EBIO 4140 Plant Ecology - Potential paper topics
Fall 2005

Use these ideas as a guide for selecting your paper's topic.   Remember what the assignment is in terms of topic selection & focus while you're thinking about them....

Multiple variations on these topics are possible:

Ecotypic differentiation: the role of physiological and or morphological variation in plant adaptations to unique environments (hot, cold, dry,
wet, saline...)

Role of competition/facilitation in determining community composition of different ecosystems

Biotic factors (competition/ facilitation) in succsession following different kinds of disturbance (fire, floods, glaciation)

Importance of herbivory in preventing competitive exclusion

Introduced (non-native) species- influence on native species diversity, disturbance regimes, ecosystem function

Plant species effects on nutrient cycling, primary production

Influence of diversity on ecosystem function

Differences in sexual versus vegetative reproduction in relation to environment/disturbance regime

Coevolution between plants and herbivore specialists

Variation in plant secondary chemistry and potential ecological roles

Climate change effects on vegetation- past and future

Direct effect of elevated CO2 on vegetation

Variation in life history characters in relation to climate / disturbance regimes


 
 

rev.  19 Oct 05