Biological Sciences

Susan P. Romano, Assistant Professor

Large river vegetation & landscape ecology, forest & wetland management, GIS

Research Fellow, Institute for Environmental Studies

Susan P. Romano.Contact Information:
309/298-1632
Waggoner Hall 365
S-Romano2@wiu.edu

Degree:
Ph.D., Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, 2006

Courses Taught:

BIOL 451, Ecological Techniques
BIOL 454, Mississippi River Ecology
BIOL 459, Biogeography
BIOL 501, Biometrics
BIOL 503, Biosystematics and Evolution
GEOG 508, GIS and Cartographic Design
GEOG 509, Fundamentals of GIS Analysis
GEOG 510, Environmental Impact Analysis

Research Interests:
Forest ecology; ecology of the riparian forest community; regulated river ecology; forest management and silviculture. My research addresses the ecology, conservation, and management of vegetation within large river systems.  This includes using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a tool to understand ecological relationships between the spatial genetic plant distributions at a landscape scale.  

Recent Publications:

Romano, M.A., S.P. Romano, and C.W. Kilpatrick.  Report on Genetic Analyses of Vermont Wild Turkey Populations.   Prepared for The Vermont Chapter of the Wild Turkey Federation Turkey populations of Vermont.  October 1, 2007.

Susan Peitzmeier Romano, Mary Jeanne Packer, Carol Thailing, Bill Fontenot, Michael Wiant, Julie Barr, Vickie Clark, and Dane Johnson. 2005. Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Corridor Management Plan. Technical Report prepared as a component of the Illinois River Road Scenic Byway Application, Illinois Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration, March 10, 2005.

Susan P. Romano, James J. Zaczek, Karl Williard, Sara Baer, Andrew Carver, and Jean Mangun. 2002. Riparian forest communities of the lower Kaskaskia River bottoms. In: Thirteenth Central Hardwood Forest Conference Proceedings, April 1-3, 2002.

Graduate Student Research:

Graduate Student:  Jessica Gripp
Spatial and genetic distribution of the federally threatened plant species, Boltonia decurrens, the decurrent false aster, along the Illinois River.

Graduate Students:  Brian Traughber and Brett Shreiner
Spatial, Temporal, and Genetic Distribution of Pin Oak Genotypes Along the Upper Mississippi River, USA.

Currently available for Graduate Research Project:
Natural regeneration of tree species in the Mississippi River floodplain