Université de Sherbrooke
Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Mark Vellend
Start: 2017-06-01
End: 2021-09-01

Project

Epiphytic lichens and bryophytes in Mount Mégantic National Park, QC
I am interested in researching how epiphytic lichens and bryophyte communities change across vertical, elevational, and ecological gradients in Mount Mégantic National Park, Quebec. Studying epiphytic lichens and mosses is an excellent opportunities for addressing fundamental questions about how species distribution limits influence biodiversity in the eastern forests. A tree trunk can represent many gradients (i.e., vertical, circular) in a single site. Additionally, the distinctive deciduous – coniferous gradient in Mount Mégantic National Park makes it an ideal place to study how epiphytic communities changes between forest types.

Keywords

Bryophytes, Lichens, Epiphytes, Temperate forests, ecology

Publications

1- Thermal segregation drives patterns of alder and willow expansion in a montane ecosystem subject to climate warming
Rinas, Christina L., Roman J. Dial, Patrick F. Sullivan, T. Scott Smeltz, S. Carl Tobin, Michael Loso, Jason E. Geck,
2017 Journal of Ecology

2- Shrubline but not treeline advance matches climate velocity in montane ecosystems of south-central Alaska
Dial, Roman J., T. Scott Smeltz, Patrick F. Sullivan, Christina L. Rinas, Katriina Timm, Jason E. Geck, S. Carl Tobin, Trevor S. Golden, Edward C. Berg
2016 Global Change Biology