The Gratton Lab recently welcomed yet another fantastic post-doc to the team!  Brian Spiesman joins us from Florida, where he completed his Master’s Degree at The University of Florida and his PhD with Dr. Brian Inouye at Florida State.   While he unfortunately did not bring the warm sunshine with him when he moved to Wisconsin, we are happy to have him here nonetheless!  Read more about Brian below.   

Where did you grow up?:  Ridgefield, WA

What was your PhD research all about?:  I studied the effects of habitat loss on plant-pollinator networks.  I found that habitat loss changes the local community composition, and these changes can have consequences for the stability of plant- pollinator networks.  

What will you be researching in the Gratton Lab?:  I will be examining how the harvesting regime within bioenergy grasslands affects pollinator communities.  Grasslands are thought to have conservation value for pollinators, but this value can change based on how the grasslands are harvested in biofuel production.

What interests you most about ecology?:  I am interested in species interactions and biogeography.  Or, more specifically, the factors that affect why species are found in certain habitats or locations.  I am interested in how local and landscape factors interact to affect the biotic community of a place.  

What excites you most about working in the Gratton Lab?:  I am excited to continuing working on pollinators, as I did for my PhD, but to continue this research in an applied context, combining basic and applied ecology.

What are your hobbies?:  Triathlons and carpentry.

This article was posted in Lab News.