Phone 909.537.5276
FAX 909.537.7038
skillman@csusb.edu
B.Sc., Oregon State University
Ph.D., Duke University
Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Bio 200 Biology of the Cell
Bio 354 The Biology of Higher Plants
Bio 431 Plant Physiology
Bio 450 Ecology
Archie is working to better understand the ecology of Muhlenbergia richardsonis, a C4 grass, at its upper elevational distribution limit in the White mountains of eastern California. To date his work indicates that the alpine populations of this grass are genetically distinct from those at more moderate montane elevations and that the alpine ecotype of this presumably cold-intolerant grass has strict microsite requirements for survival near its upper elevational limit.
I'm curious about the anatomical and physiological characteristics of Crassulacean acid metabolism plants. Currently I have set up experimental conditions for comparing C3 and CAM species to see if differences in photosynthetic pathway are associated with differences in physiological and/or anatomical plasticity.
Tonya is interested in understanding leaf lifetime carbon gain as a life history character. Currently she is developing a genetically diverse lab population of Arabidopsis thaliana plants that can be used for artificial selection experiments. She hopes to develop plant populations that exhibit contrasting phenologies in a common environment to see how these differences affect leaf photosynthetic potential.
Skillman, J.B. 2008. Quantum yield variation across the three pathways of photosynthesis: not yet out of the dark. Journal of Experimental Botany. 59:1647-1661.
Skillman, J.B., M. Garcia, A. Virgo, and K. Winter. 2005. Growth irradicance effects on photosynthesis and growth in two co-occurring shade tolerant neotropical perennials of contrasting photosynthetic pathways. American Journal of Botany 92:1811-1819.
Silvera, K., J.B. Skillman and J.W. Dalling. 2003. Seed germination, seedling growth, and habitat partitioning in two morphotypes of Trema micrantha in a seasonal tropical forest in Panama. Journal of Tropical Ecology 19:27-34.
Valladares F., J.B. Skillman, and R.W. Pearcy. 2002. Convergence in light capture efficiencies among tropical forest understory plants with contrasting crown architectures: a case of morphological compensation. American Journal of Botany 89:1275-1284.
Skillman, J.B., M. Garcia, and K. Winter. 1999. Whole-plant consequences of Crassulacean acid metabolism in an understory terrestrial bromeliad. Ecology 80:1584-1593.