UNC Charlotte Emeritus Professor

Conservation biology, plant ecology, population ecology.

Curriculum Vitae: Barden, Lawrence S., Ph.D.

In July 1794, Andre Michaux collected the type specimen of Michaux's sumac (Rhus michauxii), a Federally listed endangered species, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where the species was apparently later extirpated. In November 2001, students in Dr. Barden's Conservation Biology lab re-introduced the plant to the county at a prairie restoration at Latta Plantation Park.

Courses taught

Areas of Specialization

Conservation biology of Helianthus schweinitzii and Rhus michauxii, two Federally listed endangered species

Restoration of Piedmont prairie habitat

Professional Experience

Biology Faculty, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1974 - present)

Park Ranger, U. S. National Park Service (1968-1971)

Education

Ph.D. Ecology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1974)

M.S. Wildlife Biology, University of Maine, Orono (1968)

B.A. Mathematics, Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas (1964)

Research Interests

Schweinitz's sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii), a Federally listed endangered species, occurs only within 100 km of Charlotte, NC. We are using reciprocal transplants, long-term monitoring, and habitat restoration to learn why the species is rare and what must be done to increase its populations. We have learned that the sunflower was one of many prairie species that once inhabited Piedmont prairies east of the Appalachian Mountains. We are currently restoring and monitoring three prairie sites near Charlotte as part of the management of the sunflower. We are also studying the ecology and conservation of Michaux's sumac (Rhus michauxii), a very rare dwarf shrub that occurs only in Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.

Selected Publications

2004 André Michaux’s sumac - Rhus michauxii Sargent: Why did Sargent rename it and where was it found? Castanea 69: 109-115. J. F. Matthews and L. S. Barden (This paper won the 2005 Windler Award for best systematics paper in Castanea)

2002 Vascular flora of Piedmont prairies: evidence from several prairie remnants. Castanea 67: 1-12. Eric Davis, Catherine McRae, Bret Estep, Jim Matthews, Larry Barden.

2001 The wild east: a biography of the Great Smoky Mountains. Ecology 82: 3563-3564. (Book Review)

2000 Population maintenance of Pinus pungens Lam. (Table Mountain pine) after a century without fire. Natural Areas Journal 20: 227-233.

2000 The dilemma of a common species at the edge of its range: conservation of bear oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and its low elevation rocky summit community in North Carolina. Natural Areas Journal 20: 85-89.

1999 Rocky microsites prove best for establishing Schweinitz's sunflower, an endangered species of the Carolina Piedmont. Ecological Restoration 17: 171-172. Eric Davis, Nancy Shinn, Donna Hood, and L. S. Barden.

1997 Historic prairies in the Piedmont of North and South Carolina. Natural Areas Journal 17:149-152.

1997 Corrections of the chromosome number, distribution and misidentifications of the federally endangered sunflower, Helianthus schweinitzii T&G. Torreya 124: 198-209. J. F. Matthews, L. S. Barden and C. R. Matthews.

Recent Theses Directed

2008. Lee Lehman. M.S. Response of prairie species to restoration of natural hydrologic conditions at Suther Prairie, Cabarrus County, North Carolina

2003. Suzanne Savin M.S. Genetic variation in Helianthus schweinitzii as revealed by microsatellite analysis.

2001. Bret Estep M.S. Genetic variation in Helianthus schweinitzii as revealed by reciprocal common garden transplants.

1999. Catherine McRae M.S. Effectiveness of tree girdling and herbicide injection in Piedmont prairie restoration.