SUSAN HARRISON
Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, U.C. Davis

Stanford University (1986-1989): Ph.D. in Biology

Research Interests

My research focus is the role of spatial factors, such as habitat geometry and dispersal, in population dynamics and patterns of biological diversity. My goals within this area are:

1. to test and refine theories concerning metapopulation dynamics (dynamics of extinction and colonization);
2. to identify the spatial scales at which habitat patchiness and lack of dispersal influence the species composition of communities;
3. to improve the management of endangered species and communities in naturally patchy or recently fragmented habitats.

Current Extramural Research Grants

National Science Foundation, July 1999 - June 2002. "Understanding the regional distribution of native meadow remnants in Northern California".

NSF Ecology, Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER), January 2000-January 2001. "Effects of Wildfire on Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology in an Oak Woodland-Chaparral Ecosystem". (with D. Slotton)

National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, "Change in California Grasslands: A Workshop Proposal". (with M. Stromberg, C. D'Antonio, C. Malmstrom, and K. Rice). June 2000-June 2002.

Recent Publications Relevant to this Proposal

Harrison, S. and L. Fahrig, 1994. Landscape structure and population survival. In: Mosaic Landscapes and Ecological Processes, eds. L. Hansson, L. Fahrig and G. Merriam, pp. 293-308. Chapman and Hall, New York, USA.

Hastings, A. and S. Harrison, 1994. Metapopulation dynamics and genetics. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 25: 167-188.

Harrison, S. and A. M. Hastings, 1996. Genetic and evolutionary consequences of metapopulation structure. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 11: 180-183.

Harrison, S. and A. D. Taylor, 1997. Empirical evidence for metapopulation dynamics. In: Metapopulation Dynamics: Ecology, Genetics and Evolution, eds. I. Hanski and M. E. Gilpin, pp. 27-42. Academic Press, New York, USA.

Harrison, S. 1997. How natural habitat patchiness affects the distribution of diversity in Californian serpentine chaparral. Ecology 78: 1898-1906.

Hoopes, M. F. and S. Harrison. 1998. Metapopulation, source-sink and disturbance dynamics. In: Conservation Science and Action, ed. W. J. Sutherland, pp. 135-151. Blackwell, Oxford, England.

Harrison, S. 1999. Local and regional diversity in a patchy landscape: native, alien and endemic herbs on serpentine soils. Ecology 80: 70-80.

Wolf, A. T., P. A. Brodmann and S. Harrison. 1999. Distribution of the rare serpentine sunflower (Helianthus exilis Gray, Asteraceae): the roles of habitat availability, dispersal limitation and species interactions. Oikos 84: 69-76.

Harrison, S. 1999. Native and alien species diversity at the local and regional scales in a grazed Californian grassland. Oecologia 121: 99-106.

Harrison, S. 2000. Population persistence and community diversity in a naturally patchy landscape: plants on serpentine soils. In M. Kato (ed.), The Biology of Biodiversity. Springer Verlag, Tokyo.

Harrison, S. and C. Ray, 2000. Plant population viability and metapopulation-level processes. In S. Beissinger and D. McCullough (eds.), Population Viability Analysis. University of Chicago Press.

Wolf, A. T., J. L. Hamrick and S. Harrison. 2000. The influence of habitat patchiness on genetic diversity and spatial structure of a serpentine endemic plant. Conservation Biology (in press).

Harrison, S. , J. Maron and G. Huxel, 2000. Regional turnover and fluctuation in populations of five plants confined to serpentine seeps. Conservation Biology (in press).

Harrison, S. , J. L. Viers and J. F. Quinn, 2000. Climatic and spatial patterns of diversity in the serpentine plants of California. Diversity and Distributions (in press).

Wolf, A. T. and S. Harrison. Natural habitat patchiness affects reproductive success of serpentine morning glory (Calystegia collina, Convolvulaceae) in northern California. Conservation Biology (in press).

Wolf, A. T. and S. Harrison. 2000. Conservation of endemic plants in serpentine landscapes. Biological Conservation (in press).

Harrison, S. , K. Rice and J. Maron, 2000. Habitat patchiness promotes invasions by alien grasses on serpentine soil. Biological Conservation (in press).

Back to the McLaughlin Reserve Research Proposal Home Page.