A.B., Brown University, Biology, 1993
Masters Certificate, The University of Georgia, Conservation Biology, 2002
Ph.D., The University of Georgia, Botany, 2002
Research Associate, USDA Invasive Plant Research Lab, 2002-2004
Postdoctoral Researcher, The University of California, Irvine, 2004-2007
I am broadly interested in the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of natural plant populations. The principal goal of my research is to understand the key forces that drive population and community interactions. I investigate the mechanics of these interactions from the molecular to the ecological scales using a variety of laboratory and greenhouse studies, with field sites and projects in Florida, California and Australia. I focus on testing key components of contemporary ecological and evolutionary theory with the goal of attaining a more complete understanding of natural systems.
Current Research Projects
Evolutionary responses of plants to climate change. This work will focus on how plant traits, especially those related to phenology such as flowering time, evolve in response to changing environmental conditions. In collaboration with Dr. Amy Litt of The New York Botanical Gardens, I'm investigating the genetic basis of evolutionary changes in flowering time following a natural change in climate.
Future work will also involve a coordinated effort to collect seeds of many species in throughout North America so that ancestors can be compared to descendents to better understand evolutionary responses to climate change. This work shall be done through Project Baseline
Franks, SJ, PD Pratt, FA Dray, and EL Simms. 2007. No evolution of increased competitive ability or decreased allocation to defense in Melaleuca quinquenervia since release from natural enemies. Biological Invasions.
Franks, SJ, S Sim, and AE Weis. 2007. Rapid evolution of flowering time by annual plant in response to a climate fluctuation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104: 1278-1282.
Franks, SJ, AM Kral, and PD Pratt. 2006. Herbivory by introduced insects reduces growth and survival of Melaleuca quinquenervia seedlings. Environmental Entomology. 35: 366-372.
Weis, AE and SJ Franks. 2006. Herbivory tolerance and coevolution: an alternative to the arms race? New Phytologist 170: 423-425.
Center, TD, TK Van, FA Dray, SJ Franks, MT Rebelo, PD Pratt, and MB Rayamajhi. 2005. Herbivory alters competitive interactions between two invasive aquatic plants. Biological Control 33: 173-185.
Franks, SJ, PD Pratt, FA Dray, and EL Simms. 2004. Selection for resistance in invasive plants. Weed Technology 18: 1486-1489.
