INRS State Scientific Surveys
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John B. Taft
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1816 S. Oak Street Champaign, IL 61820 MC–652 Phone: 217-244-5046 Fax: 217-244-0802 Email: taft@inhs.illinois.edu Title: Plant Ecologist/Botanist Office Location: NRB | ||
| Activities | Principal duties include: coordination of a botanical survey programs with emphasis on threatened and endangered species and natural areas surveys; teaching, and research. Teaching activities: Teach NRES 415, Native Plant ID and Floristics. Serve on graduate committees and help direct student research projects, occasional guest lecturer. Outreach activities: I give numerous presentations annually to public and professional groups with a focus on vegetational ecology. |
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| Research |
Vegetation ecology of oak-dominated communities including flatwoods, barrens, and woodlands; methods for assessing floristic integrity; ecology of grasslands including prairies of Illinois and steppes of central Asia. |
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| Recognition | Included on list of teachers ranked as excellent by students (2009, 2010, 2011). |
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| Professional affiliations |
International Association of Vegetation Scientists, Illinois Native Plant Society, Torrey Botanical Society | ||
| Selected publications |
Taft, J. B. and E. Smith. 2013. A field test of regeneration for an isolated population of Violet collinsia (Collinsia violacea). Ecological Restoration 31(1): 57-62. Taft, J. B., and J. O. Dawson. 2011. Evidence for community structuring associated with the actinorhizal shrub Ceanothus americanus in tallgrass prairies in Illinois, USA. Functional Plant Biology 38:711-719. Taft, J. B., L. R. Phillippe, C. Dietrich, and K.R. Robertson. 2011. Grassland composition, structure, and diversity patterns along major environmental gradients in the Central Tien Shan. Plant Ecology 212: 1349-1361. Sivicek, V., and J. B. Taft. 2011. Functional Group Density as an index for assessing floristic integrity in tallgrass prairie. Ecological Indicators 11: 1251-1258. Taft, J. B. 2009. Effects of overstory stand density and fire on ground layer vegetation in oak woodland and savanna habitats. In: Hutchinson, T. F. (ed.). Proceedings of the 3rd Fire in Eastern Oak Forests Conference; 2008 May 20-22; Carbondale, IL. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-46. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. Taylor, C., J. B. Taft, and C. Warwick, editors. 2009. Canaries in the Catbird Seat - The Past, Present, and Future of Biological Resources in a Changing Environment. Illinois Natural History Survey Special Publication 30. Champaign. Taft, J. B., C. Hauser, and K. R. Robertson. 2006. Estimating floristic integrity in tallgrass prairie. Biological Conservation 131:42-51. complete publications list (pdf) |
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| Program Affiliates |
Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Plant Biology |
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| Education | PhD, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, 1999 MS, Botany, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1982 BS, General Agriculture, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1979 | ||