Jes Coyle

BIO

I am an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Saint Mary's College of California. My research expertise is in community ecology, macroecology and biogeography and I am interested in how multi-species communities vary across space and the ways in which this variation arises from the confluence of ecological processes, geography, and scale. My current research projects examine both communities of lichens and microorganismal communities within lichens, with the goal of understanding how host traits mediate the interaction between symbiont community variation and the distribution of host species in the environment.

Although much of my research utilizes lichens, I consider myself an ecologist foremost. My primary goal is to facilitate meaningful research experiences for my students on whatever topics or organisms most excite them. To this end, four tenants guide my approach to research:

• I conduct research at multiple spatial scales because ecology is scale-dependent and doing so leads to a more integrated understanding of ecological systems.

• I utilize diverse research methods because multiple lines of evidence and collaborations that integrate different ways of approaching a problem lead to conclusions that are more robust.

• I value openness in research and teaching because transparency facilitates collaborative, innovative and reproducible science.

• I study science that is accessible to novices because I want all students to have the opportunity to develop scientific ways of thinking by participating in authentic research.

COURSES

General Ecology (Biol 302)

Macrosystems Biology (Biol 353)

General Botany (Biol 330)

Intro to Organismal Biology (Biol 202)

PUBLICATIONS

See my Google Scholar page.

LINKS

Saint Mary's College Faculty Page

GitHub