Jeffrey S. Lehman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
- Ph.D., Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1994
- B.S., Biology, Manchester College, North Manchester, Indiana, 1987
Courses Taught:
My interests are in the plant sciences, particularly plant pathology. I teach
Introductory Biology II: Plants, Genetics, and Evolution, the
second course in the life science sequence that freshman majors take at Otterbein. I also teach
Genetics, Plant Morphology,
Plant Physiology, Human Microbiology,
and Economic Biology. In the near future, I hope to develop an
IS course (entitled "Plants, Disease, and Society: the impact of plants and the microbial world
on our lives") that addresses the impact of plant pathogens on world food production and other
societal issues.
Teaching:
Dr. Lehman teaches a number of plant-based courses with ecological themes, including Advanced Plant Biology , Tropical Ecology and Agriculture of Costa Rica , and Plant Morphology and Diversity . Tropical Ecology and Agriculture of Costa Rica emphasizes the novel ecological interactions of organisms in the Central American rain-, cloud-, and dry-forest. Specifically, the ecology of these environments is compared with the ecology of the temperate Eastern deciduous forest. In Plant Morphology and Diversity , students study various ecological plant adaptations and investigate how they determine plant distribution and geography. In addition, they explore the role of these adaptations in plant evolution and the dominance of particular plant taxa.
Research Interests:
I study the variation in populations of fungal pathogens of plants in natural and agricultural settings. In addition to providing a better understanding of the biology of the pathogen (population genetics and dynamics), information from such studies could be applied to develop resistant host varieties. Specifically, I wish to address how the biology of fungal pathogens influences the genetic structure of the population, how variation in a pathogen population is spatially distributed within a given location and across geographical regions, and how variation within a pathogen population is altered by a selective environment. Presently, my research is directed toward mummy berry disease of blueberry caused by the fungus Monilini vaccinii-corymbosi and leaf rust of wheat caused by the fungus Puccinia recondita.
Research:
Dr. Lehman is a plant pathologist who deals with the ecological/epidemiological interactions between plants and their pathogens (e.g., floral-infecting fungi and their hosts). Most recently, he has been studying the ecological interaction between pollen and fungal spores as they travel through the stylar canal of flowers. His objective is to quantify mechanisms of host resistance and pathogen fitness, as well as the effect that fungal spores have on host reproductive biology.
A second area of research is arsenic tolerance in the tropical fern Pteris vittata. Currently, he is quantifying growth rates of gametophytes in the presence of arsenic and the ability of gametophytes to store arsenic. His objective is to understand the role that arsenic hyperaccumulation plays in the growth and reproductive biology of fern gametophytes. In addition, he is interested in how arsenic hyperaccumulation might reduce rates of herbivory and pathogen attack.
Personal:
My wife, Tracey, and I moved to Columbus, Ohio on December 1, 1997. For
the preceding two years we lived near the Atlantic Ocean in Tuckerton,
a small town in the surprisingly beautiful southern half of New Jersey.
Presently, our biggest hobby/joy is taking care of our two sons, Caleb
Samuel and Jonathan Plantenga Lehman.
Phone: (614) 823-1567
FAX: (614) 823-3042