Warren Gold, IAS Associate Professor and Director of UW Restoration Ecology Network, discusses his lab and field research on nonvascular plants that coat the surface of the soil and play vital roles in the Alpine ecosystems of the North Central Washington Cascades. Understanding these cryptobiotic crusts (i.e., lichens, mosses, fungi)—and how plants are affected by them—can lead to reestablishing damaged habitats. Dr. Gold also discusses his fascination with the Black Lily (a.k.a. “Indian Rice Root”).
B.S. Botany, University of Washington
B.A. Zoology, University of Washington
Ph.D. Plant Ecology, Utah State University
Mailing: Box 358530, 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011-8246
I teach courses on ecology and environmental science in the IAS program as well as courses in the University of Washington Restoration Ecology Network curriculum.
My focus in education is to foster students' fundamental learning instincts and innate curiosity within the context of a rigorous intellectual experience. The foremost challenge a teacher faces is not just the transfer of information, but also the stimulation of ideas, critical analysis and an enthusiasm for knowledge. Once those challenges are met, learning becomes a rich, interactive and spontaneous experience for both the student and teacher. I approach the classroom environment as one in which students and faculty alike can all contribute vitally to the learning environment. I have fun teaching and am continuously learning from and stimulated by my interactions with students.
Recent Courses Taught
BES 312 Ecology
BES 316 Ecological Methods
BES 462 Restoration Ecology Capstone
BES 489 Ecology and Environmental Policy of Pacific Northwest Ecosystems
BIS 358 Future Washington
BIS 393 Nature in the Northwes
BGEN 591 Environmental Management, Ecological Sustainability, and Land Use: Native Americans and the Pacific Northwest
My research spans a broad range of ecological science, but is most associated with plant physiological ecology and nutrient cycling processes / ecosystem ecology. I have studied plant - herbivore interactions in the shrub-steppe; vine ecology and physiology in eastern deciduous forests; and plant adaptation, community dynamics, and ecosystem processes in arctic and alpine ecosystems. My present research includes studies of (1) the ecology and restoration of plant species of cultural importance to Northwest Native American tribes, (2) the ecology and physiology of native and non-native species involved in ecological restoration, and (3) alpine ecology, including recreational impact and restoration and links between cryptogamic organisms, vascular plants and ecosystem processes. I am also directing the tri-campus University of Washington Restoration Ecology Network.
Gold W, Ewing K, Groom M, Hinckley T, Secord D, and D Shebitz. 2006. Collaborative Ecological Restoration. Science 312: 1880-1881.
Gold, W.G., Glew K.A., and L.G. Dickson. 2001. Functional Influences of Cryptobiotic Surface Crusts in an Alpine Tundra Basin of the Olympic Mountains, Washington, U.S.A. Northwest Science 75(3): 315-326
Bliss, L.C. and W.G. Gold. 1999. Seed production, seedling survival and establishment in a High Arctic polar desert. Canadian Journal of Botany 77: 623-636
Gold W.G. 1998. The influence of cryptogamic crusts on the thermal environment and temperature relations of plants in a high arctic polar desert, Devon Island, N.W.T., Canada. Arctic & Alpine Research 30(2): 108-120
Gold W.G. and L.C. Bliss. 1995. Water limitations and plant community development in a polar desert. Ecology 76:1558-1568.