Biology Department

Ann M. Willyard, Ph.D.

Willyard, Ann

Ann M. Willyard, Ph.D.

Nancy and Craig Wood Odyssey Associate Professor of Biology

willyard@hendrix.edu Office: Donald W. Reynolds Center 316 Research Lab: Donald W. Reynolds Center 319Herbarium: Donald W. Reynolds Center 204Greenhouse: Donald W. Reynolds Center 4th floor (501) 450-1376 (501) 450-4547

Academic Background

  • B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz, 1974
  • M.S., California State University, Chico, 2001
  • Ph.D., Oregon State University, 2007

Courses Taught

  • BIOL 101 - Concepts of Biology: Plants and People
  • BIOL 108 - Tropical Field Botany
  • BIOL 190 - Botany
  • BIOL 330 - Plant Systematics
  • BIOL 360 - Biology of Algae and Fungi
  • BIOL 497 - Biology Senior Seminar

Research

  • Phylogeography - the study of the processes that shaped the current geographic distribution of plant species - uses the tools of phylogenetics (inferring evolutionary relationships) and species delimitation (measuring how unique a lineage has become). The genetic makeup of any population is strongly influenced by the ability to exchange genes within and among populations, to migrate, to adapt to different climates, and to interact with symbionts and pathogens. Dr. Willyard conducts collaborative research with Hendrix students on the ponderosa pine species complex, focusing on populations that are apparently unique to high-elevation habitats, specialized soil types, or unusual coastal and desert climates. Hendrix students have traveled to 12 states in the Western U.S. to observe these pine populations and to collect plant samples. By comparing DNA similarities among trees, students have shed light on the phylogeography of these pines. Recent student presentations have included posters and talks at international, national, and regional conferences in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; New Orleans, LA; and at the Arkansas Academy of Science. A paper co-authored with undergraduate researchers was recently published in the American Journal of Botany (Willyard et al. 2017 BJB 104-161).  
  • 2014 - we will be collecting ponderosa pines in southern California!
  • 2012 - our "Big Pine Adventure" - our field crew (Adam Bigott, Payton Lea, Dakota Pouncey, Brian Schumacher, Kevin Spatz) drove over 5000 miles (with our volunteer driver Gene Willyard) to collect ponderosa pine samples in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
  • 2011 - Kristen Finch and I collected in the Pacifc Northwest, including near David Douglas' type collection of Pinus ponderosa above Kettle Falls, WA, as well as Idaho and the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
  • 2011 - Jack Finney and I collected in the Sand Hills of Santa Cruz County, California, as well as Henry Coe State Park and at the Big Creek Reserve near Big Sur.
  • 2010 - Fort Lewis, Washington (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)
  • 2010 - Big Bend National Park, Texas

Current Research Students

  • Austin Wofford
  • Dalton Hoose
  • Blake Cooper
  • Connor Douglas

Publications

  • Willyard , Gernandt, Potter, Hipkins, Marquardt, Mahalovich, Langer, Telewski, *Cooper, *Douglas, *Finch, *Karemera, *Lefler, *Lea, *Wofford. (2017). Pinus ponderosa: a checkered past obscured four species. Am. J. Bot. 104: 161-181 doi:10.3732/ajb.1600336.
  • Willyard, A. (in press) IridaceaeinThe Flora of Oregonhttp://www.oregonflora.org/flora.php
  • *Harrington, A.H., *A.F. Bigott, *B.W. Anderson, *M.J. Boone, *S.M. Brick, *J.F. del Sol, *C.A. Hotchkiss, *R.A. Huddleston, *E.H. Kasper, *J.J. McGrady, *M.L. McKinnie, *M.V. Ottenlips, *N.E. Skinner, *K.C. Spatz, *A.J. Steinberg, *F. van den Broek, *C.N. Wilson, *A.M. Wofford and A. Willyard .(2015 ). Sampling local fungal diversity in an undergraduate laboratory using DNA barcoding. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 68:  65-72 .
  • *Wofford, A., *K. Finch, *A. Bigott, and A. Willyard . (2014 ). A set of plastid loci for use in multiplex fragment length genotyping for intraspecific variation in  Pinus (Pinaceae). Appl. in Plant Sciences 2(5). ( download PDF )
  • Willyard, A2011Estimating the species tree for Hawaiian Schiedea (Caryophyllaceae) from multiple loci in the presence of reticulate evolutiondownload abstract
  • Gernandt, D., A. Willyard, J. Syring, and A. Liston (2011).  
    The conifers (Pinophyta) In  C. Plomion and J. Bousquet, editors 
    Conifers, Science Publishers, New Hampshire, USA. ( download abstract )
  • Willyard, A2009Reticulate evolution and incomplete lineage sorting among the ponderosa pines(download pdf
  • Epperson, B., F. Telewski, and A. Willyard  (2009 ). 
    Chloroplast diversity in a putative hybrid swarm of  Ponderosae. 
    American  Journal of Botany  96(3):707-712. ( download pdf )
  • Gernandt, D., S. Magallón, G. López, O. Flores, A, Willyard , and A. Liston (2008 ).  
    Use of simultaneous analyses to guide fossil-based calibrations of Pinaceae Phylogeny . 
    International Journal Plant Science 169(8):1086-1099.  ( download pdf )
  • Willyard, A,2007Fossil calibration of molecular divergence in : inferences for ages and mutation rates(download pdf
  • Liston, A. M. Parker-Defeniks, J. Syring, A. Willyard , and R. Cronn (2007 ). 
    Interspecific phylogenetic analysis enhances intraspecific phylogeographic inference: A case study in  Pinus lambertiana. 
    Molecular Ecology 16: 3926-3937.  ( download abstract )
  • Syring, J., A. Willyard , R. Cronn, and A. Liston (2005 ). 
    Evolutionary relationships among  Pinus  (Pinaceae) subsections inferred from multiple low-copy nuclear loci . 
    American Journal of Botany 92: 2086-2100.  (download pdf )

Funding Sources

  • 2014: US Forest Service, National Forest Genetics Laboratory, Challenge Cost Share Agreement
  • 2014-2016: Nancy and Craig Wood Odyssey Professorship 2014-2016: Nancy and Craig Wood Odyssey Professorship 
  • 2013: Arkansas DHE SURF: Austin Wofford , student researcher 
  • 2013: Beta Beta Beta: Adam Bigott , student researcher
  • 2013: Beta Beta Beta: Austin Wofford,  student researcher
  • 2013: Arkansas Academy of Science: Austin Wofford , student researcher 
  • 2013: Hendrix Odyssey Faculty Project to support three summer research student
  • 2013: Associated Colleges of the South, Blended Learning
  • 2012: Arkansas DHE SURF: Dalton Hoose , student researcher 
  • 2012: Arkansas Academy of Science: Adam Bigott , student researcher
  • 2011: Beta Beta Beta: Payton Lea , student researcher
  • 2011: Arkansas DHE SURF: Brian Schumacher , student researcher 
  • 2011: Arkansas Academy of Science: Kristen Finch , student researcher
  • 2011: California Native Plant Society: Jack Finney , student researcher

  • 2010: Arkansas DHE SURF:  Kristen Finch , student researcher 

    • 2010: Arkansas Academy of Science:  Nicole Segear , student researcher 
    • 2009: Arkansas DHE SURF,  Brandon Linz , student researcher 
    • 2009: Odyssey Faculty Project 
    • 2007: American Philosophical Society Franklin Research Grant 
    • 2006: Leslie and Vera Gottlieb Research Fund in Plant Evolutionary Biology 
    • 1998: Jim Jokerst Field Botany Award

Invited Presentations

  •  

    • 2016: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas
    • 2013: Department of Botany, Oklahoma State University 
    • 2013: BCM College, Kottayam, Kerala, India
    • 2013: St. Teresa's College, Ernakulam, Kerala, India
    • 2013: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University
    • 2012: Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University 
    • 2011: Seminarios del IBUNAM, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico 
    • 2011: The Arboretum at University of California, Santa Cruz 
    • 2010: Dead Plant Society, Cornell University 
    • 2009: Hendrix Biological Society 
    • 2008: Association for Computing Machinery, University of South Dakota 
    • 2007: Department of Biology, University of South Dakota 
    • 2005: Native Plant Society of Oregon 
    • 2003: California Native Plant Society

Conference Presentations

  • 2017

    • 2017: Willyard, Northern California Botanists, Chico, CA
                    View talk at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LWg10GLDzc




  • 2016

    • 2016: *Dobbins, Botanical Society of America, Savannah, GA
    • 2016: *Lockhart, Botanical Society of America, Savahnah, GA
    • 2016: *Sifford, Botanical Society of America, Savannah, GA
    • 2016: *Wills, Botanical Society of America, Savannah, GA
    • 2016: *Karemera,   Arkansas Academy of Science  , Fayetteville, AR
    • 2016: *Lefler,   Arkansas Academy of Science  , Fayetteville, AR

     

  • 2015

    • 2015: *Huynh.   Botany  , Edmonton, Canada
    • 2015: *Karemera,   Botany  , Edmonton, Canada
    • 2015: *Lefler,   Botany  , Edmonton, Canada

     

  • 2014

    • 2014: *Cooper, B.,   A. Willyard.   Botanical Society of America, Boise, ID 
    • 2014: *Douglas, C.,   A. Willyard.   Botanical Society of America, Boise, ID 
    • 2014: *Hoose, D.,   A. Willyard.   Botanical Society of America, Boise, ID 
    • 2014: *Wofford, A.,   A. Willyard.   Botanical Society of America, Boise, ID 
    • 2014: *Cooper, B. Central Arkansas UG Research Symposium, Little Rock, AR 
    • 2014: *Douglas, C. Central Arkansas UG Research Symposium, Little Rock, AR 
    • 2014: *Hoose, D. Central Arkansas UG Research Symposium, Little Rock, AR 
    • 2014: *Wofford, A. Central Arkansas UG Research Symposium, Little Rock, AR   
    • 2014: *Bigott, A. Beta Beta Beta Convention, Kingston, OK| 
    • 2014: *Skinner, N., M. Ottenlips et al. Arkansas Academy of Science, Searcy, AR 

  • 2013

    • 2013: Department of Botany, Oklahoma State University 
    • 2013: BCM College, Kottayam, Kerala, India
    • 2013: St. Teresa's College, Ernakulam, Kerala, India
    • 2013: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University

  • 2003-2012

    • 2012: Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University 
    • 2011: Seminarios del IBUNAM, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico 
    • 2011: The Arboretum at University of California, Santa Cruz 
    • 2010: Dead Plant Society, Cornell University 
    • 2009: Hendrix Biological Society 
    • 2008: Association for Computing Machinery, University of South Dakota 
    • 2007: Department of Biology, University of South Dakota 
    • 2005: Native Plant Society of Oregon 
    • 2003: California Native Plant Society

  • 1998-2011

    • 2011: *Segear, N. Arkansas Academy of Science, Monticello, AR 
    • 2011: *Finch, K., S. Meyers, and   A. Willyard  .  Botanical Society of America, St. Louis, MO 
    • 2011: *Finney, J. and   A. Willyard  . Botanical Society of America, St. Louis, MO 
    • 2010: *Linz, B.,   A. Willyard  , A. Liston, and R. Cronn. Botanical Society of America, Providence, RI    View Slide Show   
    • 2010: *Nguyen, H., N. Segear,K. Finch, D.A. Gernandt, and   A. Willyard  . Botanical Society of America, Providence, RI      View Poster     
      http://www.botany.org/botany-without-borders.php   
    • 2009:   Willyard, A  ., L. Wallace, W. Wagner, S Weller, A. Sakai, and M. Nepokroeff. Botanical Society of America, Snowbird, UT 
    • 2009: Jacobs, B.,   Willyard, A.  , L. Wallace, and M. Nepokroeff.      Botanical Society of America, Snowbird, UT    
    • 2008:  Willyard, A.  , L. Wallace, W. Wagner, S Weller, A. Sakai, and M. Nepokroeff. Evolution, Minneapolis, MN 
    • 2007:   Willyard, A.  , A. Liston, and R. Cronn. Botanical Society of America, Chicago, IL (recipient: George A. Cooley award  ) 
    • 2006:   Willyard, A.  , A. Liston, and R. Cronn. Botanical Society of America, Chico, CA, and Evolution, Stony Brook, NY   
    • 2005:   Willyard, A.  , A. Liston, and R. Cronn.  Western Forest Genetics Association, Corvallis, OR (recipient:  William B. Critchfield award  ) 
    • 2005:   Willyard, A.  , J. Syring, D. Gernandt, R. Cronn, and A. Liston.  Botanical Society of America, Austin, TX   
    • 2000:   Willyard, A.  , D. Neale, B. Kinloch, and K. Schierenbeck. Plant and Animal Genome VIII, San Diego, CA 
    • 1998:   Willyard, A  . and K. Schierenbeck. California Botanical Society Graduate Student Meetings, San Luis Obispo, CA    


Herbarium

  • HXC - The Hendrix College Herbarium

    We currently have over 5300 specimens, mostly representing Central Arkansas.

Greenhouse

  • Biology Department Greenhouse

    Please visit us on the 4th floor of D W Reynolds! We have collections used in teaching laboratory courses and we usually have several ongoing experiments.

Hendrix Professor to Lead Arkansas Academy of Science

Dr. Ann Willyard to lead AAS during milestone year of 100th annual meeting this spring

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Fungi among Us

Hendrix biology students publish paper on local fungi

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Biology Professor Receives Research Grant

Dr. Ann Willyard awarded USDA Forest Service research grant  

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Hendrix Students Publish Paper in Peer-Reviewed Science Journal

Students’ research appears in Botanical Society of America journal

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