Wesley A Bickford, PhD
My research interests lie in wetland ecology, invasive species, and plant-microbial interactions. Specifically, I explore new and innovative restoration and invasive species management strategies that use molecular biology, community ecology, and plant-soil interactions as a foundation. My research is focused on adding new tools to complement conventional restoration strategies.
Improving restoration strategies through intervention of microbial symbiosis. Microbes are everywhere. In humans, they are vastly important to health and bodily function. Likewise, bacteria and fungi play hugely important roles in nutrient availability in soils, nutrient acquisition by plants, and plant tolerances to extreme conditions. Management outcomes depend heavily upon the proper links between plants and their microbiomes.
-Microbial interactions could make invasive plants more competitive and aggressive. Therefore, management approaches that target microbial interactions could decrease the expansion and aggressiveness of invasive species. We are working on developing such management tools by testing the impacts of disruption in microbial symbiosis on invasive plant health, nutrient acquisition, and expansion.
-Success of native plant restoration is often predicated upon the proper microbial partners. In addition, invasive species soil microbial legacies could undermine restoration success after removal. Therefore, we are exploring the roles of soil microbes in successful restoration of plants of ecological and cultural importance and developing strategies for improving native species restoration.
Professional Experience
Biologist, 2020-Present, USGS - Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Pathways Ecologist, 2014-2020, USGS - Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Wetland Research Technician, 2013-2014, USGS - Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, MI
NOAA Coastal Management Fellow, 2011-2012, New Jersey Office of Coastal Management, Trenton, NJ
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan 2020
M.S. Wetland Science, University of Maryland 2011
B.S. Environmental Science (Ecosystem Science), Indiana University 2007
Science and Products
Science pages by this scientist
Data releases by this scientist
The effects of North American fungi and bacteria on Phragmites australis leaves 2017-2019, with comparisons to the global Phragmites microbiome The effects of North American fungi and bacteria on Phragmites australis leaves 2017-2019, with comparisons to the global Phragmites microbiome
The data document the results of several microbe bioassays performed by the USGS on Phragmites australis plants, including those performed on mature leaves, seedlings, and dead leaf tissues exploration of the literature to find accounts of microbes associated with Phragmites worldwide. For the bioassays, we prepared 162 pure cultures isolated from Phragmites plants in North America along...
Multimedia related to this scientist
Publications by this scientist
Growth and behavior of North American microbes on Phragmites australis leaves Growth and behavior of North American microbes on Phragmites australis leaves
Phragmites australis subsp. australis is a cosmopolitan wetland grass that is invasive in many regions of the world, including North America, where it co-occurs with the closely related Phragmites australis subsp. americanus. Because the difference in invasive behavior is unlikely to be related to physiological differences, we hypothesize that interactions with unique members of their...
Authors
Aaron E. Devries, Kurt P. Kowalski, Wesley A. Bickford
Intraspecific and biogeographical variation in foliar fungal communities and pathogen damage of native and invasive Phragmites australis Intraspecific and biogeographical variation in foliar fungal communities and pathogen damage of native and invasive Phragmites australis
Aim Recent research has highlighted that the relationship between species interactions and latitude can differ between native and invasive plant taxa, generating biogeographical heterogeneity in community resistance to plant invasions. In the first study with foliar pathogens, we tested whether co‐occurring native and invasive lineages of common reed (Phragmites australis ) exhibit non...
Authors
Warwick J. Allen, Aaron Devries, Nicholas J. Bologna, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski, Laura A. Meyerson, James T. Cronin
Root endophytes and invasiveness: no difference between native and non‐native Phragmites in the Great Lakes Region Root endophytes and invasiveness: no difference between native and non‐native Phragmites in the Great Lakes Region
Microbial interactions could play an important role in plant invasions. If invasive plants associate with relatively more mutualists or fewer pathogens than their native counterparts, then microbial communities could foster plant invasiveness. Studies examining the effects of microbes on invasive plants commonly focus on a single microbial group (e.g., bacteria) or measure only plant...
Authors
Wesley A. Bickford, Deborah E. Goldberg, Kurt P. Kowalski, Donald R. Zak
Fungal endophytes from seeds of invasive, non-native Phragmites australis and their potential role in germination and seedling growth Fungal endophytes from seeds of invasive, non-native Phragmites australis and their potential role in germination and seedling growth
Background and aims We characterized fungal endophytes of seeds of invasive, non-native Phragmites from three sites in the Great Lakes region to determine if fungal symbiosis could contribute to invasiveness through their effects on seed germination and seedling growth. Methods Field-collected seeds were surface sterilized and plated on agar to culture endophytes for ITS sequencing...
Authors
Zackery R. C. Shearin, Matthew Filipek, Rushvi Desai, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski, Keith Clay
Diversity of fungal endophytes in non-native Phragmites australis in the Great Lakes Diversity of fungal endophytes in non-native Phragmites australis in the Great Lakes
Plant–microbial interactions may play a key role in plant invasions. One common microbial interaction takes place between plants and fungal endophytes when fungi asymptomatically colonize host plant tissues. The objectives of this study were to isolate and sequence fungal endophytes colonizing non-native Phragmites australis in the Great Lakes region to evaluate variation in endophyte...
Authors
Keith Clay, Zachery Shearin, Kimberly Bourke, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski
Advancing the science of microbial symbiosis to support invasive species management: a case study on Phragmites in the Great Lakes Advancing the science of microbial symbiosis to support invasive species management: a case study on Phragmites in the Great Lakes
A growing body of literature supports microbial symbiosis as a foundational principle for the competitive success of invasive plant species. Further exploration of the relationships between invasive species and their associated microbiomes, as well as the interactions with the microbiomes of native species, can lead to key new insights into invasive success and potentially new and...
Authors
Kurt P. Kowalski, Charles W. Bacon, Wesley A. Bickford, Heather A. Braun, Keith Clay, Michele Leduc-Lapierre, Elizabeth Lillard, Melissa K. McCormick, Eric Nelson, Monica Torres, James W. C. White, Douglas A. Wilcox
Non-USGS Publications**
Bickford, W.A., B.A. Needelman, M.W. Miller, E. Hutchins. 2015. Prescribed fire increases soil temperatures through canopy removal in a Mid-Atlantic brackish marsh. Journal of Coastal Research 31(4): 941 – 945.
Bickford, W.A., A.H. Baldwin, BA. Needelman, R.R. Weil. 2012. Canopy disturbance alters competitive outcomes in two brackish marsh plant species. Aquatic Botany 103: 23-29.
Bickford, W.A., Needelman, B.A., Weil, R.R., Baldwin, A.H. 2012. Vegetation response to prescribed fire in Mid-Atlantic brackish marshes. Estuaries and Coasts 35:1432-1442.
Bickford, W.A. 2011. Plant productivity and competitive response to prescribed fire in Mid-Atlantic brackish marshes. M.S. Thesis. University of Maryland.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Science and Products
Science pages by this scientist
Data releases by this scientist
The effects of North American fungi and bacteria on Phragmites australis leaves 2017-2019, with comparisons to the global Phragmites microbiome The effects of North American fungi and bacteria on Phragmites australis leaves 2017-2019, with comparisons to the global Phragmites microbiome
The data document the results of several microbe bioassays performed by the USGS on Phragmites australis plants, including those performed on mature leaves, seedlings, and dead leaf tissues exploration of the literature to find accounts of microbes associated with Phragmites worldwide. For the bioassays, we prepared 162 pure cultures isolated from Phragmites plants in North America along...
Multimedia related to this scientist
Publications by this scientist
Growth and behavior of North American microbes on Phragmites australis leaves Growth and behavior of North American microbes on Phragmites australis leaves
Phragmites australis subsp. australis is a cosmopolitan wetland grass that is invasive in many regions of the world, including North America, where it co-occurs with the closely related Phragmites australis subsp. americanus. Because the difference in invasive behavior is unlikely to be related to physiological differences, we hypothesize that interactions with unique members of their...
Authors
Aaron E. Devries, Kurt P. Kowalski, Wesley A. Bickford
Intraspecific and biogeographical variation in foliar fungal communities and pathogen damage of native and invasive Phragmites australis Intraspecific and biogeographical variation in foliar fungal communities and pathogen damage of native and invasive Phragmites australis
Aim Recent research has highlighted that the relationship between species interactions and latitude can differ between native and invasive plant taxa, generating biogeographical heterogeneity in community resistance to plant invasions. In the first study with foliar pathogens, we tested whether co‐occurring native and invasive lineages of common reed (Phragmites australis ) exhibit non...
Authors
Warwick J. Allen, Aaron Devries, Nicholas J. Bologna, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski, Laura A. Meyerson, James T. Cronin
Root endophytes and invasiveness: no difference between native and non‐native Phragmites in the Great Lakes Region Root endophytes and invasiveness: no difference between native and non‐native Phragmites in the Great Lakes Region
Microbial interactions could play an important role in plant invasions. If invasive plants associate with relatively more mutualists or fewer pathogens than their native counterparts, then microbial communities could foster plant invasiveness. Studies examining the effects of microbes on invasive plants commonly focus on a single microbial group (e.g., bacteria) or measure only plant...
Authors
Wesley A. Bickford, Deborah E. Goldberg, Kurt P. Kowalski, Donald R. Zak
Fungal endophytes from seeds of invasive, non-native Phragmites australis and their potential role in germination and seedling growth Fungal endophytes from seeds of invasive, non-native Phragmites australis and their potential role in germination and seedling growth
Background and aims We characterized fungal endophytes of seeds of invasive, non-native Phragmites from three sites in the Great Lakes region to determine if fungal symbiosis could contribute to invasiveness through their effects on seed germination and seedling growth. Methods Field-collected seeds were surface sterilized and plated on agar to culture endophytes for ITS sequencing...
Authors
Zackery R. C. Shearin, Matthew Filipek, Rushvi Desai, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski, Keith Clay
Diversity of fungal endophytes in non-native Phragmites australis in the Great Lakes Diversity of fungal endophytes in non-native Phragmites australis in the Great Lakes
Plant–microbial interactions may play a key role in plant invasions. One common microbial interaction takes place between plants and fungal endophytes when fungi asymptomatically colonize host plant tissues. The objectives of this study were to isolate and sequence fungal endophytes colonizing non-native Phragmites australis in the Great Lakes region to evaluate variation in endophyte...
Authors
Keith Clay, Zachery Shearin, Kimberly Bourke, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski
Advancing the science of microbial symbiosis to support invasive species management: a case study on Phragmites in the Great Lakes Advancing the science of microbial symbiosis to support invasive species management: a case study on Phragmites in the Great Lakes
A growing body of literature supports microbial symbiosis as a foundational principle for the competitive success of invasive plant species. Further exploration of the relationships between invasive species and their associated microbiomes, as well as the interactions with the microbiomes of native species, can lead to key new insights into invasive success and potentially new and...
Authors
Kurt P. Kowalski, Charles W. Bacon, Wesley A. Bickford, Heather A. Braun, Keith Clay, Michele Leduc-Lapierre, Elizabeth Lillard, Melissa K. McCormick, Eric Nelson, Monica Torres, James W. C. White, Douglas A. Wilcox
Non-USGS Publications**
Bickford, W.A., B.A. Needelman, M.W. Miller, E. Hutchins. 2015. Prescribed fire increases soil temperatures through canopy removal in a Mid-Atlantic brackish marsh. Journal of Coastal Research 31(4): 941 – 945.
Bickford, W.A., A.H. Baldwin, BA. Needelman, R.R. Weil. 2012. Canopy disturbance alters competitive outcomes in two brackish marsh plant species. Aquatic Botany 103: 23-29.
Bickford, W.A., Needelman, B.A., Weil, R.R., Baldwin, A.H. 2012. Vegetation response to prescribed fire in Mid-Atlantic brackish marshes. Estuaries and Coasts 35:1432-1442.
Bickford, W.A. 2011. Plant productivity and competitive response to prescribed fire in Mid-Atlantic brackish marshes. M.S. Thesis. University of Maryland.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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