Dr. Christine Davis
Instructional Professor and Director of the Biology Learning Assistants Program
PhD Botany, Duke University, 2005
BS Botany, University of Florida, 1998
Areas of Interest/Research
Bryophyte diversity and systematics – I am broadly interested in plant diversity and systematics. My graduate and postdoctoral collaborative research on bryophyte systematics helped shape our current understanding of leafy liverwort evolution and modern classification of the Marchantiophyta. From 2016-2021, colleagues and I were funded through the National Science Foundation’s GoLife program to build a comprehensive phylogeny of the flagellate plants (GoFlag). Courses I teach in this area: BOT3151C Local Flora of Florida and (coming in spring 2026) BSC2XXX Gulf Coast Flora, a course developed for the Gulf Scholars Program.
Plant symbiosis – Symbioses have fundamental influence on the diversification of species, genes, communities, and ecosystems. Partnerships between plants and fungi likely were key innovations that allowed both groups to successfully colonize terrestrial habitats. These ubiquitous partnerships have co-evolved mechanisms and gene complexes specific to establishment and maintenance of symbiosis. My past research has explored and quantified biodiversity of fungi that can be found in healthy living plant tissue, while causing no apparent symptoms of disease. These ubiquitous fungi are broadly called “endophytes”, and their ecological roles and relationships with their host plants are not well understood. In this area, I developed and teach BOT4650 Plant Symbioses, and give considerable focus to plant symbioses when teaching BSC2011 Integrated Principles of Biology II.
Biology and botany education research – I am dedicated to improvement of teaching practices and discipline-based education research, and am involved in efforts to transform undergraduate education in biology courses using principles of scientific, inclusive, and antiracist teaching. In this area, I teach ZOO6926 Practical Pedagogy for graduate students serving as teaching assistants for the first time.
My past funded collaborative research in this area includes:
- GoFlag Voyager – Curriculum and resources for teaching about flagellate plants (2016-2021)
- Cultivating equity in STEM classrooms at UF: A multidisciplinary collaboration to create a training course in inclusive, antiracist teaching practices for Learning Assistants (LAs) in STEM courses (2020-2021)
- RIEL Biology – Responsive Instruction for Emergent Bilingual Learners in Biology Classrooms (2020-2024)
Contact Information
Office: 620 Carr Hall
Email: christine dot davis at ufl.edu
Mailing address:
Department of Biology
Bartram-Carr Hall
Main office, 220 Bartram Hall
P.O Box 118525
Gainesville FL 32611