Student Research Opportunities

Students in my lab work on a variety of projects. Some contribute to ongoing projects while others develop their own. Most focus in one way or another on the ecology and evolution of plants, though I'm happy to advise or co-advise students working in any taxonomic group or system. If you are interested in conducting research in my lab please don't hesitate to contact me so we can discuss our mutual interests; I'm always interested in talking with intellectually curious and motivated students. Some ongoing and past projects include:

Viscin threads and pollen-ovule ratios in selfing and outcrossing species pairs of Clarkia

Distribution and abundance of feral Cannabis in Wisconsin and surrounding states

Heavy metal tolerance and phytoremediation potential of Cannabis

Floral mimicry in two California wildflower endemics (Clarkia gracilis ssp. tracyi and Sidalcea diploscypha).

Parasitic effects of dodder (Cuscuta californica) on several species of California annuals.

Mating system ecology of Clarkia growing along edaphic (serpentine) gradients.

Genetic basis and ecological significance of floral color polymorphisms in two subspecies of Clarkia gracilis.

Inbreeding depression, polyploidy, and the evolution of mating systems in the genus Clarkia.

Polyploidy and range size/niche breadth in the California flora.

Inbreeding depression in central and peripheral populations of Campanulastrum americanum.

Reproductive ecology of diploid and tetraploid Galax urceolata.

Maternal and paternal effects in Sinapis arvensis.

Influence of male and female environments on fertilization success in Brassica.

Botanical census of Schmeeckle Reserve (UWSP's 280-acre nature reserve).

Effects of exotic invasive species on native species diversity.

Pedagogical approaches to teaching ecological and evolutionary concepts.

Publications

Kluge, N., C. Sartini, B. Sedinger, B. Barringer, S. Hygnstrom, A. Tri, K. Denryter, C. Carpenter, and C. Olfenbuttel. In review at Journal of Wildlife Management. Influence of acorn abundance and other factors on bear harvest under various state frameworks.

Kluge, N., C. Sartini, B. Sedinger, B. Barringer, and S. Hygnstrom. 2022. A comparison of visual survey methods to estimate acorn production: A means of standardizing results. Forest Ecology and Management 520:120418.

Barringer, B.C., W.D. Koenig, I.S. Pearse, and J.M.H. Knops. 2020. Population ecology and spatial synchrony in the abundance of leaf gall wasps within and among populations of valley oak (Quercus lobata). Population Ecology 62:220-232.

Barringer, B.C., M. Copas, T. Copas, R. Freckmann, V. Freire, D. Hillier, E.J. Judziewicz, R. Kohlmoos, S.P. Lyon, E. Schaefgen, P. Skawinski, S. Vold, and B. Wielgat. 2019. Plants of Schmeeckle Reserve (UWSP).

Barringer, B.C. and L.F. Galloway. 2017. The reproductive ecology of diploid and tetraploid Galax urceolata. American Midland Naturalist 177:299-308.

Prendeville, H.R., K. Barnard-Kubow, C. Dai, B.C. Barringer, and L.F. Galloway. 2013. Clinal variation for only some phenological traits across a species range. Oecologia 173:421-430.

Barringer, B.C., J.M.H. Knops, and W.D. Koenig. 2013. Interrelationships among life-history traits in three California oaks. Oecologia 171:129-139.

Koenig, W.D. K. Funk, T. Kraft, W.J. Carmen, B.C. Barringer, and J.M.H. Knops. 2012. Stabilizing selection for within-season flowering phenology confirms pollen limitation in a wind-pollinated tree. Journal of Ecology 100:758-763.

Barringer, B.C., E. Kulka, and L.F. Galloway. 2012 Reduced inbreeding depression in peripheral relative to central populations of a monocarpic herb. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 25:1200-1208.

Whitney, K., E. Baack, J. Hamrick, M.J. Godt, B.C. Barringer, M.D. Bennett, C. Eckert, C. Goodwillie, S. Kalisz, I. J. Leitch, and J. Ross-Ibarra. 2010. A role for nonadaptive processes in plant genome evolution? Evolution 64:2097-2109.

Li, X.C., B.C. Barringer, and D.A. Barbash. 2009. The pachytene checkpoint and its relationship to evolutionary patterns of polyploidization and hybrid sterility. Heredity 102:24-30.

Barringer, B.C. and M.A. Geber. 2008. Mating system and ploidy influence levels of inbreeding depression in Clarkia (Onagraceae). Evolution 62:1040-1051.

Barringer, B.C. 2007. Polyploidy and self-fertilization in flowering plants. American Journal of Botany 94:1527-1533.