Dr. Susan Kalisz

Genetics
K. Arndt
T.-L. Ashman
G. Campbell
D. Chapman
G. Hatfull
J. Hildebrand
L. Jacobson
S. Kalisz
J. Martens
W. Saunders
B. Stronach
S. Tonsor
R. Wood

Microbiology
J. Boyle
G. Hatfull
R. Hendrix
J. Lawrence
J. Pipas
M. Popa
R.L. Duda
S. Godfrey
V. Oke

Molecular Biology
K. Arndt
J. Franzen
P. Grabowski
G. Hatfull
R. Hendrix
L. Jen-Jacobson
J. Martens
C. Peebles
J. Pipas
J. Rosenberg
A. Schwacha
C. Walsh

Plant Biology
T.-L. Ashman
W. Carson
S. Kalisz
V. Oke
C. Partanen
S. Tonsor
B. Traw

Science Education
A. Bledsoe
K. Curto
L. Daniels
S. Godfrey
N. Kaufmann
C. LaFave
J. Newman
E. Polinko
M. Popa
L. Roberts
T. Seiflein
R. Sherwin
A. Slinskey Legg

Structural Biology
M. Grabe
J. Hempel
R. Hendrix
L. Jen-Jacobson
J. Rosenberg
A. VanDemark

Former Faculty

Photo of Dr.
Kalisz

Plant Population Genetics

Professor

Dr. Kalisz received her Ph.D. in 1985 with Douglas W. Schemske at the University of Chicago, was an Associate Professor at Michigan State University Kellog Biological Station, and joined the Department in 1995.

Currently, Dr. Kalisz is accepting graduate students in her laboratory. Dr. Kalisz is accepting undergraduate researchers, and does sponsor students in other laboratories.

Professional Interests - Publications - Contact Information - Lab Personnel

Professional Interests of Susan Kalisz

Floral Development

My lab addresses questions related to the evolution, ecology, development and conservation of flowering plants and their communities. One major focus of my research explores the conditions that favor or maintain both outcross and self-pollination within populations and species (mixed mating) including the pollination environment and inbreeding depression. We are testing the long-standing idea that selfing is an evolutionary dead-end using the genus Collinsia, and excellent model system. For the past two years (2005-07) I co-led a working group at National Evolution Synthesis Center (NESCent) on the Paradox of Mixed Mating in Flowering Plants. To understand the mechanistic basis of selfing in Collinsia, we are both investigating the development of male and female phases within a flower, which influences the timing of selfing within a flower and exploring the role of genes in the floral symmetry gene network in gender phase expression development

My second major focus is the role of generalist herbivory on population and community dynamics of forest understory herbaceous species. We are using large scale deer exclosure plots and a natural gradient of deer densities to address the role of white-tailed deer and invasive species in the destabilization of mutualisms, populations and communities and the dynamics of species palatable vs. unpalatable to deer. I also have long-standing, long-term research projects on the evolution of seed dormancy. See my lab web page for details.

Publication Archive
36 Citations
29 Abstracts
27 PDFs

Recent Publications of Susan Kalisz

Morris, W.F., C.A. Pfister, S. Tuljapurkar, C.V. Haridas, C. Boggs, M. Boyce, E. Bruna, D.R. Church, T. Coulson, D.F. Doak, S. Forsyth, J.-M. Gaillard, C. ZHorvitz, S. Kalisz, B. Kendall, T. Knight, C. Lee, and E. Menges (2008) Life history determines sensitivity of plant and animal populations to changing climatic variability. Ecology :In Press

Kalisz, S., and E.M. Kramer (2007) Variation and constraint in plant evolution and development. Heredity 2007:1-7 (PDF Reprint: 109 kb)

Sargent, R., C. Goodwillie, S. Kalisz, and R. Ree (2007) Phylogenetic evidence for a flower size and number trade-off. Am. J. Bot. :In Press

Kalisz, S., R. Ree, and R. Sargent (2006) Linking floral symmetry genes to breeding system evolution. Trends Plant Sci. 11:568-573 (PDF Reprint: 684 kb)

Dunn, J.L., L. Dierkes, F.X. Pico, and S. Kalisz (2006) Primer Note: Identification of microsatellite loci in Collinsia verna (Veronicaceae). Mol. Ecol. Notes 6:1212-1215 (PDF Reprint: 82 kb)

Boyce, M.S., C.V. Haridas, C. Lee, E.M. Bruna, D. Doak, J.M. Drake, J.-M. Gaillard, C.C. Horvitz, S. Kalisz, B.E. Kendall, T. Knight, C.L. Boggs, E. Menges, W.F. Morris, C.A. Pfister, and S. Tuljapurkar (2006) Demography in an increasingly variable world. Trends Ecol. Evol. 21:141-148 (PDF Reprint: 228 kb)

Goodwille, C., S. Kalisz, and C. Eckert (2005) The evolutionary enigma of mixed mating systems in plants: Occurrence, theoretical explanations, and empirical evidence. . Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. S. 36:47-79 (PDF Reprint: 368 kb)

Kalisz, S., and M.D. Purugganan (2004) Epialleles via DNA methylation: consequences for plant evolution. Trends. Ecol. Evol. 19:309-314 (PDF Reprint: 72 kb)

Kalisz, S., D.W. Vogler, and K.M. Hanley (2004) Context-dependent autonomous self-fertilization yields reproductive assurance and mixed mating. Nature 430:884-887 (PDF Reprint: 152 kb)

Kalisz, S., and D.W. Vogler (2003) Benefits of autonomous selfing under unpredictable pollinator environments. Ecology 84:2928-2942 (PDF Reprint: 217 kb)

Kelly, J.K., A. Rasch, and S. Kalisz (2002) A method to estimate pollen viability from pollen size variation. Am. J. Bot. 89:1021-1023 (PDF Reprint: 48 kb)

Armbruster, W.S., C.P.H. Mulder, B.G. Baldwin, S. Kalisz, B. Wessa, and H. Knute (2002) Comparative analysis of floral development and mating-system evolution in tribe Collinsieae (Scrophulariaceae). Am. J. Bot. 89:37-50 (PDF Reprint: 195 kb)

Jenkins-Klus, D., S. Kalisz, P.S. Curtis, J.A. Teeri, and S.J. Tonsor (2001) Family- and population-level responses to atmospheric CO₂ concentration: gas exchange and the allocation of C, N, and biomass in Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae). Am. J. Bot. 88:1080-1087 (PDF Reprint: 99 kb)

Kalisz, S., J. Nason, F.M. Hanzawa, and S.J. Tonsor (2001) Spatial population genetic structure in Trillium grandiflorum: the roles of dispersal, mating, history and selection. Evolution 55:1560-1568 (PDF Reprint: 147 kb)

Vogler, D.W., and S. Kalisz (2001) Sex among the flowers: the distribution of plant mating systems. Evolution 55:202-204 (PDF Reprint: 62 kb)

How to Contact Susan Kalisz

US Mail
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Biological Sciences
202 Clapp Hall
4249 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone, FAX, Internet
Office : (412) 624-4281
Lab : (412) 624-4276
FAX : (412) 624-4759
Email : kalisz+@pitt.edu
Web : http://www.pitt.edu/~kalisz

This Site is maintained by the Bioscience Webmaster; this page was last modified 5 October 2008