Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Towson University
Towson, MD 21252 USA
Office: Smith 215
Phone: 410-704-2286
Fax: 410-704-2405
email: vbeauchamp@towson.edu
Education:
Postdoc U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science
Center and Indiana University
Ph.D. Arizona State University, Tempe
B.S. University of California, Irvine
Courses Taught:
BIOL202 Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
BIOL205 General Botany
BIOLXXX Invasive Species Ecology
BIOLXXX Wetland Ecology
Visit The Plant Ecology Lab webpage
Research Interests:
Research Areas - These descriptions reflect my past work in these areas. Interested students should contact
me about conducting similar projects in the Mid-Atlantic region. Opportunities may also exist to continue some
of these projects in Arizona and New Mexico.
The overarching goals of my research program are to test and refine ecological models of succession, identify environmental thresholds involved in plant community change, and elucidate the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plant community dynamics.
A large part of my research program also involves practical applications related to management, conservation and restoration of plant communities.
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Riparian ecology: Effect of flow regulation (dams) on riparian tree recruitment, understory herbaceous composition and invasive species dynamics. Past research had focused on the Verde River, Arizona.
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Invasive species: Recruitment of salt-cedar (Tamarix spp.) in below dam areas along the Verde River, Arizona. Restoration of salt-cedar-dominated riparian areas along the Rio Grande, New Mexico.
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Restoration ecology: Identifying candidate plant species for restoration of historic floodplain areas along the Rio Grande, New Mexico, in areas that are now to saline or dry to support phreatophytic riparian vegetation (cottonwoods and willows).
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Mycorrhizal fungi: Effect of dams on the mycorrhizal community composition of cottonwood-willow forests along the Verde River, Arizona; role of flood pulses in mycorrhizal spore dispersal; soil feedbacks between mycorrhizae, cottonwood and salt-cedar.
Current Projects
· Successional dynamics in the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area
The main focal points of the study include examining relationships between land use history, plant community composition and invasive species abundance, and looking at the effect of deer browse on understory composition, tree seedling recruitment and invasive species abundance. Results from the project will assist Howard County in managing this natural area.
Publications:
Beauchamp, V.B. and J.C. Stromberg. In press. Changes to herbaceous plant communities on a regulated desert river. River Research and Applications.
Shafroth, P.B., V.B. Beauchamp, M. Briggs, K. Lair, M. Scott and A, Sher. In Press. Planning riparian restoration in the context of Tamarix control in western North America. Restoration Ecology.
Stutz, J.C., V.B. Beauchamp, L. Kennedy, J. Johnson and B.S. Richter. In Press. Mycorrhizal Ecology in Desert Riparian Ecosystems. In Ecology of Desert Riparian Ecosystems: The San Pedro River Example. J.C. Stromberg and B. Tellman (eds.). University of Arizona Press.
Beauchamp. V.B and J.C. Stromberg. 2007. Flow regulation of the Verde River, Arizona encourages Tamarix recruitment but has minimal effect on Populus and Salix stand density. Wetlands 27: 381-389.
Stromberg, J.C., V.B. Beauchamp, M.D. Dixon, S.J. Lite, and C. Paradzick. 2007. Importance of low flow and high flow regimes to restoration of riparian vegetation in arid southwestern United States. Freshwater Biology 52: 651-679.
Beauchamp, V.B., J.C. Stromberg and J.C. Stutz. 2007. Flow regulation has minimal influence on mycorrhizal fungi of a semi-arid floodplain ecosystem despite changes in hydrology, soils, and vegetation. Journal of Arid Environments 68: 188-205.
Shafroth, P.B., and V.B. Beauchamp (editors). 2006. Defining ecosystem flow requirements for the Bill Williams River, Arizona. U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2006-1314, 137 p.
Beauchamp, V.B., J.C. Stromberg and J.C. Stutz. 2006. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Populus-Salix stands in a semi-arid riparian ecosystem. New Phytologist 170: 369-380.
Beauchamp, V.B., J.C. Stromberg and J.C. Stutz. 2005. Interactions between Tamarix ramosissima (saltcedar), Populus fremontii (cottonwood), and mycorrhizal fungi: effects on seedling growth and plant species coexistence. Plant and Soil. 275: 219-229.
Ortiz-Barney E., J.C. Stromberg and V.B. Beauchamp. 2005. The Floristic Relay: A game to teach plant community succession and disturbance dynamics. Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology. Volume 3 [online].
http://tiee.ecoed.net/vol/v3/experiments/floristic/abstract.html
Graduate Student Projects:
For more information Visit The Plant Ecology Lab webpage