Beverly Collins

Department of Biology
Associate Professor

Phone: 828-227-3663
Fax: 828-227-7066
Email: collinsb@email.wcu.edu
Office Address: Natural Science Building 109

Education:
Ph.D., Botany, Rutgers University, 1985
M.S., Botany, Rutgers University, 1979
B.S., Botany, University of Kentucky, 1977

 
Courses Taught:
BIOL 304: General Ecology
BIOL 433/533: Ecological Co-Adaptations
BIOL 636: Physiological and Ecosystem Ecology
BIOL 434/534: Terrestrial Landscape Ecology

Recent Publications:
White, P., B. Collins, and J. Tuttle. In press. Old growth forests in the Southern Appalachians: ongoing dynamics and conservation frameworks. Chapter 6 in Eastern Old-Growth Forests, A. Barton and W. Keeton, eds. Island Press.

Punsalan, A., B. Collins, and L.E. DeWald. 2016. The germination of Helonias bullata L. (swamp pink) with respect to dry, saturated, and flooded conditions. Aquatic Botany 133:17-23.

Greenberg, C. H. and B. Collins. 2015. Natural Disturbances and Range of Variation – Type, Frequency, Severity, and Post-disturbance Structure in Central Hardwood Forests. Springer.

Tanner, B.R., C. S. Lane, E. M. Martin, R. Young, and B. Collins. 2015. Sedimentary proxy evidence of a mid-Holocene hypsithermal event in the location of a current warming hole, North Carolina, USA. Quaternary Research 83:315-323.

Wilfahrt, P.A., B. Collins, and P.S. White. 2014. Shifts in functional traits among tree communities across succession in eastern deciduous forests. Forest Ecology and Management 324:174-185.

Mathews, K. and B. Collins. 2014. Plant and pollinator communities of high elevation rock outcrop communities. Natural Areas Journal 34:300-309.

Greenberg, C., B. Collins, and F. R. Thompson. 2011. Sustaining young forest communities – Ecology and management of early successional habitat in the US central hardwood region. Springer

Griep, M. T. and B. Collins. 2011. Chapter 14, Wildlife and forest communities. In: D. Wear and J. Greis (eds) Southern Forest Futures Assessment. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

Pittillo, J. Dan and Beverly Collins. 2010. Flowering phenology: trends over 32 years in a common garden. Southeastern Naturalist 9(4):837-846

Collins, B. and S. Foré*. 2009 Genetic and demographic structure within a large population of Echinacea laevigata (Asteraceae). Journal of Torrey Botanical Society 136:445-456.

Collins, B., T. M. Schuler, W.M. Ford, and D.Hawkins. 2010. Stand dynamics of relict red spruce in the Alarka creek headwaters. In: Rentch, James S.; Schuler, Thomas M. Proceedings from the conference on the ecology and management of high-elevation forests in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. 2009 May 14-15; Slatyfork, WV. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-64. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 242 pp.

Recent Research Presentations:
Collins, B. 2017. Keynote Address:  The Long View.  Inaugural William H. Martin Appalachian Research Symposium, Lily Cornett Woods, June, 2017

Vlach, Deborah*, L. DeWald, and B. Collins. 2017. Soil respiration changes across forest harvest openings. Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting, Montgomery, AL.

Vlach, Deborah*, L. DeWald, and B. Collins. 2016. Soil respiration changes across forest openings, edges, and interiors. WCU Summer Undergraduate Symposium.

Martin*, Elizabeth and B. Collins. 2014. “Paleoecological History of a High Elevation Valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina,” Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting, Spartanburg, South Carolina

Martin*, Elizabeth and B. Collins. 2014.  “Paleoecological History of a High Elevation Valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina,” Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia

Martin*, Elizabeth and B. Collins. 2014. “Paleoecological History of a High Elevation Valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina,” Graduate Student Symposium, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina

Martin*, Elizabeth and B. Collins. 2014. “Holocene Environmental History of Panthertown Valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina,” Paul Burton Seminar Series, Department of Biology, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina

Petricevic*, Carol. 2014. Differences among Populations of an Invasive Plant, Alliaria petiolata, In Germination and Growth in a Common Garden. ASB Annual Meeting, April, 2014.

McCoyle*, McKenzye and Beverly Collins. 2014. Canopy openness effects on vegetation richness. NCUR 2014 (U. Ky).

Tanner, B. R., L. Martin*, C. Lane, R. Young, B. Collins. A southern Appalachian, organic-rich wetland deposit provides evidence for mid-holocene gypsithermal in location of current warming hose, North Carolina.  Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, 2014.

Punsalan, April P*., B. Collins, and L. DeWald. 2013.  The germination ecology of Helonias bullata (swamp pink). Association of Southeastern Biologists annual meeting, Charleston, WV. April 11, 2013.

Petricevic, Carol*. 2013. Common Gardens, Chilly Rooms: Differences Between Populations in an Invasive Plant.  WCU Graduate Research Symposium, March 21, 2013.

Parrish, NAD* and B. Collins. 2012. Habitat analysis of a disjunct population of the Carolina northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus). Poster: Southeastern Ecology & Evolution Conference at Clemson University, SC - March 2-4