Matthew J Germino, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Plant Physiological Ecology

germmatt@isu.edu
(208) 282-3285
Gale Life Sciences Bldg Rm 409

Plant Physiological Ecology Lab
Physiology and ecology of wildland plants, invasive forbs of sagebrush steppe, alpine treeline ecology.

 

Education

PhD Botany, 2000 University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
MS  Botany, 1996 University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
BS  Environmental Science, 1994 University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Biographical Sketch

Matt Germino is an Associate Professor of Plant Physiological Ecology at Idaho State University.  He is interested in functional diversity among upland plants, and its significance to the larger problem of species change in plant communities.  Matt's current projects are on tree invasion of subalpine meadows and exotic plant invasions of sagebrush steppe.  Matt addresses problems in these topics with approaches and perspectives ranging from photosynthetic ecophysiology and plant-soil water relationships to community ecology, remote sensing, and landscape ecology.  He received his PhD from University of Wyoming in 2000, where he worked on physiological adaptation and ecology of alpine plants.  Subsequently, Matt studied plant responses to the hot soils of geothermal springs in Yellowstone NP as a postdoc at Montana State University.  Matt's research is supported by grants from the Mellon Foundation, NSF, NASA, DOE, and USDA.

Teaching

BIOS g404L, 4 cr Plant Physiology
BIOS 607, 3 cr  Environmental Physiology
BIOS g405, 3 cr Plant Form & Function
BIOS 408g, 4 cr Plant Ecology
BIOS g489, 4 cr Field Ecology

Recent Publications
(*student, **MS student at ISU, ***PhD student at ISU)

Debinski  D.D. Wickham H.., Kindscher K, Caruthers JC, Germino MJ. (in press) Montane meadow change during drought varies with background hydrologic regime and plant functional group.  Ecology. #09-0567

Bansal S*, Germino MJ.  (in press) Variation in ecophysiological properties among conifers at an ecotonal boundary: comparison of establishing seedlings and established adults at timberline. Journal of Vegetation Science JVS-A-0025

Prevey J*, Germino M, Huntly N. (in press) Loss of foundation species increases population growth of exotic forbs in sagebrush steppe.  Ecological Applications #09-0750

Prevey J*, Germino MJ, Huntly NJ, Inouye RS. (in press, available online first) Exotic plants increase and native plants decrease with loss of foundation species in sagebrush steppe. Plant Ecology.

Sankey J*, Germino MJ, Glenn NF. 2009. Relationships of post-fire aeolian transport to soil and atmospheric moisture, Aeolian Research 1: 75-85.

Norton J, Glenn NF, Germino MJ, Weber K, Seefeldt K. 2009. Relative suitability of indices derived from Landsat ETM+ and SPOT 5 for detecting fire severity in sagebrush steppe.  Int. J. Appl. Earth Observation and Geoinformation 11: 360-367

Alongi-Johnson DA, Hill JP, Germino MJ. 2009. Opportunistic heterotrophy in gametophytes of the homosporous fern Ceratopteris richardii  (Pteridaceae L.) and its ecophysiological and evolutionary implication. Botany 87: 1–8

Sankey J*, Germino MJ, Glenn NF. 2009. Aeolian sediment transport following wildfire in sagebrush steppe. Journal of Arid Environments 73: 912-919

Smith WK, Germino MJ, Johnson DM, Reinhardt K. 2009. The altitude of alpine treeline: a bellwether of climate change effects.  The Botanical Review 75(2):163-190

Bansal S*, Germino MJ. 2009. Temporal variation of nonstructural carbohydrates in montane conifers: similarities and differences among developmental stages, species, and environmental conditions.  Tree Physiology 29: 559-568

Bansal S*, Germino MJ. 2008. Carbon balance of conifer seedlings at timberline: relative changes in uptake, storage, and utilization. Oecologia158: 217-227

Sankey TS, Germino MJ. 2008. Detection of juniper encroachment using remote sensing and GIS. Journal of Rangeland Ecology. Rangeland Ecology and Management 61: 359-464

Seefledt S, Germino MJ, DiChristina KM*. 2007. Prescribed fires have minor and transient effects on herbaceous vegetation cover and composition.  Applied Vegetation Science 10: 249-256

DiCristina K*, Germino MJ.  2006. Correlation of neighborhood relationships, carbon assimilation, and water status of sagebrush seedlings establishing after fire.  Western North American Naturalist  66: 441-449

Maher E*, Germino MJ.  2006. Microsite differentiation among conifer species during seedling establishment at alpine-treeline.  Ecoscience 13: 334-341

Germino MJ, Hasselquist NJ*, McGonigle TM, Smith WK, Sheridan P. 2006. Colonization of conifer seedling roots by fungal mycelium in an alpine-treeline ecotone: Relationships to microsite, developmental stage, and ecophysiology of seedlings.  Canadian Journal of Forest Research 36: 901-909

Broderson C, Germino MJ, Smith WK. 2006. Photosynthesis during an episodic drought in Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii across an alpine treeline.  Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 38: 34-41

Hill JP*, Germino MJ. Wraith JM. Olson B, Swan M. 2006. Advantages in water relations contribute to greater photosynthesis in Centaurea maculosa compared to established grasses.  International Journal of Plant Sciences 167: 269-277

Hill JP*, Germino MJ. 2005. Coordinated variation in ecophysiological properties among life stages and tissue types in an invasive forb of shrub steppe.  Canadian Journal of Botany 83: 1488-1495

Maher E*, Germino MJ, Hasselquist NJ*. 2005. Interactive effects of tree and herb cover on survivorship, physiology, and microclimate of conifer seedlings at the alpine-treeline ecotone.  Canadian Journal of Forest Research 35: 567-574     

Hasselquist NJ*, Germino MJ, McGonigle TC, Smith WK. 2005. Variability of Cenoccocum infection and its ecophysiological significance for young conifers at alpine-treeline.  New Phytologist 165: 867-873

Johnson DM, Germino MJ, Smith WK. 2004. Abiotic factors limiting photosynthesis in Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii seedlings below and above alpine timberline. Tree Physiology 24: 377-387

Smith WK, Germino MJ, Hancock TE, Johnson DM. 2003. A more unified approach for interpreting elevational limits of upper timberlines.  Tree Physiology 23: 1101-1113

Germino MJ, Wraith JM. 2003. Plant water relations influence carbon gain along sharp gradients of soil temperature.  New Phytologist 157: 241-250

Germino MJ, Resor, CAC, Smith WK. 2002. Conifer seedling distribution and survival in an alpine-treeline ecotone.  Plant Ecology 162: 157-168

Bastian CT, McLeod D, Germino MJ, Reiners WA, Blasko BJ. 2002. Environmental amenities and agricultural land values: a hedonic model using geographic information systems data.  Ecological Economics 40: 337-349

Bastian CT, McLeod D, Germino MJ, Reiners WA, Blasko BJ. 2002. Exploring the potential for using GIS to measure environmental and visual amenities when valuing agricultural lands.  Journal   of the ASFMRA 43: 134-140

Germino MJ, Smith WK. 2001. Relative importance of microhabitat, plant form, and photosynthetic physiology to carbon gain in two alpine herbs. Functional Ecology 15: 243-251

Germino MJ, Reiners WA, Blasko BJ, McLeod D, Bastian CT. 2001. Estimating visualproperties of Rocky Mountain Landscapes using GIS.  Landscape and Urban Planning 53: 71-83

Germino MJ, Smith WK. 2000. High resistance to low-temperature photoinhibition in two alpine, snowbank species.  Physiologia Plantarum 110: 89-95

Germino MJ, Smith WK. 2000. Differences in microsite, plant form, and low-temperature photoinhibition in alpine plants.  Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 32: 388-396

Germino MJ, Smith WK. 1999. Sky exposure, crown architecture, and low-temperature photoinhibition in conifer seedlings at alpine treeline.  Plant, Cell, & Environment 22: 407-415

Smith SD, Naumburg E, Niinements U, Germino MJ. 2004. Environmental Limitations: Dry and cold environments.  In: Photosynthetic Adaptation from the Chloroplast to the Landscape. Eds: Smith WK, Vogelmann, TC, Critchley, C. Academic Press (peer reviewed)