Elizabeth Elle
Plant-pollinator interactions in Communities and Landscapes
Office: B8242 Lab: B9224
Phone: 778-782-4592
email: eelle@sfu.ca
Current and Former Lab Members
Plant-pollinator interactions in Communities and Landscapes
Former Postdocs
Laura Melissa Guzman, PhD.
Determinants of pollinator diversity; Ecological data science
Melissa is currently a faculty member at the University of Southern California
Sandy Gillespie, PhD.
Competition among bumble bees is mediated by the plant community context (specifically invasive species)
Sandy is currently a faculty member at the University of the Fraser Valley.
Scott Chamberlain, PhD
Shared NSERC-CANPOLIN post-doc with Jana Vamosi, U. Calgary
Community phylogenetics and trait distribution patterns in plants, pollinators, and plant-pollinator networks in Canada.
Scott is active in writing (and sharing) R code with http://ropensci.org/
Yvonne Davila, PhD
Shared NSERC-CANPOLIN post-doc with Jana Vamosi, U. Calgary
Pollen limitation and insect visit patterns: a review
Yvonne has returned down under where she is most definitely not faffing. She is teaching, actually.
Alida Janmaat, PhD
Extra-floral nectaries and multi-trophic interactions in Collinsia
Alida is currently an Instructor at the University of the Fraser Valley, where she continues her research on plant-insect interactions
Former Grad Students
Allison Dennert, PhD 2023 (co-supervised with John Reynolds)
The influence of salmon-derived nutrients in coastal plant communities
Allison currently is the Quantitative Salmon Ecologist at Raincoast.
Tyler Kelly, MSc 2019
Plant-Pollinator interactions of the oak-savanna: Evaluation of community structure and dietary specialization.
Tyler is lab manager for the WoRCS (Working to Restore Connectivity and Sustainability) lab at UBC, and a founding member of the Native Bee Society of BC.
Kyle Bobiwash, PhD 2018
Designing an integrated crop pollination system for blueberry in B.C.
Kyle is now an assistant professor at U. Manitoba!
Here is a news story.
Michelle Toshack, MSc 2018
Pollinator and Bird diversity on Conventional vs. Organic Farms
Michelle is now working for Adventure Scientists
Lindsey Button, MSc 2014
The effects of landscape and agricultural practices on pollination, bee diversity, and yield in Highbush Blueberry.
Lindsey is a Research Specialist at the University of Nebraska.
Julie Wray, MSc 2013
Pollinator guild use of natural versus man-made landscapes surrounding Garry Oak Ecosystem fragments on Vancouver Island BC.
Julie is an Invertebrate Conservation Technician for the BC Conservation Foundation.
Sherri Elwell, MSc 2012
Grazing intensity and plant-pollinator community interactions in antelope brush shrubsteppe of the South Okanagan
Sherri is an ecosystems biologist with the BC Ministry of Forest, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
Grahame Gielens, MSc 2012
Pollen limitation and plant-pollinator interaction networks in the Garry Oak Ecosystem
Grahame works in program and policy development for the Government of BC.
Lisa Neame, MSc 2009
Fragmentation effects on pollinator guilds and wildflower seed-set in an Oak-Savannah ecosystem.
Lisa is a biodiversity specialist and policy analyst, working for the Government of Alberta.
Nicole Tunbridge, MSc 2009
The effects of floral and poloidy variation on reproductive isolation in Collinsia parviflora and C. grandiflora.
Nicole is currently a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
Rachel Mayberry, MSc 2008
The effect of environmental variation on the distribution, reproduction, and demography of a rare understory plant, Actaea elata.
Rachel worked with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and is currently a Conservation Specialist for Environment and Climate Change Canada in Quebec.
Brad Kennedy, MSc 2007
Habitat fragmentation and mating system evolution of a native wildflower, Collinsia parviflora.
Brad is currently pursuing his love of teaching at an Ontario High School.
Jay Biernaskie, MSc 2004
Investment and allocation of nectar production in an animal pollinated plant, Chamerion angustifolium.
Jay completed his PhD at U. Toronto in 2010, completed a postdoc at Oxford, and is currently the W.F. James Chair Professor of Pura and Applied Science at St. Francis Xavier University.
Undergraduate Student Projects
The following is a list of students who have done Honours (15 credit), 498 (3 credit), or NSERC USRA research in the lab. Some of these projects have resulted in publications (see the publications page). We've also been lucky to have many amazing undergrad field assistants over the years, photos on our field pix page! To be updated soon.....
Note that Elizabeth is not currently taking on new undergraduates.
2013. Hannah Gehrels, Honours thesis. Do habitat restorations in Metro Vancouver parks increase pollinator abundance or diversity?
2013. Jenn Avery, 498 project. Plant diversity in habitat restorations in the lower mainland.
2012. Tiia Haapalainen, NSERC USRA. Attractiveness of garden plants in Victoria to bees.
2012. Danielle Courcelles, NSERC USRA. Does flower shape affect visit rate and pollination deficits in blueberry?
2010. Sarah Guindre-Parker, Honours thesis. The timing of selfing in Collinsia.
2009. Emily Hoffman, 498 project. Bumblebee niche breadth in the Garry Oak Ecosystem.
2008. Lorina Keery, 498 project. Pollen limitation in Trillium grandiflora.
2007. Melissa Jackson, NSERC USRA. Does watering change selection for faster growth in dry populations of Collinsia parviflora?
2007. The Burnaby Mountain Crew (Iisak Andreller, Adam Keizer, Sean Magee, Emily Meuser, and Beth Nyboer), all 498 projects. The spread of invasive species on Burnaby Mountain, a comparison to surveys from the 1970’s.
2006. Mike Cartar, 498 project. Resource allocation patterns in Collinsia.
2006. Tara Holmes, 498 project. Ivy removals and species diversity in lower mainland parks.
2005. Eileen Jones, NSERC USRA. Competition for pollinators among Garry Oak wildflowers.
2005. Liz Fairhurst, NSERC USRA. Pollinator competition and nectar production in Garry Oak wildflowers.
2005. Andrew Appleton, 498 project. Invasive species removals: do different methods differ in success?
2004. Shannon Turvey, NSERC USRA. Does selection for salt tolerance explain variation in anthocyanin production in Collinsia and Mimulus?
2004. Chrissy Czembor, Honours thesis. Canopy gaps and reproductive success in tall bugbane.
2004. Dorian Milner, 498 project. The geographic distribution of plant collections in the SFU herbarium.
2003. Sandy Gillespie, NSERC USRA. The timing of anther dehiscence and selfing in Collinsia.
2003. Sharla Stolhandscke, 498 project. Nectar production from extrafloral nectaries covaries with flower size in Collinsia.
2002. Amy Parachnowitsch, NSERC USRA. Pollinator visit patterns in the Garry Oak Ecosystem.
2002. Amy Parachnowitsch, 498 project. Sex allocation in Collinsia parviflora.
2001. Dave Bohn, NSERC USRA. Extrafloral nectaries and the protection of Collinsia by ants.
2001. Robert Carney, Honours thesis. Reproductive assurance in Collinsia parviflora.
2001. Mike Stastny, 498 project. The evolution of increased competitive ability in introduced Senecio jacobaea.
2001. Randy Woychuck, 498 project. Among-population variation in anthocyanin coloration in Collinsia parviflora.