J. Hall Cushman

Professor of Biology & Director of the Galbreath Wildlands Preserve
Ph.D. Northern Arizona University, 1989
Voicemail: (707) 664-2142
Email: cushman@sonoma.edu
Office: Darwin 238
Webpage

Postdoctoral Experience:

Imperial College at Silwood Park (England), Macquarie University (Australia), Stanford University.

Research Interests:

Population & Community Ecology; Biological Invasions; Conservation Biology; Plant-Animal Interactions; Global Change & Biodiversity Issues; Mutualism & Positive Interactions.

Research Program:

I have pursued a wide range of research projects in ecology and conservation biology using plant, insect, pathogen and mammalian systems. This work has a strong emphasis on field experiments and addresses questions concerning the roles played by species in shaping populations, communities and ecosystems. Much of my research has focused on the influence of native (black-tailed deer and hares) and non-native (feral pigs) mammals on plant communities and ecosystems in northern California. More recently, I have initiated research that addresses the biotic and abiotic factors driving the spread of Phytophthora ramorum, an exotic pathagen that is causing Sudden Oak Death throughtout much of northern California and southern Oregon. I have an active group of graduate students that conduct research in ecology, conservation biology and restoration ecology. Much of our collaborative research emphasizes biological invasions and the effects of non-native plant species on the communities they invade.

Representative Publications:

Lortie, C.J., & J.H. Cushman. 2007. Effects of a directional abiotic gradient on plant community dynamics and invasion in a coastal duen system. Journal of Ecology 95:468-481.

Johnson, B.E., & J.H. Cushman. 2007. Influence of a large herbivore reintroduction on plant invasions and community composition in a California grassland. Conservation Biology 21:515-526.

Tierney, T., & J. H. Cushman. 2006. Temporal changes in native and exotic vegetation and soil characteristics following disturbances by feral pigs in a California grassland. Biological Invasions 8:1073-1089.

McNeil, S. G, & J. H. Cushman. 2005. Indirect effects of deer herbivory on local nitrogen availability in a coastal dune ecosystem. Oikos 110:124-132.

Cushman, J. H., T. A. Tierney, and J. M. Hinds. 2004. Variable effects of feral pig disturbances on native and exotic plants in a California grassland. Ecological Applications 14:1746-1756.

Alvarez, M. E., & J. H. Cushman. 2002. Community level consequences of a biological invasion: effects of a non-native vine on three plant communities. Ecological Applications 12:1434-1444.

Course Offerings:

Ecology; Conservation Ecology; Genetics, Evolution & Ecology.