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I am an ecologist mainly interested in organisms’ resilience to anthropogenic change, and my research seeks to explore the effects of climate change on individual organisms as well as their interactions using lab and field techniques. I aim to identify thresholds at which individual species respond to climate change drivers, and to use functional traits to predict where these thresholds lie for suites of coexisting species. I use a combination of laboratory and field techniques to investigate these patterns across ecological scales, and to create space for students with different needs. My research spans two systems, focusing on plant-pollinator interactions and freshwater pond ecosystems. I look forward to developing a research program that engages undergraduate students in the process of scientific inquiry, and allows them to think creatively in the pursuit of a higher understanding of the effects of climate change on species interactions.
Current Research Highlights
Current Research Highlights
I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher working primarily in the lab of Dr. Betsy Bancroft at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. This research, which is in collaboration with researchers at Oregon State University, focuses on the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on species interactions in freshwater communities. Please see a more complete list of research projects toward the end of this webpage.
How do Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) tadpoles respond to a gradient of temperature and competition stress?
How do Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) tadpoles respond to a gradient of temperature and competition stress?
With this research, we are investigating how Pacific chorus frog tadpoles respond to a gradient of temperature and stress throughout their development. Principally, we aimed to identify thresholds at which tadpoles demonstrate a response to temperature and competition as measured by their development rate, growth rate, and morphology. For both experiments, we raised tadpoles from eggs to metamorphosis in temperature-controlled tanks. In the temperature gradient experiment, we exposed eggs and tadpoles to one of seven temperature treatments: baseline temperature, and baseline + 1°C, + 2°C, + 3°C, + 4°C, + 5°C, and + 6°C. In the competition experiment, tadpoles were assigned to tanks with a gradient of competition representing 5 tadpole densities: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 tadpoles. Analyses are ongoing.
We have collaborated with Scott Griffith, Professor of Computer Science at Whitworth University, to design a system that allows complex temperature experiments.
An adult Pacific chorus frog ponders her existence (top). She and her companion frogs, who have been exposed to a gradient of temperature extremes, will participate in jump trials (bottom) that will help us to determine whether the temperatures they experienced as tadpoles have impacted their ability to escape predation and find food as adults.
How does elevated temperature, in the form of constant heat and increasingly severe heat waves, impact the effect of predation on Pacific chorus frogs (Pseudacris regilla)?
How does elevated temperature, in the form of constant heat and increasingly severe heat waves, impact the effect of predation on Pacific chorus frogs (Pseudacris regilla)?
In this pair of undergraduate-led studies, we ask how climate and predation stressors impact the growth, development, and morphology of Pacific chorus frogs. In both studies, we examine how the effect of predator cues on tadpole outcomes changes under four temperature treatments representing a gradient of heat intensities: baseline temperature, overall slightly elevated temperature, baseline temperatures with a long, moderate heat wave; and baseline temperature with a short, intense heat wave. In the first study, we used Aeshnid dragonfly nymphs as the focal predator and followed tadpoles to metamorphosis. In the second study, we used Dytiscid diving beetle larvae as the focal predator, and are following tadpoles through their metamorphosis and into adulthood. Experiment 2 and analyses for experiment 1 are ongoing.
Dissertation Research
Dissertation Research
I completed my PhD in Dr. Nicole Rafferty's lab at the University of California, Riverside, in 2023. My dissertation research focused on the impacts of global anthropogenic climate change on interactions between plants and pollinators and among other taxa. I used large, manipulative field experiments to identify the patterns driving shifts in plant-pollinator interactions in an alpine ecosystem, and small greenhouse studies to isolate mechanisms behind shifts in interactions.
How does experimentally advanced snowmelt affect the drivers of plant-pollinator interactions?
How does experimentally advanced snowmelt affect the drivers of plant-pollinator interactions?
With this research, we are exploring what drivers influence plant-pollinator interactions and how experimentally advancing snowmelt impacts these drivers. Using structural equation modelling, we compare the biotic and abiotic drivers of plant-pollinator interaction frequency in unmanipulated plots versus plots with advanced snowmelt. Our initial findings indicate that topography, snowmelt timing, and floral phenology and abundance drive insect visitation in control plots; while these patterns no longer occur in plots with experimentally advanced snowmelt. This research was performed at the Niwot Ridge LTER in collaboration with Drs. Chiara Forrester, Marko Spasojevic, William Bowman, and Katherine Suding, as well as Dr. Nicole Rafferty of the University of California, Riverside.
Check out our work here: Rose-Person, Annika, Marko J. Spasojevic, Chiara Forrester, William D. Bowman, Katharine N. Suding, Meagan F. Oldfather, and Nicole E. Rafferty. "Early snowmelt advances flowering phenology and disrupts the drivers of pollinator visitation in an alpine ecosystem." Alpine Botany (2024): 1-10.
An old man of the mountain (Hymenoxys grandiflora) flowers at the Niwot Ridge in Colorado.
A blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria) visits the flower of a desert bluebells plant (Phacelia campanularia).
Collinsia heterophylla blooms in a greenhouse at the University of California, Riverside, with insect enclosures for pollinator choice trials in the background.
How do traits mediate drought's influence on floral traits and pollinator foraging behavior?
How do traits mediate drought's influence on floral traits and pollinator foraging behavior?
To understand mechanisms driving plant-pollinator interaction turnover, we use a greenhouse study with pollinator choice trials to explore the effects of drought on plant and floral traits as well as pollinator preference. We use three wildflower species native to Southern California and the native, solitary Blue Orchard Bee (Osmia lignaria) for this research. Initial findings indicate that drought significantly impacts floral traits, and leads to a shift in foraging preference of O. lignaria. This work was performed in greenhouses at UC Riverside in collaboration with Drs. Nicole Rafferty and Louis Santiago.
See our work here: Rose-Person, Annika, Louis S. Santiago, and Nicole E. Rafferty. "Drought stress influences foraging preference of a solitary bee on two wildflowers." Annals of Botany 135, no. 1-2 (2025): 153-164.
How does climate change influence the connections between belowground (plant-fungi and plant-bacterium) and aboveground (plant-pollinator) mutualisms?
How does climate change influence the connections between belowground (plant-fungi and plant-bacterium) and aboveground (plant-pollinator) mutualisms?
Global climate change is influencing not only mutualisms, but how certain mutualisms affect others. In collaboration with Drs. Andrea Keeler and Nicole Rafferty, we explore potential effects of global climate change on belowground mutualisms and how these effects may trickle up to impact aboveground mutualisms.
See our work here: Keeler, Andrea M., Annika Rose-Person, and Nicole E. Rafferty. "From the ground up: Building predictions for how climate change will affect belowground mutualisms, floral traits, and bee behavior." Climate Change Ecology 1 (2021): 100013.
Several factors link belowground microbial symbionts, the traits of their host plants, pollinator behavior, and their respective fitness (Keeler, Rose-Person, and Rafferty 2021).
Drought may shift the abundance and occurrence of microbes in the soil horizon, impacting floral traits (Keeler, Rose-Person, and Rafferty 2021).
Additional Research at Gonzaga University
Additional Research at Gonzaga University
Field surveys of plankton, macroinvertebrate, and vertebrate communities in temporary and permanent ponds in the Willamette Valley, OR, and Spokane County, WA.
Led by PhD Candidate Courtney Hendrickson in Tiffany Garcia’s lab at Oregon State University (OSU). Summers 2024 and 2025.
The impacts of climate change on freshwater pond plankton, macroinvertebrate, and vertebrate communities from ponds with temporary and permanent hydroperiods.
Mesocosm experiment at OSU. Led by principal investigator Tiffany Garcia. Spring 2025
The impact of temperature on competition between the native freshwater snail, Physa skinneri, and an invasive freshwater snail, Radix auricularia.
Lab-based experiment at GU. Led by Annika Rose-Person and undergraduate students Clare McGowan and Katie Ellis. Fall 2024.
Hydroperiod, predation, and competition shape the survival, growth, and development of Pseudacris regilla tadpoles and Physa skinneri snails.
Lab-based experiment at GU. Led by former undergraduate student Zoe Dodsley. Summer 2024.
The impacts of experimentally-controlled hydroperiod on freshwater pond plankton, macroinvertebrate, and vertebrate communities from ponds with temporary and permanent hydroperiods.
Mesocosm experiment at OSU. Led by principal investigator Tiffany Garcia. Spring 2024.
Competition and hydroperiod selectively modify snail and tadpole life histories.
Lab-based experiment at GU. Led by former undergraduate students Makoa De Almeida and Josh David. Spring 2024.
Seasonal changes in biodiversity across permanent and temporary ponds.
Field surveys used to collect community composition of plankton, macroinvertebrates, and vertebrates in ponds with distinct hydroperiods. Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiment at GU (see reference in CUREs section). Led by lab principal investigator Betsy Bancroft. Spring 2024.
A Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) tadpole (top) and Aeshnid dragonfly nymph are photographed at the start of an experiment on climate change and predation.
Other Previous Research
Other Previous Research
Ongoing Collaborative Research at UCR, 2020
Ongoing research on the use of inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spores, as well as other restoration techniques, to restore native pollinator communities post-fire by Dr. Mia Maltz, Dr. Sydney Glassman, and others, I examined floral diversity and abundance as well as pollinator visitation to plants.
Research Assistant, Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research Program, Nederland, CO, 2019 & 2020
Assisted with data collection and management in an alpine tundra ecosystem; tasks included plant identification, biomass quantification, and density estimates.
Research Assistant, Plant Ecology Lab, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, 2017- 2018
Managed a group of high school and post-baccalaureate interns; managed data collection and management from three large projects; led and performed all data collection for a project entitled: Fruit production, flowering period, and pollination of Avon Park Harebells, Crotalaria avonensis (Fabaceae), an endangered Central Florida endemic.
Intern, Plant Ecology Lab, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, 2017
Assisted with data collection, entry, and management of multiple large-scale projects; led and completed a project entitled: Time-since-fire and temporal shifts in flower visitor networks in two central Florida plants
Seeds of Success Intern, Bureau of Land Management, Carson City, NV, 2016
Mapped, counted, and collected seeds from native plants in the Eastern Sierra and Great Basin; worked with ArcMap to delineate critical plant populations; managed data collected in the field.
Senior Thesis Research, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2016
Established, collected and analyzed data for, and wrote up a project titled: Legacy effects of the invasive grass Ehrharta erecta on native plant growth
Lab Assistant, Shennan Soil Ecology Lab, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2015- 2016
Performed data collection in agricultural setting; prepared tools and labels for data collection; performed quantification of soil pH and electric conductivity.
Intern, Anthropological Field Methods Research Course, Pará, Brazil, 2015
Monitored group of underclassmen undergraduate students in an anthropology course that visited the Brazillian Amazon
Volunteer, Rare Plant Monitoring, Mojave Desert, California, 2015 & 2016
Collected demographic data on rare and endangered plants in the Mojave Desert; in 2016, assisted in teaching plant identification techniques to new undergraduate student volunteers.
Intern, Forest Ecology Research Plot, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2014- 2015
Performed data collection of leaf litter traps weekly; trained new interns on leaf litter identification and data management.
Intern, Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes Station, California, 2014
Assisted in invasive plant mapping and removal; re-vamped a database of weed-free forage for use by recreationists; assisted in monitoring populations of three rare dune plant species; assisted in monitoring rangelands and their management.
Volunteer, Research Project, Pepperwood Preserve and Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, 2013- 2014
Assisted in the data collection, management, and analysis of a project entitled: Examining the ecology of Puccinia coronata: An emerging infectious disease on the invasive grass, Phalaris aquatica, in northern California.
Sampling plant composition at the Niwot Ridge LTER
A bee observed visiting a mustard flower in the restoration project at Lake Mathews
Scouting for rare plants at the White Mountain Research Station
Walking to rare plant demography plots with high school interns in at the Archbold Biological Station post-hurricane Irma
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