Z. Carter Berry – Research Assistant Professor
My goal is to understand how plant structure and function allow plants to persist in response to present and future climate. To do this, I:
(1) explore novel processes of plant function,
(2) understand plant strategies for managing acute stress (i.e. drought), and
(3) develop new tools for researchers to probe previously unanswered questions.
My story began traipsing through the forests of North Carolina. My work then took me to new places with fascinating forests and towering trees and new thoughts of “how do these things really work”? After conducting research and educating in many beautiful places, I have returned to North Carolina where the story began.
Olivia Faris
Olivia is exploring how longleaf pine acclimates water-use strategies in response to long term drought. This work has implications for ecosystem response to climate change and how we manage endangered forests.
Major: Biology
Minors: Environmental Science & Anthropology
Charlotte Ramirez
Charlotte is developing new methods to determine how ecosystems move carbon and water under wet conditions. This method will lead to new predictions for how carbon and water move through tropical and temperate ecosystems.
Major: Environmental Science
Minors: Writing, Politics, and International Affairs & Art History
Mac Grosscup
Mac is evaluating the mechanisms to explain how species process diffuse light. Using a recently developed tool in the lab, he quantifies how each species processes diffuse light, leading to a reevaluation for strategies of plants to survive under future climate patterns.
Major: Biology
Minors: Environmental Science & Anthropology
Emily Kemp
Emily has been a jack of all trades, helping out with a variety of projects in the lab. In particular, she has enjoyed field work quantifying species level photosynthesis in response to diffuse light.
Major: Environment and Sustainability Studies
Minors: Middle East and South Asia Studies & Arabic
Will Nave
Will is designing our next generation integrating sphere that interfaces with our LiCor Portable Photosynthesis Machine. This work will allow us to better manipulate light environments for plant measurements
Major: Engineering
Haley Corbett
Haley is developing new models that predict the exchange of carbon and water through forest canopies
Major: Engineering, concentration in Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Mathematics
Lakyn Mathis
Lakyn is seeking new mechanisms that explain how light and flavonol production interact to drive stomatal opening.
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Chris Straub
Chris is working to better understanding carbon movement through tropical forests
Major: Biology
Minor: Neuroscience
Collin Cheung
Collin is continuing our work in how carbon moves through wet forests with a particular focus on how tropical species have different responses to temperate species
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry & Anthropology
Lab Alumni
Mechelle Jiang – WFU Biology 2022
Kate Taylor – HPU Biology 2022
Alec Garfield – HPU Biology 2022
Kendra Ellertson – Chapman Biology 2021
Natasha Lindert – Chapman Biology 2021
The Berry Lab 