Meet the Expert, Biology: Dr. Kane Keller VIRTUAL EVENT

Only one reservation needed per group

Dr. Kane Keller

Bracken Ferns in the Sierra Nevada: How Plants Can Wage Chemical Warfare

Thursday, May 18th

5:30p - 6:30p

Dr. Kane Keller is a community ecologist with a passion for helping us become better stewards of the land. Developing a thorough understanding of the diverse ways by which species interactions can affect ecological communities remains necessary for effective conservation and restoration activities. Bracken fern, Pteridium aquilinum, is a widespread, highly competitive, and ecologically dominant species that even produces a variety of chemical compounds that aid in its success through chemical attacks on other plants. This species is also becoming more abundant within its range, perhaps exacerbated by anthropogenic changes. Due to the potential for long-lasting effects on ecological communities, Dr. Keller’s research explores how variation in bracken fern traits influences species interactions as well as how this can alter biodiversity and the establishment of species of conservation concern. Through this research, Dr. Keller and his lab hope to provide insight into our understanding of how a dominant plant species affects diversity within communities, and even our ability to manage, conserve, and restore species that are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities.

Dr. Keller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at CSUB. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which species interactions, environmental change, and genetic variation may influence population and community dynamics. Dr. Keller received a B.S. in Integrative Biology from the University of Illinois in 2007. His graduate work was conducted at the Kellogg Biological Station of Michigan State University, where Dr. Keller earned his PhD in 2015. He then went on to perform postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Keller joined the faculty at CSUB in 2017, where he conducts ecological research and teaches various classes in plant biology, ecology, biostatistics, and evolution.

Only one reservation needed per group