Arlee Montalvo Assistant Research Plant Population Biologist II Department of Botany and Plant Sciences University of California Riverside, CA 92521 montalvo@citrus.ucr.edu

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

One of my primary areas of interest is in applying the principles of population genetics and evolutionary theory to the restoration and conservation of natural populations. I have always been fascinated by the tremendous variation in morphology and life-history strategies exhibited both within and among populations of plants. A unifying theme of my research is how the genetic and environmental backgrounds of populations influence plant phenotypes and the success of individuals growing under different conditions. I am also interested in understanding the potential of natural populations to adapt to new environments, and how management practices influence the evolutionary potential of populations. This has been my major focus since graduate school. The first year of my postdoctoral experience was spent as a University of California Presidentıs Fellow at the University of California, Irvine where I worked with Dr. Arthur Weis on the development of a model system for testing quantitative and ecological genetics questions relevant to conservation. The next two years were spent as a postdoctoral fellow at the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Fire Lab in Riverside, where I worked with Dr. Susan Conard on the clonal structure and genetic diversity of canyon live oak. The last three years of my postdoc were spent as the Principal Investigator on studies that examine hypotheses about the importance of using local gene pools of native plants in habitat restoration of coastal sage scrub vegetation. This research has continued to be my main research focus since coming to UCR in 1997 and forms the basis of a series of expanded collaborative studies with Dr. Norman Ellstrand. In 1997 I also began collaborating with Dr. Edith Allen on adaptive management oriented research funded by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. We have worked on projects including tests of three different seed application methods in the restoration of coastal sage scrub, ground testing a new source-identified seed certification program with the California Crop Improvement Association, and examining the success of local native plants inoculated with site specific mycorrhizal fungi. One of our main goals is to communicate directly with agencies and practitioners of restoration to target important questions and to facilitate rapid communication of research results to users.