Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. 1984 University of Tasmania, Australia
Plant Community Ecology, Conservation Biology & Biostatistics
Office: 3331C Science Building
Lab: 3217A Science Building
Phone: (618) 650 2975 or 650 3927
Fax: (618) 650 3174
E-mail: pminchi@siue.edu
Welcome to my home page. Here you will find information about my teaching and research. This web site is relatively new and I will be updating and extending it as time permits. If you are a student that may be interested in doing some research in my lab, either a senior project, research hours, Undergraduate Research Academy or a Master's degree, please check out the information on my research interests and the projects of past students and contact me if you would like to find out more and discuss potential projects. I am especially interested in restoration ecology and conservation biology but will accept students in related fields, as long as I have the experience and infrastructure to support the proposed research in my lab.
Teaching
Current Courses
If you are a student enrolled in one of my current courses, you can access the course materials, web links, your grades, etc. through the BlackBoard system. Click here to log in to BlackBoard.
Biology 121 (Biology II Plant Systems) Syllabus for Spring 2008
Biology 596 (Restoration Ecology) Syllabus for Spring 2008
Past Courses
Biology 111 Section 006 (Contemporary Biology) Syllabus for Fall 2007
Biology 365 (Ecology) Syllabus for Spring 2007
Biology 417 (Quantitative Methods in the Biological Sciences) Syllabus for Spring 2006
Biology 490/590 Section 001 (Conservation Biology) Syllabus for Fall 2007
Biology 490/590 Section 002 (Ecological Analysis) Syllabus for Fall 2006
Biology 497 (Senior Project) Syllabus for Fall 2007
Research
My major research interest is the development of better methods for the analysis of ecological communities (sets of species that live together in a particular locality). These are techniques that allow us to describe, model and predict changes in communities in response to variation in the physical or biotic environment, including natural or human-induced disturbances. I am particularly interested in applications of these methods in conservation biology and ecological restoration. Below you will find brief descriptions of my current research projects, recent publications and a list of student research projects that I have supervised.
Current Projects
Habitat Preferences and Diet Selection in the Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in Deciduous Forest Fragments in SW Illinois
This is a collaborative project with Dr. Rick Essner, a colleague in Biological Sciences at SIUE, which provides research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. We plan to examine the relationship between habitat use and habitat variables at various scales. At the local site scale, we are interested in what features of potential host trees influence selection by flying squirrels as a nesting, feeding or latrine sites. At a broader landscape scale, we want to know if variables, such as distance to nearest water source, distance from forest margin, slope position and species composition of surrounding forest are predictive of flying squirrel habitat use. This information will allow us to understand what characteristics of remnant forest patches are most important in providing high-quality habitat for this species. We also plan field and lab experiments on diet preference among hard mast species (hickories, walnuts, oaks).Trajectory Analysis, a New Method for Evaluating the Success of Community Restorations
To evaluate the success of community restoration, clear goals and explicit quantitative criteria that define progress towards the desired future condition are necessary. I am developing a new statistical method, Trajectory Analysis, that tests the hypothesis that community composition is changing in a manner that indicates successful restoration. Community data are summarized by non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination and the time trajectory of each site within the ordination space is examined. Statistics are calculated that express the degree to which each site’s trajectory aligns with a specified target direction. Statistical significance is tested by random permutation of the data for each species among time steps within each trajectory, followed by ordination of the permuted data and recalculation of the statistics. Depending on restoration goals, the target direction can be defined in various ways. For example, the target direction for each site could be a vector from its initial pre-restoration point towards a suitable reference site point. If the aim is to shift sites along a specified environmental gradient, a vector of maximum correlation between ordination scores and a variable that expresses position on the gradient would be a suitable target direction. Trajectory Analysis is particularly useful when evidence of restoration success must be obtained within a limited time frame. The method is capable of assessing whether communities are heading in an acceptable direction, even if they have not yet attained their desired composition. I first developed Trajectory Analysis in contract research for The Nature Conservancy, in which I evaluated the success of wetland restorations in the Disney Wilderness Preserve, a 4,850 ha site in Central Florida. The restorations are mitigation for wetland destruction by development projects in the greater Orlando area. The method was further refined and its statistical power investigated by simulation in summer 2005, when I held a an SIUE Summer Research Fellowship. I am currently writing user-friendly software to make the method available and preparing papers for publication on its development and application.
Bottomland forest restoration in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley
This is a collaborative project with Dr. Loretta Battaglia, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Dr. Davis Pritchett, University of Louisiana at Monroe. We are studying restoration of bottomland forest on abandoned agricultural land in the Ouachita Wildlife Management Area, near Monroe, Louisiana. Our main study site is a field that was retired from soybean production in 1985. The project examines the processes of vegetation succession, including dispersal and establishment of woody species, and the gradual development of bottomland forest. For two recent papers arising from this research, see Recent Publications below.
Effects of Altered Flows in the Congaree River on the Floodplain Forests of the Congaree National Park, SC
This is a collaborative project with Dr. Rebecca Sharitz, University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Lab, funded by a grant from the National Park Service. The Congaree National Park (CNP) protects the largest remaining tract of old-growth bottomland forest in the U.S. Since the Saluda Dam was constructed on one of the main tributaries to the Congaree River in 1930, changes in hydrology of the river and its floodplain have occurred , with unknown effects on the floodplain forests of the CNP. We have analyzed the size and age structure of floodplain forest communities to test for evidence of long-term change in forest composition. Existing diameter (DBH) increment and mortality data from nine 1-ha plots, established in 1989 after Hurricane Hugo, were first analyzed to derive age-DBH curves for canopy species. The curves were then applied to data from these plots and an additional 16 1-ha plots surveyed in summer 2004, to estimate the age of each tree and allocate them to year-of-establishment classes. Ordination and trajectory analysis identified 13 plots with a community trend from the oldest age class (trees that established prior to damming) through to younger age classes that paralleled the trend from slough forests to bottomland hardwood forests. Since 1930, age cohorts of trees on these sites have been increasingly dominated by species typical of less-flooded conditions. Though the observed pattern is consistent with long-term shifts towards drier forest types, alternative explanations exist. These include sediment deposition with consequent succession and temporary establishment of less flood-tolerant species on elevated microsites. This project is now almost completed. A detailed report has been submitted to the National Park Service and a paper is being prepared for publication. Papers on this project were presented at the Illinois State Academy of Science annual meeting in April 2007 and at the Ecological Society of America annual meeting in August 2007.
Recent Publications
Battaglia, L. L., Pritchett, D. W. & Minchin, P. R. (2007). Evaluating dispersal limitation in passive bottomland forest restoration. Restoration Ecology, doi:10.1111/j.1526-100X.2007.00319.x. Print version to appear in 2008.
Collins, B., Minchin, P. R., Dilustro, J. and Duncan, L. (2006). Land use effects on groundlayer composition and regeneration of mixed pine hardwood forests in the Fall Line Sandhills, S.E. USA. Forest Ecology and Management, 226, 181–188.
Klepzig, K. D., Robison, D. J., Fowler, G., Minchin, P. R., Hain, F. P. & Allen, H. L. (2005). Effects of mass inoculation on induced oleoresin response in intensively managed loblolly pine. Tree Physiology, 25, 681-688.
Oksanen, J. & Minchin, P. R. (2002). Continuum theory revisited: what shape are species responses along ecological gradients? Ecological Modelling, 157, 119-129.
Battaglia, L. L., Minchin, P. R. & Pritchett, D. W. (2002). Fifteen years of old-field succession and reestablishment of a bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern USA. Wetlands, 22, 1-17.
Martin, R. A. U., Burgman, M. A. & Minchin, P. R. (2001). Spatial analysis of eucalypt dieback at Coranderrk, Australia. Applied Vegetation Science, 4, 257-266.
Pearce, J. & Minchin, P. R. (2001). Vegetation of the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve and its relationship to the distribution of the helmeted honeyeater, bell miner and white-eared honeyeater. Wildlife Research, 28, 41-52.
Fensham, R. J., Minchin, P. R., Fairfax, R. J., Kemp, J. E., Purdie, R. W., McDonald, W. J. F. & Neldner, V. J. (2000). Broad-scale environmental relations of floristic gradients in the Mitchell grasslands of Queensland. Australian Journal of Botany, 48, 27-34.
Battaglia, L. L., Sharitz, R. R. & Minchin, P. R. (1999). Patterns of seedling and overstory composition along a gradient of hurricane disturbance in an old-growth bottomland hardwood community. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 29, 144-156.
Coates, F., Kirkpatrick, J. B. & Minchin, P. R. (1999). Towards an explanation of the causes of the rarity of two Tasmanian Spyridium species. Australian Journal of Ecology, 24, 11-17.
Research Students Supervised (*students for whom I was principal adviser)
Kaufman, Sam. (2007). Plant species evaluation for extensive green roof applications in the midwestern United States. M.S. thesis, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
*Hogan, Kortney. (2007). Determining age and type of forest in the Sweet William Woods, Edwardsville, IL. Senior Project poster, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
*Whicker, Cullen. (2007). Comparison of oak-hickory forest fragments in Sweet William and Bluebell Woods, SIUE Campus. Senior Project poster, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
*Choudhury, Jessica. (2007). Assessment of the invasion potential of introduced tree species in the bluff forests of the Illinois and Mississippi River systems.. National Great Rivers Research and Education Center summer internship program.
*Romano, Meghan. (2007). Establishment of reference sites for bottomland forest restoration in the confluence region of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.. National Great Rivers Research and Education Center summer internship program.
Scaggs, Felicia. (2007). Ecological and genetic monitoring of southern flying squirrels in a fragmented riparian corridor. National Great Rivers Research and Education Center summer internship program.
*Balestrieri, Nick. (2007). Evaluating bottomland forest restoration in the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, IL. Senior Project Poster presented at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences 99th annual meeting, Springfield, IL, April 20-21, 2007.
*Finley, Alana. (2007). Dendrochronology of ash (Fraxinus sp.) in Sweet William Woods, Edwardsville, IL. Senior Project poster presented at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences 99th annual meeting, Springfield, IL, April 20-21, 2007.
*Wright, Kassie. (2007). Comparison of the edge zones of two forests near Edwardsville, IL. Senior Project Poster presented at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences 99th annual meeting, Springfield, IL, April 20-21, 2007.
Bolitho, Andrea. (2007). Dispersal potential of non-indigenous tree species at The Nature Institute, Godrey, IL. M.S. thesis, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
West, Natalie. (2006). Exotic species microhabitats in Illinois shale barrens. M.S. thesis, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
*Hanley, Steve. (2006). Quantitative assessment of bottomland forest restoration in the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge. National Great Rivers Research and Education Center summer internship program.
*Clark, Shannon. (2006). Heterogeneity within forest fragments on SIUE campus. Senior Project presentation, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Reed, Jerry. (2005). Nitrate analysis in the Piasa Creek Watershed. M.S. thesis, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Ramirez, Raul. (2005). Ecosystem function of two dominant cyprinid species in heterotrophic Ozark headwater streams. M.S. thesis, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Elith, Rosemary Jane. (2002). Predicting the distribution of plants. Ph.D thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
Ramp, Daniel. (2001). Dispersion of Eastern Grey Kangaroos and their impacts on vegetation in semi-rural environments. Ph.D thesis, Zoology Department, The University of Melbourne.
Lee, Linda J. (2000). Winter food resources and carrying capacity in Victorian coastal saltmarshes in relation to the feeding ecology of the endangered Orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster). Ph.D thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
*Richdale, William E. (2000). The dynamics and the composition of the vegetation at the Banyule Marsh in response to an unnatural hydraulic regime caused by the inflow of storm water into the Banyule marsh. M.App.Sc. thesis, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Melbourne.
Read, Cassia. (1998). Assessment of florisitic edge effects within fragmented dry sclerophyll forests of N.E. Melbourne. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
Ulrey, Christopher Joseph. (1998). Comparison of detrended correspondence analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination techniques using vegetation data from the southern Appalachians. M.S. thesis, North Carolina State University.
Pearce, Jennie. (1997). The delineation and prediction of habitat, with particular reference to the endangered Helmeted Honeyeater. Ph.D. thesis, School of Forestry, The University of Melbourne.
*Sandercock, Gabrielle. (1997). Evaluating data standardisation in vegetation analysis using simulated data. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
*Tolsma, Arn D. (1997). Measuring the success of gold mine rehabilitation in Victoria’s box-ironbark forests. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
*Alexander, Jennifer. (1996). The vegetation of serpentine outcrops in East Gippsland, Victoria. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
Blanks, Perpetua. (1996). The predictive value of ecological vegetation classes for the presence of bryophytes. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
Coates, Fiona. (1996). Ecological and biogeographical correlates of rarity in two narrow endemics in Tasmania : Spyridium microphyllum (F. Muell. ex Reisseck) Druce and Spyridium obcordatum (Hook. f.) W.M. Curtis. Ph.D. thesis, Geography Department, University of Tasmania.
Martin, Rachel A. U. (1996). Spatial analysis of eucalypt dieback at Corranderrk, Australia. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
Singer, Ruth. (1996). The regeneration ecology of Kunzea ericoides (A.Rich) J. Thompson at Coranderrk Reserve, Healesville. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
*Williams, Nicholas S. G. (1995). Does logging shift the floristics of Wet Eucalypt Forests? Analysis of an East Gippsland chronosequence. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.
*Ramp, Daniel. (1994). Seed-bank dynamics and germination ecology in Mediterranean heathland, Wyperfeld National Park. Honours thesis, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne.