Teaching

Plant Biology, BOT 1404, Spring 2008. 
Prerequisite: BIOL 1114.  Morphology and anatomy of plants. Plant functioning: photosynthesis, water relations, translocation hormonal regulation, photoperiodism. Survey of the plant divisions, algae and fungi.

General Ecology, BIOL 3034, Fall 2008.
Prerequisites: BOT 1404, ZOOL 1604 or equivalent, MATH 1513 or 1715. Physical and biotic environment, responses of organisms to the environment, behavioral and community ecology, natural ecosystems and man's interaction with ecosystems.

Research

The main thrust of my research is to understand the ecological and genetic forces that control phenotypic diversity and shape adaptive evolution in plants. At a more general level, I am interested in the interplay between ecology and evolution, addressing questions from molecular evolution to population ecology. My research combines observations from wild populations and manipulative experiments, demographic and population projection modeling, and population genetics to gain insights into the selective forces in natural populations and their consequences for population persistence and evolutionary change.

Recent Publications

Burns, J. H., T.-L. Ashman, J. A. Steets, A. Harmon-Threatt, and T. M. Knight. 2011. A phylogenetically controlled analysis of the roles of reproductive traits in plant invasions. Oecologia 166(4):1009-1017.

Alonso, C., J. C. Vamosi, T. M. Knight, J. A. Steets, and T.-L. Ashman. 2010. Is reproduction of endemic plant species particularly pollen limited in biodiversity hotspots? Oikos 119:1192-1200.

Steets, J. A. and T.-L. Ashman. 2010. Maternal effects of herbivory in Impatiens capensis. International Journal of Plant Sciences 171:509-518.

Steets, J. A., N. Takebayashi, J. M. Byrnes, and D. E. Wolf. 2010. Heterogeneous selection on trichome production in Alaskan Arabidopsis kamchatica (Brassicaceae). American Journal of Botany 97(7):1-11.

Burd, M., T.-L. Ashman, D.R. Campbell, M.R. Dudash, M.O. Johnston, T.M. Knight, S.J. Mazer, R.J. Mitchell, J.A. Steets, and J.C. Vamosi. 2009. Ovule number per flower in a world of unpredictable pollination. American Journal of Botany 96(6):1159-1167.

Steets, J. A., J. R. Auld, D. E. Wolf and T.-L. Ashman. 2007. The role of natural enemies in the expression and evolution of mixed mating in hermaphroditic plants and animals. Evolution 61(9): 2043-2055.

Steets, J. A., T. M. Knight, and T.-L. Ashman. 2007. The interactive effect of vegetative herbivory and mating system for the demography of Impatiens capensis. American Naturalist 170 (1): 113-127.

Knight, T. M., J. A. Steets, and T.-L. Ashman. 2006. A quantitative synthesis of pollen supplementation experiments highlights the contribution of resource reallocation to estimates of pollen limitation. American Journal of Botany 93 (2): 271-277.

Steets, J. A., J. L. Hamrick, and T.-L. Ashman. 2006. The consequences of vegetative herbivory for the maintenance of intermediate outcrossing in an annual plant. Ecology 87(11): 2717-2727.

Steets, J. A., R. Salla, and T.-L. Ashman. 2006. Competition-dependent effects of herbivory for mating system expression in Impatiens capensis. The American Naturalist 167 (4): 591-600.

Vamosi, J. C., T. M. Knight, J. A. Steets, S. J. Mazer, M. Burd, and T.-L. Ashman. 2006. Pollination decays in biodiversity hotspots. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103(4): 956-961.

Knight, T. M., J. A. Steets, J. Vamosi, M. Burd, D. Campbell, M. Dudash, M. Johnston, S. J. Mazer, R. J. Mitchell, and T.-L. Ashman. 2005. Pollen limitation of plant reproduction: pattern and process. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 36: 467-497.

For a complete publication list see here.