Gina Errico

Interests

My research interests include, plant biology, biotic interactions, forest ecology, urban ecology, and science outreach/ communication.

Master’s Thesis

Understanding the effects of fungal spillover on tropical forest plant communities

Theoretical: I created a modified Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model with two plants and one predator (fungal pathogen), interacting via competition and prey-limited predation. I then introduce a second pathogen via spillover, to mimic the effects of a new pathogen coming into the system from a forest edge. The results (in press.) show that fungal spillover, depending on its host specificity, can either strengthen or weaken coexistence and changes depending on the strength of spillover.

Empirical: I studied tree seedlings in four tropical forests in Costa Rica in the summer of 2022 (read blog posts about my field season), that were fragmented by coffee plantations. Coffee plantations were classified as sun or shade treatments. Starting at the forest edge up to 100m into each forest, I treated half of the plots with fungicide and recorded growth and fungal presence. Results (in prep.) show that tree seedling survival and diversity varied across sites but generally increased with distance from the edge. The variable results suggests that more than just fungal pathogens are influencing seedling survival in these forests and require further studying.