Dr. Aaron David is the Program Director of Plant Ecology at Archbold Biological Station. He completed is B.A. at Washington University in St Louis, and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. He has been working in Florida ecosystems since 2016, including postdoctoral positions at the University of Miami and the USDA-ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory prior to starting his position at Archbold in 2021. His research interests include plant population ecology, plant-microbe interactions, and biological control of invasive plants.

Aaron S. David, Ph.D.

Director of Plant Ecology, Assistant Research Biologist

Sterling joined the Plant Ecology Program in 2021, specializing in Florida Ziziphus, Perforate Reindeer Lichen, and Highlands Goldenaster, as well as community vegetation and rare plant surveys on the Lake Wales Ridge. Enthusiast of all things botany, life history strategy, Fabaceae, seed biology, prescribed burning, and his golden retriever. PhD, Saint Louis University; BS, Milligan University.

Sterling Herron, Ph.D.

Research Assistant V

For nearly 3 decades, Archbold scientists have worked to save the Florida Ziziphus an incredibly rare shrub is limited to only a few sites of the Lake Wales Ridge. Archbold collaborates with several institutions to understand its ecology, conserve genotypes, propagate plants, and establish new populations on protected lands. We have conducted over a dozen introductions at 8 sites to date, which are critical for the species’ recovery.

Demography, field experiments, propagation, genotyping, translocation

Saving a Spiny Scrub Shrub

Major Findings & Impact

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