PROJECT
PARTICIPANTS
PROJECT PARTICIPANTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The following individuals, assisted by staff and students, will take responsibility for coordinating field and curatorial activities for each major taxon. All have had extensive field experience within their particular area of expertise and many, along with the present PI, are long-time veterans of extensive survey and inventory work in the Russian Far East:
Microorganisms: William D. Eaton, Senior Academic Vice President and Executive Director, Center of Excellence, PC, Port Angeles, Washington. An aquatic microbiologist and microbial ecologist, Bill is an expert on the development and use of molecular methods to understand the composition of microbial communities (see Eaton et al., 1999, in review; Eaton, 2001; Eaton and Farrell, 2004).
Lichens: Katherine A. Glew, Research Associate, Burke Museum, UW, Seattle. Katie’s research is focused on lichen taxonomy and alpine vegetation ecology in the northern Olympic and North Cascade mountains; biodiversity on the islands of Washington’s San Juan Archipelago; and succession occurring after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Interested also in lichen biodiversity of the Russian Far East, she collected for the PI on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands (Glew, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2004).
Bryophytes: Judith A. Harpel, Research Associate, Burke Museum, UW, Seattle. Judy’s research is focused on bryophyte taxonomy, ecology, conservation, and management, with special interest in bryophyte rarity as it relates to geographic range, habitat specificity, and local populations. Interested also in the mosses and liverworts of the Russian Far East, she collected for the PI on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands (Christy and Harpel, 1997; Harpel, 1997, 2006, 2007).
Mycorrhizal fungi: Erica T. Cline, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, UW, Tacoma. Erica completed her dissertation work at the UW College of Forest Resources, studying Douglas-fir mycorrhizal diversity (Cline et al., 2005, 2007). She then did post-doctoral research in the Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory of the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland, working on nomenclature and taxonomy of invasive plant pathogens and helping to develop a database covering all published fungal species (Cline and Farr, 2006; Cline and Rossman, 2006; Cline et al., 2008). She joined the UW Tacoma faculty in August 2006.
Macrofungi: Joseph F. Ammirati, Department of Biology and Herbarium, Burke Museum, UW, Seattle. An internationally recognized fungus systematist, Joe is interested in the taxonomy, ecology, distribution, succession, and conservation of higher fungi in boreal and other coniferous forests, particularly in arctic and alpine environments; he is the author of well over 100 publications (e.g., Ammirati, 1979; Ammirati et al., 1985, 2007; Moser and Ammirati, 1999).
Insects: David H. Kavanaugh, Senior Curator, Department of Entomology, CAS, San Francisco. Currently Interim Director of Research at CAS and Research Professor at San Francsico State University, David has been a driving force at the Academy since 1974. A widely celebrated coleopterist, he has broad expertise in all major insect taxa, unsurpassed experience in the field in more than 15 countries around the world (as well as the Pacific Northwest), and a remarkable bibliography (see e.g., Kavanaugh, 1988, 1992; Clarke et al., 2001).
Spiders: Rodney L. Crawford, Curator of Arachnology, Burke Museum, UW Seattle; Rod, who collected for the PI in the Russian Far East, is the world’s expert on Pacific Northwest spiders—there is no one better (see Crawford, online a, b); primarily interested in spider systematics, ecology, zoogeography, and biotic survey, he has also published on the systematics and biology of cave invertebrates (Crawford, 1988; Crawford et al., 1995; Crawford and Marusik, 2006).
While all personnel listed above are experts in their specialty, our greatest need for taxonomic expertise is in entomology. In addition to staff and students at CAS, supervised by David Kavanaugh, entomologist Trevor Anderson (who collected for the PI in the Russian Far East) will assist with collecting, sorting, curation, and identification of insects. We also have a commitment from Boris Kondratieff, Professor of Entomology at Colorado State, and Director of the C. P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity (which contains the largest and best collection of Pacific Northwest aquatic arthropods in the world), who will bring strong expertise in aquatic insect taxonomy; his recent work on large rivers in the Pacific Northwest gives him immediate familiarity with the entomofauna of the region (Kondratieff and Lechleitner, 2002; Kondratieff et al., 2002). Both Kavanaugh and Kondratieff will help further in soliciting other professionals with specific taxonomic expertise in entomology. With reference to the latter, we have written assurance of taxonomic help from the following additional insect specialists: Daniel J. Bennett, University of Kansas (Hymenoptera); Marian A. Kohn, UW (terrestrial Diptera); John T. Longino, Evergreen State College (Hymenoptera); John C. Morse, Clemson University (Trichoptera); Dennis Paulson, University of Puget Sound (Odonata); Jonathan P. Pelham, UW (Lepidoptera); Keith S. Pike, Washington State University (aphids); Andrew E. Z. Short, University of Kansas (aquatic beetles); and Richard S. Zack, Washington State University (moths and aquatic Diptera and Hemiptera).
In addition to providing assistance in entomology, Trevor Anderson, highly skilled in information technology, will serve as “Information Architect,” responsible for data-entry protocols and standards; designing, maintaining, and updating the database; disseminating data via the Internet; and creating and maintaining the “Elwha River Valley Biodiversity” website: www.ElwhaBiodiversity.org.
TRAINING.—Additional personnel will include students from all three participating institutions: during each year at least four graduate students (from the Seattle campus) and five undergraduates (four from the Seattle campus, one from the Tacoma campus) from the UW; two graduate students and one undergraduate from San Francisco State University (supervised by David Kavanaugh at CAS); and four undergraduates from PC (the latter with funding from other sources). Every effort is being made to recruit undergraduates as freshman and sophomores to better provide opportunities to those who have not yet made firm career plans. All students will be given the opportunity to interact with, and receive training from, experts from all three participating institutions. Each will take a full and active role in all major aspects of the work: collecting, identification, curation, and data collection and analysis. They will also share authorship and be full participants in the preparation of reports and publications.
