow and is pursuing dissertation research regarding the evolution of competitive ability in invasive plants. Outside of academia his interests include environmental education, and in 2005 Josh wrote an educational children's book, The Watershed Journey of Linus Loon, for the Maine Coastal Program.
Kimberly Lellis-Dibble, Ph.D. Candidate
Kim Lellis-Dibble’s research is focused on quantifying the effects of plant invasions on aquatic food webs, fish condition, and aquatic ecosystem function in coastal salt marshes in the Northeast. Specifically, she is determining whether an invasive plant (Phragmites australis) has had an adverse effect on resident Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog) populations by examining growth, biochemical condition, and trophodynamics within invaded, restoring, and reference systems. Kim’s doctoral studies are supported in part by a NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Graduate Research Fellowship, which is allowing her to bridge her background in coastal science and policy while contributing to the growing body of knowledge that provides natural resource managers with information to justify habitat restoration decisions..Read
more about Kim's research interests and background..
Full
C.V.
Raina Huebner, MESM Student
Raina Huebner is a Master’s student whose research interests include wetland restoration and conservation. She wants to save the world one wetland at a time. Besides being a full time graduate student, Raina is a volunteer SCUBA diver at Mystic Aquarium maintaining tanks while enjoying face time with the animals.
Chris Lee, Research Assistant
Chris is interested in conservation genetics and the use of genetic analysis to address ecological questions, such as: identifying the sources and mapping the routes of biological invasions, and meta-population dynamics of fragmented systems.
Lab Alumni
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Dr. Meyerson's research focuses on the genetics of Phragmites australis, the common reed. There are two species of Phragmites found in wetlands of the U.S. eastern seaboard, and these species appear to be hybridizing. The Meyerson laboratory maintains a large collection of native and invasive P. austrailis populations at our research space at URI’s Greene H. Gardner Crops Research Center.
 
Additional research topics pursued by students in the Meyerson laboratory include nekton use of invasive and native subspecies of P. australis, and the evolution of competitive traits associated with coastal habitats. For further information, see the student biographies on this page.
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