Roulston, T'ai
Primary Appointment
Blandy Experimental Farm
Education
- PhD, Auburn University
Contact Information
Office: Clark 352,
Blandy Farm
Telephone: 540-837-1758 ext. 276
Email: thr8z@virginia.edu
Website: http://www.virginia.edu/blandy/blandy_web/research/thr_homepage/home.php
Research Disciplines
Environmental Sciences
Research Interests
Plant-pollinator interactions; evolutionary ecology; habitat fragmentation; invasive species; bee biology.
Research Description
My primary research area is plant-pollinator interactions, which I study through field, laboratory, and phylogenetic approaches. These include (i) studies of pollen chemistry to characterize the diversity of pollen nutrient rewards; (ii) phylogenetic analyses to associate shifts in pollen nutrient content with evolutionary shifts in pollination syndrome; (iii) observations of pollinator host choices to determine pollinator assessment of pollen nutrition, and (iv) studies of insect development and body size to assess the potential importance of variation in pollen nutrients. Other research areas include endangered species conservation, habitat fragmentation, foraging behavior, and the impact of exotic species on native organisms.