TOP Jim is a biologist with interests that range from the biochemistry of secondary plant compounds to nutrient cycling in ecosystems, and from the physiological ecology of plants to the coevolution of fruits and avian frugivores. For his specialization in plant ecology he draws on plant morphology and anatomy, plant systematics, evolution, physiological ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, landscape ecology, soil sciences, horticulture, and multivariate analysis. Jim grew up in East Tennessee, and from an early age took to the woods and natural history in the species-rich forests near home. Among other important events in his youth, Jim's decision to study plant ecology was inspired by a Field Biology trip in college to the diverse environments of the American Southwest, by two summers immersed in the biological diversity of the Great Smoky Mountains while working at a hiking lodge on Mount LeConte, and by his first job as a field technician at Uplands Research Lab in the Smokies, assisting a study of the origins and history of grassy balds. Belowground Processes Undergraduate independent study and research supervised Betts, Josh.
Environmental consciousness is a guiding factor in golf course design and management today.
Thesis for the B.A. in Liberal Studies. A floristic comparison of five habitats in the vicinity of Poultney, Vermont. Trees of the Poultney River Environs. Flora of Newport Rhode Island. Fall 2000, Spring 2001.