Dannielle Waugh

Student

Dannielle Waugh

Files

Cohort

2018-2019

Biography

Dannielle transferred from Daytona State College to the University of Central Florida in Fall 2017. Since then I have had so many experiences to learn and grow within the research field. Programs like T.L.E.A.R.N. and R.A.M.P. have helped me immensely to challenge myself and become a better researcher.

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Chase Mason, Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida

Undergraduate Major

Biology with a minor in Environmental Sciences

Future Plans

– I am still discovering my interests, but I see my future career in the plant sciences, ecology, conservation, and/or plant-environment interactions.

Research

Growth rate is a significant plant trait involved in processes like competition and stress resistance. In a previous study, the growth rates of temperate tree species across ten genera were analyzed using two sources of data (dendrochronology and diameter-at-breast-height) to generate a dataset of growth rate. Using this dataset, we investigated the evolution of growth rate in relation to plant leaf ecophysiological and defense traits as well as native habitat climate and soil conditions. To accomplish this, as phylogenetic comparative approach was used. Phylogenetic generalized least-squares regression was used to assess correlations between growth rate and plant traits, as well as growth rate and habitat environment. This research strengthens our understanding of the drivers of plant growth rate evolution, while also applying this research to give insight to areas like forestry and forest management under climate change.

Keywords

Biology, Plant Science, Conservation

Dannielle Waugh


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