Pamela Geddes
Biology
Associate Chair, Professor, Audrey Reynolds Distinguished Teaching Professor
Office:
Room BBH 340H
Phone:
(773) 442-5737
Email:
p-geddes@neiu.edu
Office Hours:
Please email p-geddes@neiu.edu to arrange to meet or speak with Dr. Geddes.
Country:
United States
Expertise
Ecology and Environmental Science
The Changing Natural Environment (BIO 104)
Alien Invasions of Chicago (First Year Experience, BIO 109A)
General Biology II (BIO 202)
Essential Skills for Biologists (BIO 250)
General Ecology (Writing Intensive Program, BIO 305)
Community Ecology (BIO 357)
Biology Senior Seminar (BIO 390)
Conservation Biology (BIO 453)
Restoration Ecology (BIO 455)
Research Interests
My research focuses on the effects of invasive plant species in wetlands. I’m interested in how plant invasive species’ traits (such as rapid growth, large biomass, large litter deposition, and even genotype) trigger a cascade of effects that span from their interaction with co-occurring native species all the way up to ecosystem-level processes. I also combine molecular tools (microsatellite markers) to answer ecological questions, mostly related to the identification of hybridizing invasive plant species. I’m also interested in how ecological communities respond to external disturbances (e.g., invaders, pollutants, urbanization) and habitat restoration. Keywords: invasive plant species, community ecology, habitat restoration
Education
Ph.D., Ecology, University of Chicago
Post-doc., Ecology, Loyola University Chicago
M.S., Biology, Florida International University
B.S., Biology, Florida International University
A.A., Biology, Miami-Dade Community College
Selected Publications
Undergraduate students are underlined
Geddes, P., L. Murphy, Y. Astudillo-Scalia, D. Blasini, S. Nugent, M. J. Rios, A. Schirmer, and J. P. Olfelt. 2021. Microsatellite markers reveal unprecedented high frequencies of hybridization among Typha species in the Midwestern US. Wetlands 41(2021): 1-9.
Pini, A.K. and P. Geddes. 2020. Fungi are capable of mycoremediation of river water contaminated with E. coli. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 231:83.
Geddes, P. 2019. The invasion of the cattails. Podcast. In Defense of Plants. http://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2019/4/21/ep-209-invasion-of-the-cattails
Volesky, L.A., S. Iqbal, J.J. Kelly, and P. Geddes. 2018. Relationships of native and exotic Phragmites australis to wetland ecosystem properties. Wetlands 38(3):577-589.