Assistant Professor
(1) Ecological genomics and systems biology:
Ecological genomics in Arabidopsis.
Ecological systems biology.
(2) Epigenetics and evolution:
Epigenetics in invasive species.
Experimental epigenetics in Arabidopsis.
What role, if any, does heritable epigenetic variation play in phenotypic evolution? NESCent catalysis meeting April 1-3 2009 organized by Richards, Bossdorf and Pigliucci.
(3) Ecological genetics:
Evolutionary ecophysiology in salt marsh plants.
Phenotypic plasticity in invasions.
Phenotypic plasticity in the age of ‘Omics.
Special Issue of Estuaries and Coasts: Genetic Structure and Adaptation in Coastal Ecosystems. Guest editors Richards, Wares and Mackie.
SCIENTIFIC CAREER
August 2009 Assistant professor. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Southern Florida, Tampa, FL.
2007 – 09 Senior Post-doctoral Associate. Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY.
Mentor: Michael Purugganan.
2004 – 06 Post-doctoral Associate and Research Assistant Professor. Department of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook
University. Mentor: Massimo Pigliucci.
1999 – 04 PhD: Evolution in closely adjacent salt marsh environments. University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
1996 – 97 Visiting graduate student. Moshe Shilo Center for Marine Biogeochemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, Israel.
1990 – 95 Bachelor of Arts, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA. Diploma in Biology.
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) catalysis meeting (co-PI Bossdorf & Pigliucci), 4/09. “What role does heritable epigenetic variation play in phenotypic evolution?”
New York Sea Grant (co-PI Pigliucci), 2/06-2/07. Genetic Make-up of Fallopia Plant Species Invading Novel Coastal Habitats.
Graduate Research Fellow, 5/01- 5/04. Genetic and physiological variation of three salt marsh plants at the Sapelo Island NERR. National Estuarine Research Reserve (NOAA).
Georgia Sea Grant (co-PI with Steve Franks and Eva Gonzales), 3/00. Genetic variation and restoration of sea oats (Uniola paniculata).
Seven small grants, 1/99-5/04. For graduate research from Garden Club of America, University of Georgia Botany, GA DNR, GA Sea Grant and GC-LTER.
PUBLICATIONS
Richards, C.L., O. Bossdorf & M. Pigliucci. In press. What role does heritable epigenetic variation play in phenotypic evolution? Bioscience.
Bossdorf, O., D. Arcurri, C.L. Richards & M. Pigliucci. In press. Experimental alteration of DNA methylation affects the phenotypic plasticity of ecologically relevant traits in Arabidopsis thaliana. Evolutionary Ecology.
Richards, C.L., S.N. White, M.A. McGuire, S.J. Franks, L.A. Donovan & R. Mauricio. 2010. Plasticity, not adaptation to salt level, explains variation along a salinity gradient in a salt marsh perennial. Estuaries and Coasts: Special Feature on Genetic Structure and Adaptation in Coastal Ecosystems. DOI 10.1007/s12237-009-9186-4
Caicedo, A.L., C.L. Richards, I.M. Ehrenereich & M.D. Purugganan. 2009. Complex rearrangements lead to novel chimeric gene fusion polymorphisms at the Arabidopsis MAF2-5 flowering time gene cluster. Molecular Biology and Evolution 26: 699-711.
Richards, C.L., Y. Hanzawa, I.M. Ehrenreich, M. Katari, K.E. Engelmann & M.D. Purugganan. 2009. Perspectives on ecological and evolutionary systems biology. Plant Systems Biology. R.A. Gutierrez & G.M. Coruzzi, eds. Annual Plant Reviews, Vol. 35. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford, UK.
Richards, C.L., R. Walls, J.P. Bailey, R. Parameswaran, T. George & M. Pigliucci. 2008. Plasticity in salt tolerance traits allows for invasion of salt marshes by Japanese knotweed s.l. (Fallopia japonica and F. xbohemica, Polygonaceae). American Journal of Botany 95: 931-942.
Bossdorf, O., C.L. Richards & M. Pigliucci. 2008. Epigenetics for ecologists. Ecology Letters 11: 106-115. Recommended to Faculty of 1000 by Brian Neff, February 22, 2008
Richards, C.L., O. Bossdorf, N.Z. Muth, J. Gurevitch & M. Pigliucci. 2006. Jack of all trades, master of some? On the role of phenotypic plasticity in plant invasions. Ecology Letters 9: 981-993.
Richards, C.L., S.C. Pennings & L.A. Donovan. 2005. Habitat range and phenotypic variation in salt marsh plants. Plant Ecology 176: 263-273.
Richards, C.L., J. L. Hamrick, L.A. Donovan & R. Mauricio. 2004. Unexpectedly high clonal diversity of two salt marsh perennials across a severe environmental gradient. Ecology Letters 7: 1155-1162.
Franks, S.J., C.L. Richards, E. Gonzales, J. E. Cousins & J. L. Hamrick. 2004. Multi-scale genetic analysis of Uniola paniculata (Poaceae): a coastal species with a linear, fragmented distribution. American Journal of Botany 91: 1345-1351.
Callaway, R.M., S.C. Pennings & C.L. Richards. 2003. Phenotypic plasticity and interactions among plants. Ecology 84: 1115-1128.
Pennings, S.C. & C.L. Richards. 1998. Effects of wrack burial in salt stressed habitats: Batis maritima in a southwest Atlantic marsh. Ecography 21: 630-638.
SEMINARS/TALKS
Richards, C.L. [ppt] [pdf] 2009. Rapid evolution in novel and changing environments. Symposium: Phenotypic plasticity in the age of 'omics. Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia. Invited seminar.
Richards, C.L.[ppt] [pdf] 2009. Ecological genomics in novel and changing environments. University of Southern Florida, Tampa, FL. Invited seminar.
Richards, C.L., Y. Hanzawa, M. Katari, G.M. Coruzzi1, R.A. Gutierrez, M.D. Purugganan. 2008. Natural variation in flowering gene networks of Arabidopsis thaliana. University of Massachusetts Ecological Genomics Symposium, Amherst, MA. Poster presentation.
Richards, C.L. 2008. Sources of phenotypic diversity in invasive Fallopia. New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx, NY. Invited Plant Genomics seminar.
Richards, C.L. 2008. Epigenetics for ecologists using model and non-model systems. Stony Brook University, NY. Invited seminar.
Richards, C.L. & M. Pigliucci. 2007. Genetic and epigenetic components of Fallopia invasion of novel salt marsh habitat. ERF 2007 annual meeting, Providence, RI. Oral presentation.
Richards, C.L. & M. Pigliucci. 2006. Genetic and epigenetic components of adaptive response in Japanese knotweed. Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University, Japanese knotweed workshop. Ithaca, NY. Oral presentation.
Richards, C.L., O. Bossdorf & M. Pigliucci. 2006. Epigenetic variation and its implications for evolutionary ecology. SSE 2006 annual meeting, Stony Brook, NY. Oral presentation.
Richards, C.L. & M. Pigliucci. 2005. Epigenetics in Japanese knotweed. Northeast phenotypic plasticity workshop. Stony Brook, NY. Oral presentation.
Richards, C.L., L.A. Donovan, R. Mauricio & J.L. Hamrick. 2003. Genetic diversity and clonal structure of the salt marsh perennial Borrichia frutescens. SSE, Chico, CA; ESA, Savannah, GA. Oral presentations.
Richards, C.L., S.N. White, M.A. McGuire, S.J. Franks, R. Mauricio & L.A. Donovan. 2001. Adaptive plasticity in a salt marsh perennial. ESA, Madison, WI. Oral presentation.
Richards, C.L. 2001. Conservation of phenotypic and genetic diversity in salt marsh plants. Garden Club of America annual meeting. Orlando, FL. Invited speaker.
Richards, C.L. & L.A. Donovan. 2001. Phenotypic and genetic variation in salt marsh plant species. Georgia Coastal LTER annual meeting. Athens, GA. Oral presentation.
Richards, C.L. 2001. From Rags to Riches: A tale of a salt marsh ecologist. American Women in Science (AWIS) local meeting. Athens, GA. Invited speaker.
TEACHING AND SERVICE
Lead co-organizer, NESCent Catalysis Meeting “What role, if any, does heritable epigenetic variation play in phenotypic evolution?” with O. Bossdorf & M. Pigliucci, April 2009.
Lead co-organizer, Special Issue of Estuaries and Coasts: Genetic structure and adaptation in coastal populations, publication target 2009.
Lead co-organizer, session on “Causes and consequences of genetic variation in estuarine systems” for the annual meeting of the Estuarine Research Federation (ERF), Providence, 2007.
Mentoring, 4 high-school, 4 undergraduate students for multiple projects at UGA, SBU & NYU.
Laboratory (and field) instructor, University of Georgia: 6 semesters, 6 Maymesters.
Member, Curriculum committee, Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia: To revise University of Georgia Plant Bio’s undergraduate curriculum. Spring 2001.
Ad hoc reviewer: Acta Oecologia, Aquatic Botany, Annals of Botany, Biological Invasions, Ecology, Ecography, Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology, Evolutionary Ecology Research, International Journal of Plant Science, Journal of Ecology, Molecular Ecology, Oikos, Quarterly Review of Biology, Weed Science, Wetlands, Florida Sea Grant, and the Campbell & Reece Biology textbook.
RESEARCH INTERESTS