Plant Ecology and Conservation

Orchid Ecology Research Network (OERN)

The Sharma Lab investigates how biotic and abiotic processes interact over spatial, temporal, and taxonomic scales to explain the dynamics of angiosperm populations and communities. Our projects include complementary manipulative and non-manipulative studies in epiphytic and terrestrial plant communities and are supported by national and international funding agencies including NSF, DoD, DoI (USFWS, NPS), IUCN, and NFWF. Students and fellows conduct, analyze, and communicate their research in collaboration with multidisciplinary national and international teams. They have access to field locations in remote areas and renowned scientists along with cutting-edge molecular techniques and laboratory facilities in the U.S. We emphasize special opportunities in team-building, which is an increasingly vital component of science. Further, the students' experiences within our program provide an opportunity to bridge 'basic' ecological and 'applied' studies, two approaches that have historically been isolated but are now moving toward synthesis.