Allison Louthan, Assistant Professor

Contact information

107 Bushnell Hall
amlouthan@ksu.edu

Lab website: https://louthanlab.weebly.com

Education

Ph.D. 2016, University of Colorado-Boulder. Environmental Studies.

Area(s) of Specialization

Population biology, community ecology.

Research Focus

Our lab works at the intersection of population and community ecology, focusing on how species interactions and climate change jointly influence population dynamics and distribution patterns. We use a combination of observational fieldwork, field- and greenhouse- based experiments, and modeling to explore how species interactions might impact future biodiversity patterns in a changing climate. Work in our lab focuses on four questions:

• How does the impact of species interactions on populations and distributions change with climate?
• Do responses to climate and species interactions vary systematically across broad spatial scales?
• What are the mechanisms by which other trophic levels or guilds elicit population-level responses?
• How will rare plant and animals respond to climate change?

Please get in touch if you are interested in learning more about what we do or joining the lab.

Selected Publications

A. Louthan, E. Valencia, D. Martins, T. Guy, J. Goheen, T. Palmer, and D. Doak. 2019. Large mammals generate both top-down effects and extended trophic cascades on floral-visitor assemblages. Journal of Tropical Ecology 35: 185-198.

R. Dibner, M. Peterson, A. Louthan, D. Doak. 2019. Multiple mechanisms confer stability to isolated populations of a rare endemic plant. Ecological Monographs 89: e01360.

A. Louthan and D. Doak. 2018. Measurement error of state variables creates substantial bias in results of demographic population models. Ecology 99: 2308-2317.

A. M. Louthan, R. M. Pringle, J. R. Goheen, T. M. Palmer, W. F. Morris, and D. F. Doak. 2018. Aridity weakens population-level effects of multiple species interactions on Hibiscus meyeri. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. 115: 543-548.

A. Louthan, D. Doak, and A. Angert. 2015. Where and when do species interactions set range limits? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 30: 780-792.

D. Doak, G. Himes Boor, V. Bakker, W. Morris, A. Louthan, A. Stanley, and L. Crowder. 2015. Recommendations for improving recovery criteria under the United States Endangered Species Act. Bioscience 65: 189-199.

A. Louthan, D. Doak, J. Goheen, T. Palmer, and R. Pringle. 2014. Mechanisms of plant-plant interactions: concealment from herbivores is more important that abiotic-stress mediation in an African savannah. Proceedings of the Royal Society: B 281: 20132647.

A. Louthan, D. Doak, J. Goheen, T. Palmer, and R. Pringle. 2013. Climatic stress mediates the impact of herbivory on plant population structure and components of individual fitness. Journal of Ecology 101: 1074-1083.