Larry Wimmers

Biography

I am interested in several aspects of membrane transport in plants and how plants respond to environmental stress. Projects that are currently being pursued include the control of sodium and calcium levels in plants exposed to saline soils, the control of gene expression under salt stress, the transport of heavy metals into and out of plant chloroplasts and the evolution of plants in response to the urban environment.

I am also involved in two collaborative projects with Dr. Roland Roberts. In one, we are carrying out genetic analysis of Theobroma cacao (chocolate) germplasm collections in collaboration with the Cocoa Research Institute of the University of West Indies. In the other, we are investigating the genetic structure and salt resistance of Solidago sempevirens (seaside goldenrod), a salt resistant plant that has recently expanded its range to include roadsides in inland areas.

Publications

Johnson, L. S., L. E. Wimmers, B. G. Hicks, R. Molinaro, R. C. Milkie, B. S. Gallagher & B. S. Masters. 2005. Offspring sex vs. position in the laying sequence in Wyoming House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon): A second look. Animal Behaviour 70:1323-1329.

Shingles, R., Wimmers, L. E., & McCarty, R.E. 2004 Copper transport across pea (Pisum sativum L.) thylakoid membrane vesicles. Plant Physiology 135:145-151.

Johnson, L. S., L .E. Wimmers, S. Campbell, & L. Hamilton. 2003. Growth rate, size, and sex ratio of last-laid, last-hatched offspring in the Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor. Journal of Avian Biology34:35-43.

Courses Taught

• Spring: BIOL 201 Biology I: Cellular Biology and Genetics