Chemical Ecology is the study of the role of chemical substances in mediating
relationships between organisms. My particular interest is in the phenomenon of
allelopathy, or chemical interference among higher plants. 

It has long been suspected that toxic chemicals released by plants into the soil may
function as natural herbicides to inhibit the growth of neighboring plants. If this is
the case, such chemicals could influence important ecological processes such as
successional changes in plant communities over time, and nutrient cycles. Recently, it
has been proposed that the success of certain invasive plants might be due to the
chemical toxins they produce. One of the major barriers to evaluating these ideas has
been the difficulty of analyzing the release of these chemicals in the soil. My recent
work focuses on the development and application of new polymer-based materials such as
polydimethylsiloxanes that can trap these chemicals as they are released in the soil,
allowing these toxins to be isolated and measured. This research will provide an
inexpensive tool for other scientists to use in investigating these problems. This work
is funded by the National Science Foundation, Division of Ecological Biology. 

The broader implications of this project are two-fold. First, understanding how chemicals
released by plants do or do not function as natural herbicides may suggest new ways to
manage and control certain invasive species that have caused widespread damage to natural
and managed land. In agriculture, such chemicals might be used as more ecologically-sound
replacements for synthetic herbicides. 

In addition to my currently funded work on rhizosphere analysis, a significant portion of
my previous research has been in the area of greenhouse and field methods for studies of
chemical interference between plants. It has proven extraordinarily difficult to
demonstrate that the inhibition of plant growth observed in the field or greenhouse are
due to toxic chemicals being released by a neighbor, and not due to effects such as
competition for moisture and nutrients. We have found that phytotoxic effects are
density-dependent at low plant densities, there is more of the toxin available per plant
and therefore a greater toxic effect than is observed at higher densities. This sort of
response is inconsistent with resource competition. 

Allelopathic Effects of Florida Scrub Perennials

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Allelochemicals as a mechanism for resisting invasion: the case of polygonella myriophylla (with John Romeo), Invasive Plants: Ecological and Agricultural Aspects (2005)
 

OpenURL

Allelochemicals of polygonella myriophylla: chemistry and soil degradation (with John Romeo), Journal of Chemical Ecology (2004)
Gallic acid and hydroquinone have been identified as the major allelochemicals of the known allelopathic...
 

Allelopathy -- Research Methods

OpenURL

Solid-phase root zone extraction (SPRE): a new methodology for measurement of allelochemical dynamics in soil (with Philip D. Boes and David S. Wilcox), Plant and Soil (2009)
Root exudates are implicated in the chemical defense of plants, but testing such hypotheses has...
 

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Dynamic root exudation of sorgoleone and its in planta mechanism of action. (with Dayan E. Franck and J' Lynn Howell), Journal of Experimental Botany (2009)
The oily droplets exuded from the root hairs of sorghum are composed of a 1:1...
 

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Distinguished allelopathy from resource competition: the role of density, Allelopathy: a Physiological Process with Ecological Implications (2006)
 

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Bioassays for allelopathy in terrestrial plants (with John T. Romeo), Methods in Chemical Ecology, Vol. 2, Bioassay methods (1998)
 

Lead Contamination

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Lead contamination of inexpensive seasonal and holiday products., The Science of the Total Environment (2009)
Lead is a potent neurotoxin and because of this, the US regulatory limit for lead...
 

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Lead contamination of inexpensive plastic jewelry (with Jamie L. Yost), Science of the total environment (2008)
The neurological hazards of lead to children are well-known. As a result of recent documented...
 

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Evidence of recycling of lead battery waste into highly leaded jewelry (with Micheal L. Clement), Chemosphere (2007)
Inexpensive highly leaded jewelry, much of it imported from China, remains widely available in the...
 

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Leaded electronic waste is a possible material for lead-contaminated jewelry (with Michael L. Clement), Chemosphere (2007)
Highly leaded jewelry, often imported from China, remains widely available in the United States. Leaded...
 

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Widespread lead contamination of imported low-cost jewelry in the US (with Michael L. Clement), Chemosphere (2007)
Recent recalls of lead-contaminated jewelry and the death of a Minnesota child by lead poisoning...