RESEARCH INTERESTS

Reproductive biology of rare plant taxa of dune ecosystems, particularly the Great Lakes and Atlantic shoreline;  multi-species approaches and application of GIS to management and conservation biology.  Ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant breeding systems.  Plant ecology with emphasis on plant reproductive biology along elevational gradients in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and in response to grazers at high altitudes. Gap-phase dynamics and forest succession.  Possible economic applications for a pestilent weed of the southeast.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS AND SERVICE

Recruitment and retention of women and minorities in science, promotion of exemplary teaching, use of information technology in education,  reform in science and math education, and regional environmental concerns. 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS 

Sellars, J.D. and C. L. Jolls. 2007. Habitat modeling for Amaranthus pumilus:  an application of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data.  Journal of Coastal Resources 23: 1193-1202[clj1] .

Jolls, C. L. 2007.  Much from few;  uncommon plants and common paradigms. Southeastern Biology 54 (3): 113. abstr.

Marik, J. E., C. L. Jolls and S. I. Hamzé. 2007. Population viability analysis of  a rare, monocarpic, Great Lakes perennial, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae). Southeastern Biology 54 (3): 113. abstr.

Jolls, C. L. 2006. Ethics in science:  cardinal sins and heavenly virtues. Southeastern Biology: 383-389.

Marik**, J. E., and C. L. Jolls. 2006. Seed mass variation among and within populatins of Amaranthus pumilus, seabeach amaranth, a federally threatened coastal annual. Southeastern Biology 53: 247.

Jolls, C. L., J. D. Sellars, Sarah E. Johnson and C. A. Wigent. 2004. Restore Seabeach Amaranth;  A Federally Threatened Species, Habitat Assessment and Restoration of Amaranthus pumilus, (Amaranthaceae) Using Remote Sensing Data. 2001 Natural Resource Presentation Program, RMP Project Statement CAHA-N-018.000, National Park Service, Final Report. 116 pp.

Jolls, C. L. 2007.  Much from few;  uncommon plants and common paradigms. Southeastern Biology 54 (3): 113. abstr.

Marik, J. E., C. L. Jolls and S. I. Hamzé. 2007. Population viability analysis of  a rare, monocarpic, Great Lakes perennial, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae). Southeastern Biology 54 (3): 113. abstr.

COURSES TAUGHT

Field Botany

Population and Community Ecology

Conservation Biology

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

American Institute of Biological Sciences

Association of Southeastern Biologists

Botanical Society of America

Ecological Society of America

Natural Areas Association

Sigma Xi

Southern Appalachian Botanical Society

HONORS

  Finalist, Robert L. Jones Award for Outstanding Teaching and University Award for Outstanding Teaching, 2004

 Outstanding General College Advisor Award, 1999, 1995,  East Carolina University

"The Most Influential Individual", results of survey of graduating seniors, East Carolina University, 1997, 1998, 1999

Recipient, Faculty for the 21st Century, Project Kaleidoscope, Washington, DC, November 1995

Fellowship in Academic Administration, East Carolina University College of Arts and Sciences, Spring 1995

College Research Award, College of Arts and Sciences, East Carolina University, "Quantitative Inheritance of Fatty Acids in a Pestilent Weed: A Potential Commercial Application", Spring 1992

Research Award, ECU Chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society

American Men and Women in Science, 1984

WHAT'S NEW

Jolls received internal funding in the form of a Research Development Award for collaborative work with Drs. Carol Goodwillie, Heather Vance-Chalcraft and

Our work with rare plants of coastal habitats takes us back to the Great Lakes, in association with colleagues at the Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago State University and the National Park Service.  The National Science Foundation DEB-Long-term Ecological Research program award is to K. Havens, T. Bell, M. Bowles, C. Jolls and K. McEachern, 2005-2010, for "LTREB: Integrating Long-term Demographic Data and Repeated Genetic Sampling for Viability Analysis of Natural and Restored Populations of Pitcher's Thistle."  Jolls will be part of a symposium on Great Lakes endemics at the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America, Chicago, IL, 7-11 July (Botany 2007).

We completed work with National Park Service 2001 Natural Resource Preservation Program, Threatened and Endangered Species, for "Habitat assessment using remote sensing data:  Restoration methodologies for a federally threatened plant of coastal shorelines, seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus, Amaranthaceae)."  The work was based at Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores.

Jolls was awarded the UNC Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Award in April 2004.  She is very much humbled, beholden to her students (who are probably baffled) and hopes to strive to merit this honor. 

Julie Marik (B.S in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, 2002) joined the lab in Fall 2005 with interest in coastal ecology, conservation and plant population dynamics.  Julie's thesis on the effects of light and litter on population viability analysis will nicely complement our long-term monitoring work on Cirsium pitcheri in northern Michigan.  Julie also presented her work on seed mass variation in seabeach amaranth at the 67^th annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists at Gatlinburg, TN in April 2006.

WHERE THEY ARE NOW

Sarah Johnson (M.S. in Biology, 2004, B.S. Environmental Sciences, Northland College, WI) is a doctoral student with Dr. Don Waller at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  Sarah again received honors at the 2006 67^th annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Gatlinburg, TN for "An assessment of the role of competition on the beach as a factor in the distribution of Amaranthus pumilus Raf. (Amaranthaceae)" abstracted in Southeastern Biology 52: 169.  Sarah previously was acknowledged with the North Carolina Botanical Garden Award in 2004 for "Success of the federally threatened seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus Raf., Amaranthaceae) at two elevations" presented in Memphis, TN, making it  something of a "hat trick" for the lab. 

Cass A. Wigent (M.S. in Biology 2006, B.S. in Biology 1999) completed his thesis entitled "Critical environmental variables controlling success of seabeach amaranth recovery" then hiked  much of the Appalachian Trail with his wife, Amber, this past summer.  Cass and Amber currently reside in Greenville.

Former student and research technician, Jon D. Sellars (M.S. in Biology 2001, B.S. 1999;) is currently a cartographer with the National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Silver Spring, MD.  Jon received the North Carolina Botanical Garden Award for his paper entitled, "Success of seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus Raf.) using habitat selection based on light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data." presented at the 64^th annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Crystal City, VA, April 2003.

Samara I. Hamzé (M. S. in Biology 1998) is living in Oshkosh, WI, with husband and professor Bob Pillsbury, and their two children, Seamus and Mina.  Samara is involved in the current NSF LTREB on Pitcher's thistle, providing invaluable consistency and insight for the long-term data. 

Lisa G. Poole (M.S. in Biology 1991, M.S. in Nursing) recently received her certification in nurse midwifery.  In addition to working as a public health nurse for Craven County, Lisa is raising their three girls, Opal, Lillian and Amelia, with ECU alumnus and B.S.N., Mitchell Moore.