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Research Interests
Professor Black, a plant ecologist, has research interests in physiological ecology. He has worked on environmental control of water use, photosynthesis, freezing tolerance and seed germination in field and laboratory settings. His projects concentrate on using physiological techniques to explain community and population patterns observed in the field. Current projects include research on differentiation within populations in physiological responses, physiological controls of water transport within plants, and seasonal controls of seed germination between populations. He and his student work on a range of plant growth forms from deciduous and evergreen trees to shrubs, biennial herbs and annual grasses. Considerable emphasis in Dr. Black?s research is placed on field experiments to solve basic questions in plant ecology and his work has utilized field sites throughout the Pacific Northwest and in Hawaii.
Representative Publications
Sparks, J. P. and R. Alan Black. 2000. Winter hydraulic conductivity and xylem cavitation in coniferous trees from upper and lower treeline. Arctic & Alpine Research 32:397-403.
McCamant, T. and R. A. Black. 1999. Midwinter cold hardiness in coastal, montane and inland populations of Populus trichocarpa. Torr. & Gray. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 30:91-99.
Sparks, J. P. and R. A. Black. 1999. Regulation of water loss in populations of Populus trichocarpa: the role of stomatal control in preventing xylem cavitation. Tree Physiology 19:453-459.
Williams, D. G., R. N. Mack, and R. A. Black. 1995. Ecophysiology and growth of introduced Pennisetum setaceum on Hawaii: the role of phenotypic plasticity. Ecology 76:1569-1580.
Black, R. A., J. H. Richards, and J. H. Manwaring. 1994. Efficiency of nutrient uptake from enriched soil microsites for three Great Basin perennials. Ecology 75:110-122.
Evans, R. D., and R. A. Black. 1993. Growth, photosynthesis, and resource investment of vegetative and reproductive modules of Artemisia tridentata Nutt. Ecology 74:1516-1528.
Black, R. A. and R. N. Mack. 1986. Mount St. Helens ash: recreating its effects on the steppe environment and ecophysiology. Ecology 67: 1289-1302.