Chris Bickford joined the Kenyon faculty in 2012 after completing postdocs at Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua (New Zealand) and the University of New Mexico. His training is in environmental and ecological plant physiology, and he uses stable isotopes, gas exchange and spectroscopy to study how environmental stress impacts plant physiology.
Numerous research opportunities during Dr. Bickford's graduate and postdoctoral training allowed him to conduct fieldwork in a number of ecosystems throughout the world, including semiarid and subalpine forest systems in the southwestern U.S. and alpine plant communities in New Zealand. His research interests are diverse and include alpine ecophysiology, leaf optics, and plant carbon-water exchange. Current research efforts in his lab are focused on understanding the role trichome morphology and density plays in regulating leaf physiology.
Areas of Expertise
Environmental plant physiology, stable isotopes in plant ecology and plant physiology, plant carbon-water relations, leaf spectral properties
Education
2009 — Doctor of Philosophy from University of New Mexico
2005 — Master of Science from Northern Arizona University
2001 — Bachelor of Science from University of Oklahoma
Courses Recently Taught
BIOL 106
Conservation Biology
BIOL 106
Conservation biology is an integrative discipline that encompasses aspects of evolution, ecology and population biology to understand conservation-related issues in a changing world. Students will learn how genetic, physiological, behavioral, ecological and anthropogenic factors influence population dynamics, and how management practices can ameliorate impacts on biodiversity. BIOL 106 is appropriate for first-year students and can count toward the core course requirement for the Environmental Studies Concentration. Does not count toward the major or minor. No prerequisite.
BIOL 109Y
Introduction to Experimental Biology
BIOL 109Y
This is the first laboratory course a student takes and is a prerequisite for all upper-division laboratory courses. Students are introduced to the processes of investigative biology and scientific writing. It is not designed to accompany any particular core lecture course. Laboratories cover topics presented in the core lecture courses, BIOL 115 and 116, and introduce a variety of techniques and topics, including field sampling, microscopy, PCR, gel electrophoresis, enzyme biochemistry, physiology, evolution and population biology. The course emphasizes the development of inquiry skills through active involvement in experimental design, data collection and management, statistical analysis, integration of results with information reported in the literature, and writing in a format appropriate for publication. The year culminates in six-week student-designed investigations that reinforce the research skills developed during the year. Evaluation is based on laboratory notebooks, lab performance, and scientific papers, as well as oral and written presentations summarizing the independent project. Enrollment is limited to 16 students in each section. Students enrolled in this course will be automatically added to BIOL 110Y for the spring semester. Prerequisite: completion or concurrent enrollment in BIOL 115 or equivalent. Required for the major.
BIOL 115
Energy in Living Systems
BIOL 115
Energy flow is a unifying principle across a range of living systems, from cells to ecosystems. With energy flow as a major theme, this course covers macromolecules, cells, respiration and photosynthesis, physiology and homeostasis, population and community interactions, and ecosystems. Throughout the course, the diversity of life is explored. The course also introduces students to the process of scientific thinking through discussion of research methodology and approaches. This course is required for the major and as such, Biology majors should take this class prior to the junior year. No prerequisite. Offered every year. Required for the major although AP or IB credit can be applied against this course.
BIOL 245
Environmental Plant Physiology
BIOL 245
This course examines the physiological, anatomical and ecological adaptations that allow plants to survive in terrestrial environments. We explore how plants work, focusing on the diverse strategies that have evolved to fix atmospheric carbon into carbohydrate, anatomical structures that facilitate water movement across vast distances within the plant body, and ecological relationships that allow plants to obtain nutrients when constrained by a sessile lifestyle. Simultaneously, we explore how plants respond to key environmental drivers such as carbon dioxide, water, vapor pressure and temperature, and how these responses contribute to plant biogeography. Primary literature readings are assigned throughout the semester to examine current topics in depth. This counts toward the upper-level lecture in organismal biology/physiology requirement for the major. Prerequisite: BIOL 115 or equivalent. Generally offered every other year.
BIOL 246
Environmental Plant Physiology Lab
BIOL 246
This course will examine techniques for investigating plant physiological responses to environmental stimuli in both laboratory and field settings. Students will learn methods to measure photosynthetic physiology using both instantaneous (gas exchange) and integrated approaches (stable isotope analysis). We also examine methods for assessing plant water status (water potential). Using these methods and an experimental approach, we will explore how environmental drivers affect plant carbon-water relations. While the focus of the course is on vascular plant physiology, we also examine the diversity of photosynthetic organisms through comparative studies with bryophytes, lichens and cyanobacteria. Prerequisite or corequisite: BIOL 245.This counts toward the upper-level laboratory requirement.
BIOL 323
Photosynthesis
BIOL 323
This course will examine current biochemical, evolutionary and ecological topics in photosynthesis. Our understanding of photosynthetic processes is increasing rapidly, and in this class we will read primary literature and book chapters to examine selected topics in depth. Topics will include evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis, light acquisition, Rubisco carboxylation and oxygenation, and the impact of environmental drivers such as temperature and CO2 on carbon gain in agricultural and unmanaged ecosystems. While the focus will be on plant photosynthesis, we will also explore cyanobacterial and algal systems to illustrate the photosynthetic diversity found in nature. This counts toward the upper-level organismal biology/physiology or cellular/molecular biology requirement for the major. Prerequisite: BIOL 115 and at least one 200-level biology lecture class.
BIOL 497
Senior Honors
BIOL 497
This course offers an in-depth research experience. Prior to enrollment in this course, students are expected to complete at least one semester of BIOL 385 and participate in the Summer Science Scholars program. Two semesters of BIOL 385 are recommended. Emphasis is on completion of the research project. Students also are instructed in poster production and produce one or more posters of their honors work for presentation at Kenyon and possibly at outside meetings. There will be oral progress reports, and students draft the Introduction and Methods section of the honors thesis. The letter grade is determined by the instructor and project advisor in consultation with the department. Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.33 and a GPA of 3.33 in biology. Permission of instructor and department chair required. Prerequisite: BIOL 385 and permission of project advisor and department chair.
Academic & Scholarly Achievements
2015
Mershon JP, Becker M, Bickford CP. Linkage between trichome morphology and leaf optical properties in New Zealand alpine Pachycladon (Brassicaceae). New Zealand Journal of Botany.
2013
Limousin JM, Bickford CP, Dickman L, Pangle R, Hudson P, Boutz A, Gehres N, Osuna J, Pockman W, McDowell N. (2013) Regulation and acclimation of leaf gas-exchange in a pinon-juniper woodland exposed to three different precipitation regimes. Plant, Cell and Environment.
2011
Bickford CP, Hunt JE & Heenan PB. (2011) Microclimate characteristics of alpine bluff ecosystems of New Zealand's South Island, and implications for plant growth. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 35(3): 273-279.
2011
Barbour MM, Tcherkez G, Bickford CP, Mauve C, Lamothe M, Sinton S & Brown H. (2011) d13C of leaf-respired CO2 reflects intrinsic water-use efficiency in barley. Plant, Cell & Environment 34:792-99.
2010
Bickford CP, Hanson DT & McDowell NG. (2010) Influence of diurnal variation in mesophyll conductance on modeled 13C discrimination: results from a field study. Journal of Experimental Botany 61:3223-3233.
2009
Bickford CP, McDowell NG, Erhardt EB & Hanson DT. (2009) High frequency field measurements of diurnal carbon isotope discrimination and internal conductance in a semi-arid species, Juniperus monosperma. Plant, Cell and Environment 32:796-810.
2007
Barbour MM, McDowell NG, Tcherkez G, Bickford CP & Hanson DT. (2007) A new measurement technique reveals rapid post-illumination changes in the carbon isotope composition of leaf-respired CO2. Plant, Cell and Environment 30:469-482.
2005