Welcome to the Spigler Lab in the Biology Department at Temple University!
Our research broadly encompasses plant evolutionary ecology, spanning the fields of population ecology, pollination biology, quantitative genetics, population genetics, and conservation biology. We combine observational field studies, manipulative field and greenhouse experiments, and genetic/genomics tools to explore how ecological, demographic, and genetic factors influence plant mating patterns and shape the evolution of reproductive traits.
Current research projects in the lab are in three areas: (1) the effects of habitat fragmentation on plant-pollinator interactions, mating system dynamics, and floral trait evolution; (2) evolutionary demography & the demographic impacts of inbreeding depression; and (3) the evolution of mixed-mating and the selfing syndrome.
Our lab is part of Temple's Center for Biodiversity, Center for Computational Genetics & Genomics (CCGG), and the Institute for Genomics & Evolutionary Medicine (igem).
Please check out the research page to find out more about our past and ongoing work.
Our research broadly encompasses plant evolutionary ecology, spanning the fields of population ecology, pollination biology, quantitative genetics, population genetics, and conservation biology. We combine observational field studies, manipulative field and greenhouse experiments, and genetic/genomics tools to explore how ecological, demographic, and genetic factors influence plant mating patterns and shape the evolution of reproductive traits.
Current research projects in the lab are in three areas: (1) the effects of habitat fragmentation on plant-pollinator interactions, mating system dynamics, and floral trait evolution; (2) evolutionary demography & the demographic impacts of inbreeding depression; and (3) the evolution of mixed-mating and the selfing syndrome.
Our lab is part of Temple's Center for Biodiversity, Center for Computational Genetics & Genomics (CCGG), and the Institute for Genomics & Evolutionary Medicine (igem).
Please check out the research page to find out more about our past and ongoing work.
Lab News
Spring 2022
- Mark presented his work at the annual Evolution conference in Cleveland.
- Congrats to Brittney & Annmarie who graduated in May! We will miss them but are excited for their next adventures.
- We welcome Dr. Claire Godineau to the lab! Claire is a Postdoctoral Associate who will be working on modeling the demographic impacts of selfing.
- Happy new year!! - Excited to start it off with a new publication! "Changes in female function and autonomous selfing across floral lifespan interact to drive variation in the cost of selfing" authored by Rachel & former lab technician extraordinaire Rossana Magiña.
Fall 2021
- Maddy Sabo has joined the lab as lab technician. We're so thrilled to have her here.
- New paper accepted in American Journal of Botany! "How early does the selfing syndrome arise? Associations between selfing ability and flower size within populations of the mixed mater Collinsia verna" from my work with Robert McElderry, Susan Kalisz & Donna Vogler.
- Our paper on heterospecific pollen receipt is now 'in print'. You can find it here (Open access!!).
- Excited to welcome Katie McManus to the lab. Katie is pursuing a PhD and is interested in pollinator conservation.
Spring 2020 - Summer 2021
- Well, it's been a while and COVID has slowed us down, but lots has still happened over the last year! Some highlights:
- Talks & more talks! At the Evolution meeting, Mark presented his work on frequency-dependent inbreeding depression and Lauren presented work on the genomic underpinnings of the selfing syndrome. At the Botany 2021 meeting, Rachel presented work linking selfing syndrome and speciation in Collinsia and JJ presented his work on the causes and consequences of heterospecific pollen transfer.
- Welcome new lab members: Matt Chmielewski (Postdoc), Carolyne Schiebl (Lab Tech), and undergraduates Ruth Walton, Ashley McGrogan, Ava Biegalski, and Annmarie Charles.
- New paper accepted in American Journal of Botany on the causes and consequences of heterospecific pollen transfer by PhD candidate JJ Smith.
- New paper out in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics on probing the molecular basis of the selfing syndrome. This is just the beginning of a fabulous collaboration with Susan Kalisz, Stephen Wright, and Amy Litt to to identify mechanistic evolutionary genomic processes driving selfing syndrome evolution. First author and postdoc Lauren Frazee did amazing work! You can find it here.
- New paper out in Molecular Ecology. So excited and proud of this work with former Postdoctoral Associate Sarah Emel. "Type and intensity of surrounding human land use, not local environment, shape genetic structure of a native grassland plant". Feb 2021. You can find it here.
- Amazing undergraduate researchers in the lab graduated! Congratulations Susanna, Bella, Jen, Alaha, Allly, Maria, Claire!
- Sky Naya graduated with an MS in December! Sky was also awarded Grad Student of the Year award from the PA Entomological society.
- Rachel, Susanna, JJ, and Mark presented their work at national & international meetings.
- Dr. Lauren Frazee has joined the lab as a postdoctoral associate! Lauren will be working on studies related to pollinator-mediated selection.
- JJ & Mark passed their oral exam and are now bonafide PhD candidates. Congrats guys!
- We've been granted another year of funding from PADMVA to continue our research on pollination ecology of the regal frittilary butterfly.
Summer 2019
- Summer is here! And that means....FIELD SEASON! We have a lot of exciting projects from plant demography to plant pollinator networks, nectar chemistry, and butterfly foraging behavior! We also have new people in the lab. Welcome: Kate Bird (new lab tech) and undergraduate students Jag Gummadi, Haley Zban, Janet Lam with more to join later in the summer.
- We bid adieu to our beloved Matthias. It's been so fabulous to have him in the lab. Now, he's off to travel the world!
- Susanna Ostrowski was awarded a Frances Velay Fellowship for her research project looking at pollen removal rates and its relationship to floral longevity. Congrats Susanna!
Fall 2018
- Rachel is featured in Temple's student-run newspaper, The Temple News! You can see the article here. While not all of the details or science got translated exactly right, I must thank former student Paige for this gem of a quote!: "''[Spigler] is young, she’s cool, she’s fun. She’s excited about what she does, she pushes you to be the best you can be.'" Thanks to Paige for the complement & to Michaela Althouse for writing the article.
- New paper! "Context-dependency of resource allocation trade-offs highlights constraints to the evolution of floral longevity in a monocarpic herb", is published in New Phytologist. You can check it out here. So proud of recent Spigler Lab graduate & co-author Alyssa Woodard.
- Asma Sharaf joins the lab as an undergraduate researcher.
- Skyler Naya joins the lab as a Master's student. Skyler will be working on projects related to plant-pollinator interaction networks.
Summer 2018
- The Spigler lab is bringing #innovation and #discovery to Temple! See ads featuring our very own Alyssa & Kaitlyn working in the plant lab throughout Philly. You may have noticed them on SEPTA!
- Our paper, "Shifts to earlier selfing in sympatry may reduce costs of pollinator sharing", authored by Randle, Spigler, & Kalisz, has been accepted for publication in Evolution!
- Welcome to the lab: Bella Bianchi, Jen Cortese, Caroline Wilson, Dellena Bloom, Ian Oritz, Jess Capista, Susanna Ostrowski, Melissa Landy, Madison Baltazar, and Jaide Wible!
Spring 2018
- Alyssa graduates with Distinction in Biology. Congratulations Alyssa!
- We're gearing up for an exciting field season at Fort Indiantown Gap to explore plant-pollinator dynamics involving the endangered Eastern Regal Fritillary butterfly. JJ has some fabulous pollinator footage you can check out here.
- Caroline Wilson has been awarded a Frances Velay Fellowship and will be joining the lab to work on an exciting nectar chemistry project.
Fall 2017
- The lab welcomes Matthias Gaffney, who will be working as a research technician on the NSF DIOS study.
- Our paper, "Persistent pollinators and the evolution of complete selfing" has been accepted to American Journal of Botany
- Rachel's paper, "Small and surrounded: population size and land use intensity interact to determine reliance on autonomous selfing in a monocarpic plant", has been accepted to Annals of Botany
- We've been awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran Affairs! This project will focus on plant-pollinator interactions in the grasslands at Fort Indiantown Gap, with particular emphasis on interactions involving the endangered Eastern Regal Fritillary butterfly. JJ will working on this exciting new project!
Summer 2017
- JJ Smith joins the lab as a research assistant and will be starting the PhD program in the Fall. JJ is working on plant-pollinator networks involving the endangered Eastern Regal Fritillary butterfly at Ft. Indiantown Gap. Welcome JJ!
- Welcome Paige Pammer! Paige joined the lab through Temple CST's Undergraduate Research Program.
- The lab embarks upon another field season. This year we are experimentally evaluating which floral traits may be under pollinator-mediated selection in Sabatia angularis.
- Alyssa is off to an exciting summer abroad in Rome!
Spring 2017
- Postdoc Sarah Emel has been awarded the prestigious Darwin Fellowship @UMass Amherst! Congratulations Sarah!!
- Rachel has been awarded an NSF grant!!!! The work will explore the demographic consequences of variation in the mating system. You can read the abstract here. We are humbly using the acronym 'DIOS': Demographic impacts of selfing.
- Our paper "Phenotypic selection varies with pollination intensity across populations of Sabatia angularis", authored by Sarah Emel, Steve Franks, & Rachel Spigler, has been accepted to New Phytologist!
December 2016
- Ryan gave his first rotation talk to the Bio department, "Do selfing syndrome traits vary across an abiotic gradient in Collinsia verna?"
November 2016
- Rossana Maguiña joins the lab as a Research Assistant. Rossana recently received her MS degree with Nathan Muchhala at UMSL. Welcom Rossana!
October 2016
- Lots has happened in the lab since we last posted! Highlights include: Ryan Houser joined the lab as a PhD student. Two new papers have come out of the lab on plasticity of floral longevity and on patterns of inbreeding depression in small populations under demographic disequilibrium. Check out the publications page!
October 2015
- Welcome Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Sarah Emel to the lab!
September 2015
- Full bloom inside Bio-Life! The Sabatia plants are in full bloom in the growth house inside the Bio-Life building for our experiments on floral longevity and display. Quite a sight to see!
August 2015
- Welcome CST Undergraduate Researcher Hayley Dashnaw to the lab!
Summer 2015
- We had a fabulous & successful field season! Temple Merit Scholar Alyssa Woodard and CST Undergraduate Researcher Jessi Hart joined the lab and were the heart and soul (and bees!) of our Sabatia project. A nice summer to spend in the unique serpentine barren grasslands of PA!
April 2015
- Stu presented a poster of his work at TURF-CreWS (Temple Undergraduate Research Forum and Creative Works Symposium).
- Arianna is graduating from the MARC program and presented a talk of her work at the MARC symposium.
- Mitch will be heading off to grad school at Washington State University. Good luck Mitch!
November 2014
- Yay for renovations - We just moved into our brand new lab space AND the brand new plant facility is up and running!
August 2014
- We wrapped up a great field season! Thanks to excellent work by Mitch and our team of undergrads, Stu, Jess & Arianna and volunteers Sarah and Diana!
May 2014
- URP students Stuart Olshevski and Jessica Wyatt join the lab. Getting ready for an exciting field season!
March 2014
- Rachel was interviewed by WHYY for a radio segment about our recent work demonstrating the effects of overabundant deer on invasive garlic mustard and native Trillium. Listen to the interview and read the accompanying story!
February 2014
- Mitch LeSage joins the Spigler lab as a Research Technician. Welcome Mitch!
October 2013
- The Spigler lab is open for business at Temple University! Excited to be here!
- The Spigler lab welcomes undergraduate Arianna Collins to the lab.
