Joseph Dauer
I am a doctoral student in the Weed Ecology lab. My research focuses on the mechanisms and consequences of dispersal of horseweed, Conyza canadensis. I am interested in the rate of spread of horseweed in areas where some populations are resistant to the herbicides commonly used to manage it. Horseweed has wind dispersed seeds that are often transported long-distances (hundreds to thousands of meters) in air currents. The research is exciting because it combines ecology, modeling, and meteorology and challenges the current understanding of resistance management.
I am originally from Spokane, Washington, where I spent most of my childhood outdoors, but never had any respect for weeds. I graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelor’s in Biology/Mathematics and got interested in weeds while doing an internship in Michigan working with weed seed predation by carabid beetles. Following my undergraduate education, I moved to the “other” coast, to work in the Weed Ecology lab at Cornell University, which provided an excellent bridge to my graduate work. I joined the Weed Ecology lab at Penn State to work with Dr. Mortensen on spatial weed dynamics questions. The decision to attend Penn State and participate in the Ecology program has been one of my best decisions. The opportunities for collaboration, personal and scholastic enrichment, and outdoor adventures have been boundless. I will finish my Ph.D. in 2007 and plan to continue into academia, pursuing Ecology faculty positions.
As a break from the research, I am an aspiring triathlete, and I can be found outside most days exploring central Pennsylvania. In addition, I enjoy hiking, camping, cooking and sailing. Occasionally I dabble with photography and learning the guitar.
Contact Joe.
Publications
- Dauer, J., D.A. Mortensen and R. Humston. 2006. Controlled experiments to predict horseweed (Conyza canadensis) dispersal distances. Weed Science 54:484-489.
- Skarpaas, O., J. T. Dauer, C. M. Schwarz, E. S. J. Rauschert, E. Jongejans, R. Jabbour, D. A. Mortensen, S. A. Isard, D. A. Lieb, Z. Sezen, A. G. Hulting, M. J. Ferrari, K. Shea, and E. S. Long. 2007. Dispersal: a synthesis of concepts, patterns and processes across organisms. Ecology Letters (in review).
- Dauer, J., D.A. Mortensen, and M. VanGessel. 2007. Spatial and temporal dynamics governing long distance dispersal of Conyza canadensis. Journal of Applied Ecology 44:105-114
- Menalled, F.D., R.G. Smith, J. T. Dauer, and T. Fox. 2007. Impact of Agricultural Management Systems on Carabid beetle communities and Invertebrate weed seed predation. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 118: 49-54.
- E.J. Shields, Dauer, J.T., VanGessel, M.J., Neumann, G. 2006. Horseweed (Conyza canadensis) seed collected in the planetary boundary layer. Weed Science 54:1063-1067.