SUZANNE KOPTUR

Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University
Miami, Florida 33199   USA

Education:

• University of Michigan, B.S., honors in Botany, 1976
• University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. in Botany, 1982

• Professor of Biology, Florida International University, 1999 -
• Associate Professor of Biology, Florida International University, 1989 - 1999.
• Courtesy Professor, University of Florida Tropical Research and Education Center, 2004 -
  
• Visiting Associate Professor in Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University, Fall 1993.
• Assistant Professor in Biology, Florida International University, 1985 - 1989.
• Co-coordinator for Organization for Tropical Studies course 85-3 in Costa Rica, 1985.
• NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, University of York, England, with John H. Lawton. 1984.
• Postdoctoral Associate in Zoology, University of Iowa, with Henry F. Howe, 1982-1984.
• Postdoctoral Investigator in the Naturalist-Ecologist Training Program, University of Michigan Biological Station. Summer 1983, and 1986.
• Lecturer in Plant Ecology, University of California, Berkeley, Spring 1982.

• Fulbright-Hayes Garcia Robles Research Fellowship 1993-94.
• McKnight Junior Faculty Development Fellowship. 1989-90.
• NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship (University of York, England) 1983-1984.
• American Association of University Women Graduate Fellowship, 1981-1982.
• Center for Latin American Studies Fellowship, University of California, 1978.
• California State Graduate Fellowship, 1977.
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Noble Fellowship, 1976.

McVaugh, R. and S. Koptur. 1978. A new species of Pedicularis from Jalisco, Mexico. Contributions to the University of Michigan Herbarium 11: 298-300.

Koptur, S. 1979. Facultative mutualism between weedy vetches bearing extrafloral nectaries and weedy ants in California. American Journal of Botany 66(9): 1016-1020.

Frankie, G.W., Haber, W.A., Baker, H.G., Baker, I. and Koptur, S. 1981. Ants like flower nectar. Biotropica 13(3): 211-214.

Koptur, S., Smith, A.R., and Baker, I. 1982. Nectaries in some neotropical species of Polypodium (Polypodiaceae): preliminary observations and analyses. Biotropica 14(2): 108-113.

Koptur, S. 1983. Flowering phenology and floral biology of Inga (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae). Systematic Botany 8(4): 354-368.

Koptur, S. 1983. The ecology of some Costa Rican Inga spp. Pp. 259-261 in D.H. Janzen (ed.) Costa Rican Natural History. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Koptur, S. 1984. Experimental evidence for defense of Inga (Mimosoideae) saplings by ants. Ecology 65: 1787-1793.

Koptur, S. 1984. Outcrossing and pollinator limitation of fruit set: breeding systems of neotropical Inga trees. Evolution 38(5): 1130-1143.

Koptur, S. 1985. Alternative defenses against herbivores in Inga (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) over an elevational gradient. Ecology 66(5): 1639-1650.

Law, R. and S. Koptur. 1986. On the evolution of non-specific mutualisms. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 27: 251-267.

Koptur, S. and J.H. Lawton. 1988. Interactions among vetches bearing extrafloral nectaries, their biotic protective agents, and herbivores. Ecology 69: 278-283.

Koptur. S. 1988. [Book Review] Ant-Plant Mutualisms and Their Evolution. Evolution 42: 638-639.

Koptur, S., W.A. Haber, G.W. Frankie and H.G. Baker. 1988. Phenological studies of shrub and treelet species in tropical cloud forests of Costa Rica. Journal of Tropical Ecology 4: 323-346.

Koptur, S. 1989. Mimicry of flowers by parasitoid wasp pupae. Biotropica 21(1): 93-95.

Koptur, S. 1989. Is extrafloral nectar production an inducible defense? Pp. 323-339 in J. Bock & Y. Linhart (eds.) Evolutionary Ecology of Plants. Westview Press, Boulder, CO.

Koptur, S., E. Davila, D.R. Gordon, B.J. McPhail, C.G. Murphy, and J.B. Slowinski. 1990. The effect of pollen removal on the duration of the staminate phase of Centropogon talamancensis. Brenesia 33: 15-18.

Koptur, S. 1991. Extrafloral nectaries of herbs and trees: modelling the interaction with ants and parasitoids. Pp. 213-229 In D.F. Cutler & C. Huxley (eds.) Ant-Plant Interactions. Oxford University Press.

Koptur, S. 1991. A Unique and Beleaguered State. [book review of Ecosystems of Florida]. Conservation Biology 5(3): 428-430.

Koptur, S. 1991. Tropical Plant Reproductive Ecology. [book review of Reproductive Ecology of Tropical Forest Plants]. Ecology 72(5): 1911-1912.

Koptur, S. 1992. Plants with Extrafloral Nectaries and Ants in Everglades Habitats. The Florida Entomologist 75(1): 38-50.

Koptur, S. 1992. Interactions between Insects and Plants Mediated by Extrafloral Nectaries. In Bernays, E. (ed.) CRC series on Insect/Plant Interactions. Volume 4, pp. 85-132.

Richards, J.H. and S. Koptur. 1993. Floral variation and distyly in Guettarda scabra (Rubiaceae). American Journal of Botany 80(1): 31-40.

Koptur, S. and M.A.B. Lee. 1993. Plantlet formation as a reproductive strategy in tropical ferns. American Fern Journal 83(2): 60-66.

Koptur, S. 1994. Floral and extrafloral nectars of neotropical Inga trees: a comparison of their constituents and composition. Biotropica 26(3): 276-284.

Koptur, S. 1995. The Everglades - the long and short of it. [book review] Ecology 76(4): 1359-1360.

Oberbauer, S.F., K. Von Kleist III, K.R.T. Whelan, and S. Koptur. 1996. Effects of Hurricane Andrew on epiphyte communities within cypress domes of Everglades National Park. Ecology 77(3): 964-967.

Koptur, S. 1996. The Fascination of Flowers. [book review] Bioscience 46(3): 222-223.

Koptur, S. 1996. Extrafloral Nectaries in California Plants: Ecological Implications in Native and Exotic Species. Fremontia 24(2): 23-26.

Koptur, S., C.S. Smith, and J.H. Lawton. 1996. Effects of Artificial Defoliation on Reproductive Allocation in the common vetch, Vicia sativa (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae). American Journal of Botany 83(7): 886-889.

Koptur, S. 1997. Floods of Fortune: Ecology and Economy along the Amazon. [book review] The Quarterly Review of Biology 72: 104.

Koptur, S., V. Rico-Gray, and M. Palacios-Rios. 1998.  Ant protection in neotropical ferns bearing foliar nectaries.  American Journal of Botany 85(5): 736-739.

Koptur, S. and Ni Truong. 1998.  Facultative Ant/Plant Interactions: Nectar sugar preferences of introduced pest ant species in South Florida.  Biotropica 30(2): 179-189.

Koptur, S.  1998.  Is a damaged seed a dead seed?  Consequences of seed damage in the common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) and its major herbivore (Cydia spp.). American Midland Naturalist 140 (2): 393-396.

Koptur, S. 1999. [book review] Gardening with a wild heart.  Plant Science Bulletin 45 (3):

Koptur, S. 1999.  [book review] Florida Wildflowers in their Natural Communities.  Plant Science Bulletin 45 (3):

 Koptur, S. 2000.  Breeding systems of Monteverde Inga.  Pp. 85-87 in Nadkarni, N.M. and N.T. Wheelwright (eds.) Monteverde:  ecology and conservation of a tropical cloud forest.  Oxford University Press, New York.

Koptur, S. 2000.  Interactions among Inga, herbivores, ants, and insect visitors to foliar nectaries.  Pp. 277-278 in Nadkarni, N.M. and N.T. Wheelwright (eds.) Monteverde:  ecology and conservation of a tropical cloud forest.  Oxford University Press, New York.

Koptur, S. 2000. [book review] Britain’s Rare Flowers.  Plant Science Bulletin 46(4):132.

 Koptur, S. 2001. [book review] Warming up to Hotspots.  Conservation Biology 15 (2): 542-545.

Koptur, Suzanne.  2002.  “Old Herbaceous” - H. G. Baker - A warm and light heart.  Tropinet 13 (2):  2-3.

Koptur, S., M. C. Rodriguez, S. F. Oberbauer, C. Weekley, and A. Herndon.  2002. Herbivore-Free Time?  Damage to New Leaves of Woody Plants After Hurricane Andrew.  Biotropica 34(4): 547-554.

Liu, H. and S. Koptur. 2003.  Breeding System and Pollination of a Narrowly Endemic Herb of the Lower Florida Keys: Impacts of the Urban Wildland Interface.  American Journal of Botany  90:
1180-1187.

 Sah, J.P., M. S. Ross, S. Koptur and J. R. Snyder.  2004.   Estimating aboveground biomass of broadleaved woody plants in the understory of Florida Keys pine forests.  Forest Ecology and Management
203: 319-329.

Liu, H., E. S. Menges, J. R. Snyder, S. Koptur, M. S. Ross.  2005.  Effects of fire intensity on vital rates of an endemic herb of the Florida Keys, USA.  Natural Areas Journal 25 (1): 71 – 76.

Koptur, S.  2005. Nectar as fuel for plant protectors.  Ch. 3 (pp. 75-108) in F.L. Wäckers, P.C.J. van Rijn & J. Bruin (editors) Plant-provided food for carnivorous insects:  a protective mutualism and its applications.  Cambridge University Press.

Koptur, S.  2006.  The conservation of specialized and generalized pollination systems in subtropical ecosystems:  a case study.  Ch. 15 in N. Waser and J. Ollerton (eds.) Specialization and generalization in plant-pollinator interactions.  University of Chicago Press. 

Cairns, C. E., R. Villanueva-Gutiérrez, S. Koptur, and D. B. Bray.  2005.  Bee populations, forest disturbance, and Africanization in Mexico.  Biotropica  37 (4): 686-692 .
 

Graduate Students:

• Lisa Hardin (M.S. 1987) - Pollination ecology of Passiflora edulis in south Florida.
• Lisa Spier (M.S. 1991) - The influence of fire on the reproductive biology of Jacquemontia
• Carl Weekley (M.S. 1993) - Gall insects on the black-bead, Pithecellobium guadalupense.
• Sandra Vardaman (M.S. 1994) - Reproductive biology of Melaleuca in south Florida.
• Maria Cristina Rodriguez (M.S.1995) - Herbivore diversity on the wild tamarind, Lysiloma
• Piyal Kariyawasam (M.S.1996) - Stress and death in south Florida slash pine
• Joe O'Brien (M.S. 1997) - Population ecology of Galactia spp. in south Florida
• Anne Cox (PhD 1998) - Comparative reproductive ecology of pawpaws (Asimina)
• Suzanne Kennedy (M.S. 1998) - Seed bank dynamics of Tiny Polygala
• Sherine El-Sawa (M.S. 1998) - Pollination of jackfruit in south Florida
• Eileen Smith (M.S. 2000) - Reestoration of Atala butterfly populations in south Florida
• John Geiger (M.S. 2002, PhD candidate) - Pollination in pine rockland fragments
• Hong Liu (PhD 2003) - Population biology of Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis in the Lower Keys
• Lauren Linares (M.S. 2004) - Reproductive biology of Amorpha crenulata
• Yuria Cardel (PhD 2004) - Interaction of pollination and herbivory in Centrosema virginiana
• Elena Pinto-Torres (M.S. 2004) - Pollination and breeding system of Jacquemontia reclinata
• Heather Gamper (M.S. 2004) - Interactions among Homoptera, birds, and ants
• Philip Gonsiska (M.S. 2005) - Ecology of  Catopsis berteroniana
• Jed Redwine (PhD candidate) - Phenology and ecophysiology of trees of the Keys
• Vinda Maharaj (M.S. candidate) - Termite foraging behavior
• Monica O'Chaney (M.S. candidate) - Herbivory on native and exotic Crotalaria spp.
  
• Roxaneh Khorsand (PhD student) - Limits to fruit set in palms