On Saturday, November 20, two Harvey Mudd junior Mathematical Biology majors, Sung Woo (Simeon) Koh and Stephanie Levins, presented their BFS-related research at the 2010 Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR), held at Pepperdine University in Malibu.
Intrigued by the rarity and patchy distribution of Lecanora munzii, a lichen species discovered at the BFS, Simeon and Stephanie used both field surveys and mathematical modeling to probe factors that affect the population dynamics of L. munzii and other saproxylic (dead wood-dependent) lichens, especially how wildfires – which are increasingly frequent – impact the lichen populations.
Simeon Koh and Stephanie Levins checking out saproxylic lichens in the field.
Their mathematical model predicts that lichens can establish stable metapopulations that persist even though wildfires occur, but if the burn frequency becomes too high, the lichen population can indeed go extinct.
- Koh, S.W., and S. Levins. 2010. Wildfires and the metapopulation dynamics of saproxylic lichens. Southern California Conferences for Undergraduate Research.