RICK
(CHARLES F) WILLIAMS
Associate
Professor of Biology
Department
of Biological Sciences
921 S.
8th Avenue, Stop 8007
Idaho
State University
Pocatello,
ID 83209-8007 USA
208-282-2948/3765
email: willcha2@isu.edu
Curator of Botany
Ray J. Davis Herbarium
Idaho Museum of Natural History
921 S. 8th Avenue, Stop 8096
Idaho
State University
Pocatello,
ID 83209-8096 USA
208-282-3168/FAX 282-5893
Ecology
and Evolutionary Genetics of Plant Reproduction and Dispersal,
Pollination
and Seed Dispersal Biology, Mating System Evolution, Gynodioecy
Molecular
Ecology, Population and Quantitative Genetics, Behavior
Research Teaching
Students Publications CV Etc.
Research
My research
examines the interelationships between plant ecology and population
genetics, and how these in turn influence the evolution of plant
reproduction. In this regard I study things like how differences
in fruit and seed morphology affect dispersal and gene flow, how
pollinator behaviors differ in relation to flower and inflorescence
size or density, and how this in turn affects plant outcrossing rates,
etc. Most projects involve both a field and laboratory
component. Much of the field work currently takes place at The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory,
near Crested Butte, Colorado. In the lab I use a number of
genetic markers (allozymes, nuclear microsatellites, AFLPs, and
chloroplast DNA RFLPs and sequences) to examine the genetic
consequences of variation in reproductive ecology and infer the
ecological and evolutionary history of different plant populations and
species. I also collaborate with other researchers
and students to apply molecular genetic techniques to answer ecological
and
evolutionary questions about a variety of other organisms, both plants
and
animals. Several of my main projects are outlined below:
Hermaphrodite Flower
Female Flower
1. Evolution of Gynodioecy in Geranium richardsonii.
Gynodioecy is the production of separate hermaphroditic and female
individuals in a population. Femaleness, or loss of male
reproductive function, is caused by one or more male-sterility genes
typically located in the mitochondrial genome. Male sterility
should be at a fitness disadvantage unless
it is compensated for by increased female reproductive success relative
to hermaphrodites. My research with Geranium richardsonii examines
several hypotheses for the selective maintenance of male sterility
including resource allocation to flowers and seeds (female flowers are
smaller, but produce more seeds than hermaphrodites), and
self-fertilization and inbreeding depression (females cannot self,
while hermaphrodites do so at rates > 50% and appear to suffer
substantial inbreeding depression at different
stages of the life cycle). Additionally, relative fitness of the
genders
is density- and frequency-dependent, with females suffering pollen
limitation when at high frequency. I am investigating this
phenomenon of density- and frequency-dependent fitness at a number of
different spatial scales
(local neighborhood, population, metapopulation). I am also
investigating
the mode of inheritance of male-sterility through a multi-generation
crossing experiment. Finally, I am developing chloroplast DNA
markers to investigate gene flow through seeds, and its relation to
dispersal of male-sterility
genes.
2. Reproductive Ecology and Genetics of Delphinium
species. The genus Delphinium (Ranunculaceae), or
Larkspurs is globally distributed and over 60 species occur in North
America. Larkspurs are pollinated predominantly by
bumblebees and hummingbirds. I have been investigating the
reproductive
biology, population genetics, and mating systems of two common species
of
the Western US, Delphinium nuttallianum, and D. barbeyi.
Delphinium nuttallianum blooms shortly after snowmelt and has
only 5-10 flowers
on a single stalk. This species is highly outcrossed and hence
shows
little spatial genetic structure. Delphinium barbeyi
blooms
later, and has hundreds of flowers on multiple stalks. Self
pollination
by geitonogamy (between flowers on the same plant) reduces outcrossing
to
about 50%, and populations are highly structured in space at a number
of
scales. With students and collaborators I am currently
investigating
the effect of variation in inflorescence size and plant density
on
the mating systems of these and other Delphinium species.
3. Alternative Male Mating Strategies and Multiple
Paternity in Burying Beetles. In
collaboration with
Dr. Rosemary Smith (ISU), I
have been investigating the paternity of burying beetle (Nicrophorus
sp.) broods using microsatellite markers. Burying beetles
have biparental care of their brood, which is raised on a buried small
mammal carcass as a resource. Larger males are at a reproductive
advantage in securing a carcass and defending it against intruding
males. Smaller males
may adopt a "female mimic" strategy in which they are able to sneak
copulations and thus gain at least partial paternity of broods they do
not help to
raise. Additionally, females may be able to store sperm and thus
not all offspring within the brood may by the progeny of the resident
male.
Using highly variable microsatellite DNA markers we are assessing the
prevalence
of multiple paternity in the field and the success of alternative male
strategies in laboratory-raised broods.
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Teaching
I've taught
several courses since coming to ISU. There are links to each
course web site for those I am currently teaching. I am also
involved in teaching and mentoring research students at The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory each
summer.
General Ecology -
BIOL 209. 4 credits; (Fall 2000)
Fall
Flora - BIOL
2213. 2 credits. Identification and natural history of regional fall
flora. Field trips, collections, laboratory examination of plant
material. Every Fall (Fall 2011)
Spring Flora - BIOL 2214.
2 credits. Identification and natural history of regional spring
flora. Field trips, collections, laboratory examination of plant
material. Every Spring (Spring 2010)
Ecological Topics
- BIOL 318/518. 2 credits. Molecular Techniques in
Ecology. PREREQ. BIOL 209 (Fall 1999).
General Genetics
- BIOL 358. 3 credits. Basic principles of heredity and
variation including transmission (Mendelian), molecular, and population
genetics. PREREQ: BIOL 101 AND 102, AND BIOL 206.
Every semester (Fall 2001, Spring 2006)
Systematic Botany
- BIOL 412/512. 4 credits. Study of the classification and
evolution of flowering
plants, and techniques of phylogeny reconstruction based on molecular
and
morphological characters. Collection and identification of local
flora.
Field trips. PREREQ: BIOL 101 AND 102, BIOL 358 and 417
recommended. Every Spring semester (Fall 2001, Spring 2003, 2004,
2008).
Plant-Animal
Interactions
- BIOL 442/542. 3 credits. Coevolutionary relationships of
plants and animals emphasizing pollination, herbivory, parasitism,
frugivory/seed dispersal and evolution of plant/animal form and
function. PREREQ: BIOL 209. Alternate Spring semesters
(2003, 2005, 2009).
Evolutionary Ecology -
BIOL 614. 3 credits. Evolutionary theory applied to
ecological processes. Topics include: selection theory,
ecological correlates of evolutionary forces, life-history theory,
ecological genetics, coevolution. PREREQ:
BIOL 209, 358, 417. Alternate Fall semesters (Fall 2002, 2004,
2007, 2009)
<>Seminar in
Floral
Biology - BIOL 692 - Reading and discussion of the primary
literature in pollination biology and floral evolution. Topics
include genetic basis of floral variation, adaptive nature of floral
traits, natural selection on floral form, floral gender dimorphism,
coevolution and speciation. Occasional offering (Spring 2005 - with
Paul Beardsley).
Phenotypic
Evolution Seminar - BIOL 692 - Reading and discussion of the primary
literature in morphological evolution and diversity, focusing on
adaptation, definitions of fitness, multivariate selection, and
speciation. Occasional offering (Spring 2005 - with Noah Anderson)
Darwin Seminar -
BIOL 499/599 - A seminar for graduate students and advanced
undergraduates to read and discuss Darwin's influential work.
Occasional offering (On the Origin of Species - Spring 2006, Descent of
Man and Selection in Relation to Sex - Fall 2008)
Ecology and
Evolution of Flowers Seminar - BIOL 499/599 - Using Harder and
Barrett's (2006) volume "Ecology and Evolution of Flowers" and the
primary literature to explore recent theoretical and empirical advances
in the field (Fall 2008)
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Students
INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS:
Students interested in research in molecular ecology, plant
reproductive ecology, and plant population genetics, evolution or
systematics are welcome to contact me about the graduate program and
potential research projects at ISU and RMBL. I have been actively
involved in training undergraduate and graduate students in research
and teaching. There are many opportunities for research at both
the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Department of Biological
Sciences at Idaho State University. The department offers
graduate training in the Master
of Science, Ph.D. and Doctor of Arts (for students emphasizing college
teaching) programs. There is funding available for both undergraduate
and graduate
research through the University Undergraduate and Graduate Research
Committees,
Teaching Assistanceships in the Department of Biological Sciences and
the NSF funded GK-12 program.
Graduate
students are encouraged to develop an independent research project and
apply
for external funding through State and Federal agencies, including the
National
Science Foundation.
GRADUATE
STUDENTS: Since moving to ISU I've worked with a
number of M.S. and Ph.D. students as
research advisor,
graduate committee member, and mentor for Doctor of Arts (D.A.)
teaching internships.
Some of the students
and projects are listed below:
Adjoa O. Ahedor (M.S. 2001).
Microsatellite analysis of a broad hybrid zone in the buckeye genus Aesculus
L.
(Hippcastanaceae).
Major Advisor with Dr. Jenny Xiang.
Noah Anderson (D.A. candidate).
Neurophysiology and evolution of feeding behaviors in turtles.
Committee Member.
Janet Bala (M.S. 2007). Resource
allocation and gender dimorphism in gynodioecious Geranium
richardsonii. Major Advisor.
Sheel Bansal (Ph.D. candidate).
Elevational effects on ecophysiology of Douglas Fir seedlings.
Committee Member.
Kayce Bell (M.S. 2006).
Phylogeographic history and population genetic structure of the Mojave
Ground
Squirrel, Spermophilus mohavensis. Committee
Member.
Aren Eddingsaas (M.S. 2003). Phylogenetics of Arctic Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus
parryii).
Committee Member
Nancy Hampton (Ph.D. Candidate).
Ecological dynamics of the sagebrush defoliator moth. Aroga websteri.
Committee Member.
Guichan Hou (Ph.D. 2001). Developmental and molecular genetic
studies of the root in the fern Ceratopteris
richardii. Committee
Member.
Deborah Johnson (Ph.D. 2007).
Evolution of the monosaccharide transporter gene family in land plants:
phylogenetic analysis
in a non-seed plant, Ceratopteris richardii. Committee Member
Chris Jenkins (Ph.D. 2007).
Distrubance effects on life histories of Great Basin Rattlesnakes (Crotalus
viridus
lutosus) in the
upper Snake River Plain. Committee Member.
Karen Kraus (M.S. Candidate). Effects of
fire-induced hydrophobic soils on lodgepole pine regeneration.
Major Advisor
Chang Liu (M.S. 2008).
Systematics and character evolution in Myoporum. Committee Member.
Jennifer Merriam (D.A. 2002).
D.A. teaching internship in Ecology, BIOS 209. Faculty Mentor.
Katie Miller (M.S. 2007). Population
genetics and mating system of Townsend's Big-eared bats.
Committee Member.
Erin Naegle (D.A. Candidate). Using tree-thinking to improve
comprehension of biological concepts.
Committee Member.
Sue Parsons (M.S. Candidate). Population structure of Great Basin
Rattlesnakes. Committee Member.
Jill Petrisko (D.A. 2003). Molecular
characterization and ecology of Saprolegnia and Achleya (Oomycota:
Saprolegniaceae).
Committee Member.
Kira Pontius (M.S. 2007). Elevational
effects on Nicrophorus life
history traits. Committee Member.
Faith Rudebusch (M.S. 2008). Effects of introduced species on
plant-pollinator interactions on an
Aleutian island. Committee Member.
Amy Runck (Ph.D. 2006).
Hybridization and introgression between vole species in a contact
zone.
Committee Member
Quinn Shurtliff (Ph.D. Candidate). Mechanisms of reproductive isolation
in a Neotoma contact zone.
Committee Member
Erik Tomasik (M.S. 2003). Genetic and morphological variation in
wolverine (Gulo gulo).
Committee Member.
Eric Waltari (Ph.D. 2004).
Comparative phylogeography of Arctic Hares, Beringian Shrews, and their
endoparasites.
Committee Member.
Byron Weckworth (M.S. 2003).
Biogeography and genetic analysis of South Alaskan Canis lupus.
Committee Member.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENTS:
I have worked with a large number of undergraduate research
students, mostly at the
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and
currently at ISU. Many of these students
have been involved in
the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at RMBL. Many
of these
students have gone on
to graduate schools in ecology, evolution, and genetics. A
partial list of students and
their projects are
below:
Carla Cortes Baez
(2002). Effect
of sex ratio on pollen load and seed production in gynodioecious Geranium
richardsonii.
RMBL-REU and University of Puerto Rico.
Penny Ciak (2002-03). Pollinator
community structure and pollination efficiency in the sage-steppe. Idaho
State University.
Allison Drew (1997). Pollinator
choice of flower size and sexual morph in Geranium richardsonii.
RMBL and
Cornell University.
(Currently in graduate school, UC-Berkeley).
Maria Garza (1996). Distribution and
habitat characterization of subalpine chiropteran species. RMBL and
Texas
A&M-Kingsville.
Amanda Gibson (2000). The
effect of plant size and local population structure on pollinator
attraction in
gynodioecious Geranium
richardsonii (Geraniaceae). RMBL-REU and Drew University.
(Currently in
graduate school,
University of Maryland).
Jonathan Godfrey (2001-02).
Developing chloroplast DNA markers to study gene flow and gender
dimorphism in
gynodioecious Geranium richardsonii. Idaho State
University. (Medical School)
Jeremy Green (2002). Effects of
phenology and density on pollination and the mating system in Delphinium
nuttallianum.
NIH-BRIN Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Idaho State University.
(teaches High School)
Sarah Harney (1996). Correlation
between insect abundance and foraging activity of the sub-alpine bats of
Gothic, Colorado. RMBL
and Nebraska Wesleyan University (attended graduate school, University
of
Connecticut-Storrs).
Jennifer Howeth (2001). Genetic
structure within populations of Geranium richardsonii. RMBL
Research
Internship. (currently
in graduate school, University of Texas-Austin).
Steve Karrer (1996). Gene flow and
genetic structure among populations of Geranium richardsonii in
Colorado. Nebraska
Wesleyan University.
Jodi McKay (2001-2002). Paternity
analysis of burying beetles to determine alternative mating behaviors.
Idaho State
University. (Attending graduate school in genetics, Iowa State
University).
Kelly O’Malley (1998). Estimation
of selfing rate and inbreeding depression in gynodioecious Geranium
richardsonii.
RMBL-REU and Saint John's College (M.S. from Duke University)
Maria Piantek (2001). The effect of
hermaphrodite density and frequency at three spatial scales on the
pollen
receipt and seed set
of gynodioecious Geranium richardsonii (Geraniaceae).
RMBL-REU and Truman
State University.
Martha Palomino Tovar (1999). A
comparison of reproductive effort between hermaphrodites and females of
Geranium richardsonii:
implications for maintenance of gynodioecy. RMBL-Americas
Scholarship and
National Autonomous
University of Mexico, UNAM. (Attending graduate school in
ecology, UC-Berkeley)
Jose Luis Ramirez (2001-02). Paternity analysis of burying
beetles to determine alternative mating behaviors.
Idaho State University.
(attending graduate school in entomology at U-C Riverside)
Jessica Ruvinsky (1995). Population
genetic structure and the effect of the breeding system in Delphinium
barbeyi.
RMBL and Yale University (Ph.D. from Stanford University)
Donald Sandmann (2002). Effects of
selfing and outcrossing on the maintenance of gynodioecy in wild
geranium (Geranium
richardsonii). Idaho State University. (teaching High School
biology/art)
Jay Storz (1994). Summer population
structure and habitat selection of subalpine bats near Gothic, Colorado.
RMBL and University of
Colorado. (Ph.D. from Boston University, Postdoc at University of
Arizona).
Josh Sutherland (2005). Estimating clone
size and diversity in Fireweed using AFLP. Idaho State University.
Mariko Squires (2004). AFLP
variation in progeny arrays of Delphinium barbeyi. Idaho State
University.
Mark Viera (1995). Correlation of environmental parameters and
insect abundance to bat foraging patterns.
RMBL-REU.
(Attended graduate school, Colorado State University).
Jeff Wheeler (2001-02). Developing
chloroplast DNA markers to study gene flow and gender dimorphism in
gynodioecious Geranium
richardsonii. Idaho State University. (attending Medical
School)
Rachel Winston (2004).
Identification of intraspecific sequence variation in chloroplast
DNA of Geranium
richardsonii. Idaho State University
(attending graduate school at University of Idaho).
Trent Wimmer (1996). Gynodioecy in Brassica rapa and its
effects on pollen production and petal size.
Nebraska Wesleyan
University.
Top of Page
Publications
Downloadable .pdf
versions of some of these papers are available by clicking on the links
below. If you need a
copy of Acrobat Reader for your computer it can be downloaded for free
at the Adobe
Acrobat site.
Thomas,
D.T., A.R. Ahedor, C.F. Williams, C. DePamphilis, D.J. Crawford, and
Q.-Y. Xiang. 2008.
Genetic analysis of a broad hybrid zone in Aesculus
(Sapindaceae) – Is there
evidence of
long-distance pollen dispersal? International Journal of Plant
Sciences 169(5):647-657.
Petrisko, J.,
C.A. Pearl,
D.S. Pilliod, P.P. Sheridan, C.F. Williams, C.R. Peterson, and R.B.
Bury. 2008.
Saprolegniaceae identified on
amphibian eggs throughout the Pacific Northwest, USA,
by internal
transcribed spacer sequences and
phylogenetic
analysis. Mycologia 100(2):171-180.
Williams, C.F.
2007. Effects of floral display size and biparental inbreeding on
outcrossing rates in
Delphinium barbeyi
(Ranunculaceae). American Journal of Botany 94(10): 1696-1705.
Keeler, K. H., C.
F. Williams, and L. S. Vescio. 2002. Clone size of Andropogon
gerardii Vitman (Big
Bluestem) at Konza Prairie, Kansas. American Midland Naturalist
147:295-304.
Williams, C. F.,
Ruvinsky, J., Scott, P. E., and D. K. Hews. 2001.
Pollination, breeding system, and genetic
structure in two sympatric Delphinium (Ranunculaceae)
species. American Journal of Botany 88(9):
1623-1633.
Waser, N. M., and
C. F. Williams. 2001. Inbreeding and outbreeding. Pp.
84-98 In C.W. Fox, D. A. Roff, and
D. J. Fairburn (eds.), Evolutionary ecology: concepts and case
studies. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, UK.
Williams, C. F.,
M. A. Kuchenreuther, and A. Drew. 2000. Floral
dimorphism,
pollinator attraction and
self-fertilization in gynodioecious Geranium richardsonii.
(Geraniaceae). American Journal of Botany
87:661-669.
Williams, C. F.
and N. M. Waser. 1999. Spatial genetic structure in Delphinium
nuttallianum: inferences
about gene flow. Heredity 83(5):541-550.
Storz, J. F., and
C. F. Williams. 1996. Summer population structure of
subalpine
bats in Colorado.
Southwestern Naturalist 41(3):322-324.
Williams, C.
F. 1994. Genetic consequences of seed dispersal in
three
sympatric forest herbs. II.
Microspatial genetic structure within populations. Evolution
48(6): 1959-1972. [Evol94b.pdf]
Williams, C. F.
and R. P. Guries. 1994. Genetic consequences of seed
dispersal in three sympatric forest
herbs. I. Hierarchical population genetic structure.
Evolution 48(3): 791-805. [Evol94a.pdf]
Fleming, T.H.,
and C.F.
Williams. 1990. Phenology, seed dispersal, and
recruitment
in
Cecropia peltata
(Cecropiaceae) in Costa Rican tropical dry forest. J. Trop.
Ecol. 6:163-178.
Mock, D.W., T. C.
Lamey, C.F. Williams, and A. Pelletier. 1987.
Flexibility in the development of heron sibling
aggression: an intraspecific test of the prey-size hypothesis.
Anim. Behav. 35:1386-1393.
Williams,
C.F. 1986. Social organization of the bat, Carollia
perspicillata (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae).
Ethology 71:265-282.
Fleming, T.H.,
C.F. Williams, F.J. Bonaccorso, and L.H. Herbst. 1985.
Phenology, seed dispersal, and
colonization in Muntingia calabura, a neotropical pioneer
tree. Amer. J. Botany 72:383-391.
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Curriculum Vitae
Download a .pdf
version of my recent CV (updated
August 2007)
EDUCATION and
TRAINING:
1992/93
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California-Riverside and RMBL
Project Title: Spatial genetic structure and genetic demography
of Delphinium nelsonii.
Advisor: Nickolas M. Waser
1991
Ph.D. in Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Dissertation title: Spatial genetic consequences of seed
dispersal: a comparative study of
three sympatric forest herbs (Umbelliferae). Advisor:
Donald M. Waller
1985
M.S. in Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL.
Thesis title: Social organization of the bat, Carollia
perspicillata (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae).
Advisor: Theodore H. Fleming
1979
B.S. in Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK.
RESEARCH
INTERESTS:
Ecology and
evolution of gynodioecy, population genetic consequences of
plant-animal interactions and dispersal, molecular population genetics,
spatial genetic structure of plant populations, evolution of plant
mating systems and co-evolution of
plants and pollinators, ecology and genetics of invasive plants,
pollination and seed dispersal biology, plant evolutionary ecology,
ecology and behavior of bats, birds, and insects.
EMPLOYMENT AND
TEACHING RECORD:
2008-present
Associate Professor, Department of
Biological Sciences, Idaho State Univ.
Curator of
Botany, Ray J. Davis Herbarium, Idaho Museum of Natural History
2001- 2008 Assistant Professor,
Department of
Biological Sciences, Idaho State Univ.;
General Genetics, Plant Systematics, Evolutionary Ecology, Plant-Animal
Interactions
2000- 2002
Program Coordinator; NSF Research
Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site Grant;
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
1999-2001
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho
State Univ.;
Molecular Methods in Ecology Seminar; General Ecology
1994-1998
Assistant Professor of Biology, Nebraska Wesleyan University;
Introductory Botany,
Genetics, Evolution, Research Design, Natural History of Yucatan.
1993-
present Instructor, Field Ecology, Rocky
Mountain Biological Laboratory (93-94),
Research Design and Analysis (96), supervised undergraduate independent
research
students and REUs (93-04).
PROFESSIONAL
AFFILIATIONS:
Botanical Society
of America, Ecological Society of
America, Society for the Study of Evolution, Sigma Xi.
SERVICE:
Associate Editor:
Evolution (2002-2004)
Reviewer
for: American Journal of Botany, American Naturalist, Australian
J. Botany, Biotropica,
Canadian Journal of Botany,
Ecology, Ecology Letters, Evolution, Functional Ecology, Genetics,
Heredity, Journal of
Heredity, Journal of
Tropical
Ecology,
Oecologia,
The
Prairie Naturalist, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, National Science
Foundation
Rocky Mountain
Biological Laboratory:
Member of the Board of Trustees (two 5 year terms; 1996-2000,
2001-2005); Secretary (2001-2003).
Service on numerous committees, including: Research Committee
(1993-2001, Chair 1993-96),
Land Protection Committee (Chair 1996-97), Curriculum Committee
(1995-1997, 2000), Internal Review
Committees (1996-98), Master Plan Revision Committee
(1999-2000), Douglas Distinguished Lecturer
Committee (1994-2004).
Idaho State
University – Department of Biological Sciences:
Evolutionary Geneticist search committee (2001)
Curriculum Review Committee (2002)
Department
Chair Search Committee (2003)
Plant
Biologist Search Committee (2003)
Teaching Committee (2004-present)
Facultly Sponsor for Biology Graduate Student
Association (2003-present)
Faculty Periodic Performance Review Committees
(2004, 2006)
Department Seminar Series Organizer
(2007-present)
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Etcetera
Southeast Idaho
and Southwest Colorado are pretty nice places to live and work!
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