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Distinguished University Professor of Ecology
Map of Historic Prairies in Illinois (1820)
Link to historic prairie map (high quality)
Research interests: I am a restoration
ecologist. In our laboratory, our studies include ecology
of garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) an invasive plant, impact of deer browsing on
native vegetation, historic
vegetation, prairie restoration, the effect of fire on
vegetation, and the ecology of mycorrhizae. We are housed in the Science
Laboratory Building that includes a greenhouse devoted to research, a set of
growth chambers, controlled environmental rooms, and a spacious research area.
Current Graduate Students:
Mitch Slater is studying the influence of deer browsing on tree species composition and successional patterns in mesic forest. The focus of his research is on changes in species abundance in seedling, sapling, and small tree strata due to differential browsing of white-tailed deer on sugar maple and paw paw. Observation indicate that deer browse sugar maple but not browse paw paw. During the past summer (2008), Mitch resampled permanent plots in Funks Grove that were established in 2002 to document changes in tree species' composition and abundance in the three strata described above. If these data confirm differential browsing on the two species, chemical tests for tannin related compounds in winter twigs of the two species and possible tests for deer preferences for twigs of the two woody species will be conducted. Since both species occupy shady forest understory, photosynthesis light response curves and growth rates will be determined for both species to determine if shade tolerance could be responsible for what appears to be increasing abundance of paw paw.
Alicia Mullarkey is studying the breeding system of garlic mustard. When an invasive plant species enter new environments self-pollination may be the only way to ensure fertilization and subsequent seed set, as there are initially very few conspecifics and/or pollinators in the new environment. This may result in high rates of inbreeding in the introduced range. While a high rate of inbreeding can have the short-term benefit of reproductive assurance, it may also lead to the long-term cost of inbreeding depression or the lowered fitness of inbred individuals to their non-inbred counterparts. No studies have experimentally determined the degree of inbreeding depression occurring in this species. The proposed research will allow us to determine if there is a fitness cost to high rates of inbreeding in the rapid expansion of garlic mustard
Selected Recent Publications:
Bauer, J. T., R. C. Anderson, M. R. Anderson. 2009. Competitive Interactions among First-year and Second-year Plants of the Invasive, Biennial Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and Native Ground Layer Vegetation. Restoration Ecology (in press).
Anderson, Roger C. 2008. Growth and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal (AMF) Colonization of Two Prairie Grasses grown in Soil from Restorations of Three Ages. Restoration Ecology 16: (in press).
Anderson, Roger C. 2006. Evolution and origin of the central grassland of North America: climate, fire, and mammalian grazers. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society133:626-647. Grassland Evolution.pdf
Anderson, R.C., Brad Dorick, and Teresa Crispino. 2007. Impact of species richness and deer browsing on the quality of restored prairie in central Illinois. Ecological Restoration 25:99-102.
Raghu, S., R. C. Anderson, C. C. Daehler, A. S. Davis, R. N. Wiedenmann, D. Simberloff, and R. N. Mack. 2006. Adding biofuels to the invasive species fire? Science 313:1742. Biofuels.pdf
Anderson, R. C., Suzanne L. Jones, and Richard Swigart. 2006. Modifying distance methods to improve estimates of historical tree density from General Land Office survey records. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 133: 449-459. GLO Distance Methods.pdf
Anderson, R. C., D. Nelson, M. R. Anderson, and M. A. Rickey. 2005. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) browsing effects on tallgrass prairie forbs: diversity and species abundances. Natural Areas Journal 25:19-25. Natural Areas Journal.pdf
Myers, C. V., R. C. Anderson, and D. L. Byers. 2005. Influence of shading on the growth and leaf photosynthesis of the invasive non-indigenous plant garlic mustard [Alliaria petiolata (M.Bieb) Cavara and Grande] grown under simulated late-winter to mid-spring conditions. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 132: 1-10. J. Torrey Botanical Soc. pdf
Additional Representative Publications:
Myers, C. V. and R. C. Anderson. 2003. Seasonal variation in photosynthetic rates influences success of an invasive, exotic plant garlic mustard [Alliaira petiolata (M. Bieb.) Cavara and Grande]. American Midland Naturalist 150:231-245.
Houseman, Gregory R. and Roger C. Anderson. 2002. Effects of various management practices in jack pine plantations on ground cover preferred by Kirtland’s Warbler. Restoration Ecology 10:27-36. Restoration Ecology.pdf
Anderson, Roger C., M. Rebecca Anderson and Gregory Houseman. 2002. Wild American Ginseng. Native Plants Journal 3:93-105. Native Plant Journal.pdf
Roberts, Karl J. and Roger C. Anderson. 2001. Effect of garlic mustard [Alliaria petiolata (Beib. Cavara & Grande)] extracts on plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. American Midland Naturalist 146:146-152.
Anderson, Roger C., John E. Schwegman, and M. Rebecca Anderson. 2000. Micro-scale restoration: A twenty-five year history of a southern Illinois barrens. Restoration Ecology 8:296-306.
Anderson, Roger C., James S. Fralish, and Jerry M. Baskin (editors). 1999. Savannas, barrens, and rock outcrop plant communities of North America. Cambridge University Press, New York, Pp. 470.Savannas, barrens, and rock outcrop plant communities of North America.
Anderson, Roger C. and Eric Menges. 1997. Effect of fire on sandhill herbs: nutrients, mycorrhizae, and biomass allocation, American Journal of Botany 84:938-948.
Anderson. Roger C., Shivcharn S. Dhillion, and Timothy E. Kelley. 1996. Aspects of the ecology of garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) in central Illinois. Restoration Ecology 4:81-91.
Anderson, R. C., J. S. Fralish, J. E. Armstrong, and P. Benjamin. 1993. The ecology and biology of Panax quinquefolium L. (Araliaceae) in Illinois. American Midland Naturalist 129:357-372.
Anderson, R. C. 1994 Height of white-flower trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) as an index of deer browsing intensity. Ecological Applications 4:104-109.
Anderson, R. C., B. A. Hetrick, and G. W. T. Wilson. 1994. Mycorrhizal dependency of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) in two prairie soils. American Midland Naturalist 132:366-376.
Dhillion, Shivcharn S. and Roger C. Anderson. 1994. Production on burned and unburned sand prairies during drought and non-drought years. Vegetatio 115:51-59.
Anderson, R. C. and Alan J. Katz. 1993. Recovery of browse- sensitive tree species following release from white- tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) browsing pressure. Biological Conservation 63:203-208.
Anderson, Roger C. and Anthony E. Liberta. 1992. Influence of supplemental inorganic nutrients on growth, survivorship, and mycorrhizal relationships of Schizachyrium scoparium (Poaceae) grown in fumigated and unfumigated soil. American Journal of Botany 79:406-414.
Anderson, R. C., T. Leahy, and S. S. Dhillion. 1989. Numbers and biomass of selected insect groups on burned and unburned sand prairie. American Midland Naturalist 122:151-162.
Anderson, Roger C., and Orie L. Loucks. 1979. Influence of white-tailed deer on the structure and composition of hemlock forests. Journal of Applied Ecology 16:855-862.
Anderson, Roger C. and Orie Loucks. 1973. Aspects of the biology of Trientalis borealis Raf. Ecology 54:798-808.
Roger Anderson Curriculum Vitae
Map Below: Historic Prairie in Illinois and Wisconsin from Corbett, E. A. and Roger C. Anderson. 2006. Landscape analysis of Illinois and Wisconsin remnant prairies. The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 133:267-279. Illinois and Wisconsin remnant prairies
Awards and Recognition:
Kappa Delta Pi - Honor Society in Education, 1962
College of Arts and Sciences Lecturer, ISU, 1984-85
Elected Fellow of the Illinois Academy of Science, l988
College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Researcher ISU, 1990-91
Outstanding University Researcher - ISU; 1991
Distinguished University Professor of Biology - ISU, 1994
University Service Award – ISU 2002
World of Difference Award, Ecology Action Center, Normal, Illinois, 2003
Centennial Scientist and Key Note Speaker , 2007,Celebrating the 100th year of the Illinois State Academy of Science
Courses I teach:
BSC 201 General Ecology
BSC 223 Ecology and Identification of Plants
BSC 337 Restoration Ecology 2009
Course Information BSC 337 Spring 2009
Course Syllabus BSC 337 Spring 2009
BSC 403 Plant Ecology
Other Activities:
Member of the Editorial Board of Restoration Ecology
Member McLean County Greenway Committee
I am a past President and current board member of the ParkLands Foundation, a non-profit, private foundation that purchases and protects and restores natural lands in McLean County, Illinois. These properties are used for passive recreation by the public, education, and research. .
Visit the ParkLands Foundations Web Page www.ParklandsFoundation.org
My email address is rcander@ilstu.edu.
Call me at 309-438-2653