Welcome to the Cahill Lab homepage at the University of Alberta!



We take an experimental approach to tackling fundamental questions in plant ecology, evolutionary biology, behaviour, and conservation biology. Broad themes include:

  • Understanding the mechanisms underlying plant-plant interactions, and their role in structuring natural communities.
  • Re-framing plant interactions as a social process, requiring the blending of plant biology and behavioral ecology.
  • Testing the applicability of foundational models in human psychology and animal behaviour for understand plant biology and decision making.
  • Developing a conceptual foundation for the field of plant behavioral ecology, with tight linkages to community and evolutionary biology.

However, the research conducted by students typically goes well beyond these core themes and will be driven by student interests.  In addition to the pure discovery aspects of the work in the lab, we regularly incorporate an use-inspired approach for addressing issues related to invasive species, climate change, pollination, and rangeland ecology.

Interested in joining the lab?  JC is always looking for motivated undergraduate and graduate students interested in addressing questions related to plant behavioral ecology, community assembly, or really anything else that sounds interesting.  For more information, please contact me at jc.cahill@ualberta.ca.  The ability for a graduate students to attract, or already possess, external scholarships (e.g. NSERC, other government scholarship, etc) should be indicated.

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BioSci                                         UA-COLOUR