Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Towson University
Towson, MD 21252 USA
Office: Smith 205
Phone: 410-704-3034
Fax: 410-704-2405
email: rroberts@towson.edu
Education:
Ph.D. Louisiana State University
M.S. Texas State University - San Marcos
B.S. Texas State University - San Marcos
Courses Taught:
BIOL 110 - Contemporary General Biology
BIOL 208 - Biodiversity
BIOL 432 - Vascular Plant Taxonomy
BIOL 6## - Systematic Biology
Research Interests:
My laboratory is engaged in research on the systematics and evolution of vascular plants. Taxonomic groups of current interest are the Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae. I am also interested in the evolution of desert flora, particularly population structure and the role of hybridization in speciation, and the biogeography and evolution of the flora of the West Indies specifically that of the islands of the Lesser Antilles. Methodologies employed for uncovering evolutionary relationships include the use DNA sequences of chloroplast and nuclear genes along with traditional techniques.
Publications:
Stout, M. J., M. R. Riggio, L. Zou and R. Roberts. 2002. Flooding influences ovipositional and feeding behavior of the Rice Water Weevil
(Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Ecology and Behavior 95: 715-721.
Roberts, R. P. and L. E. Urbatsch. 2003. Molecular phylogeny of Ericameria (Asteraceae, Astereae) based on nuclear ribosomal 3´ ETS and
ITS sequence data. Taxon 52: 209–228.
Urbatsch, L. E., R. P. Roberts and V. Karaman. 2003. Phylogenetic evaluation of Xylothamia, Gundlachia and related genera (Asteraceae,
Astereae) based on ETS and ITS nrDNA sequence data. American Journal of Botany 90: 634–649.