Item talk:Q44840

usgs_staff_profile:

 meta:
   status_code: 200
   timestamp: '2023-09-30T16:38:14.842211'
   url: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/wesley-a-bickford
 profile:
   abstracts: []
   affiliations: []
   education:
   - Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan 2020
   - M.S. Wetland Science, University of Maryland 2011
   - B.S. Environmental Science (Ecosystem Science), Indiana University 2007
   email: wbickford@usgs.gov
   expertise_terms:
   - Invasive species
   - Microbial ecology
   - Plant-microbe interactions
   - Wetland ecology
   - Restoration ecology
   - Phragmites australis
   - Wetland ecosystems
   honors: []
   intro_statements:
   - My research interests lie in wetland ecology, invasive species, and plant-microbial
     interactions. Specifically, I explore new and innovative restoration and invasive
     species management strategies that use molecular biology, community ecology,
     and plant-soil interactions as a foundation. My research is focused on adding
     new tools to complement conventional restoration strategies.
   name: Wesley A Bickford, PhD
   name_qualifier: null
   orcid: 0000-0001-7612-1325
   organization_link: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/great-lakes-science-center
   organization_name: Great Lakes Science Center
   personal_statement: Improving restoration strategies through intervention of microbial
     symbiosis.Microbes are everywhere. In humans, they are vastly important to health
     and bodily function. Likewise, bacteria and fungi play hugely important roles
     in nutrient availability in soils, nutrient acquisition by plants, and plant
     tolerances to extreme conditions. Management outcomes depend heavily upon the
     proper links between plants and their microbiomes.-Microbial interactions could
     make invasive plants more competitive and aggressive. Therefore, management
     approaches that target microbial interactions could decrease the expansion and
     aggressiveness of invasive species. We are working on developing such management
     tools by testing the impacts of disruption in microbial symbiosis on invasive
     plant health, nutrient acquisition, and expansion.-Success of native plant restoration
     is often predicated upon the proper microbial partners. In addition, invasive
     species soil microbial legacies could undermine restoration success after removal.
     Therefore, we are exploring the roles of soil microbes in successful restoration
     of plants of ecological and cultural importance and developing strategies for
     improving native species restoration.
   professional_experience:
   - Biologist, 2020-Present, USGS - Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, MI
   - Pathways Ecologist, 2014-2020, USGS - Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor,
     MI
   - Wetland Research Technician, 2013-2014, USGS - Great Lakes Science Center, Ann
     Arbor, MI
   - NOAA Coastal Management Fellow, 2011-2012, New Jersey Office of Coastal Management,
     Trenton, NJ
   title: Biologist