Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology

Don Farrar

Visit my homepage at:
http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/profiles/FarrarD/farrar.html

One aspect of my research is directed to processes of reproduction in ferns and other pteridophytes. We combine laboratory and field experiments to compare species' reproductive success and relate this to their natural occurrence and distribution. We are currently studying the role of gametophyte morphology, including production of gemmae, in the ecology, reproduction, and dispersal of fern species. Understanding the evolution and ecology of ferns provides insight, in turn, to broader questions of plant geography and evolution. Another aspect of my research studies the community composition and dynamics of Iowa forests, and restoration of forest diversity.