{"id":2,"date":"2012-09-04T13:39:49","date_gmt":"2012-09-04T17:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/people.clas.ufl.edu\/template\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:24:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T17:24:37","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/people.clas.ufl.edu\/christinedavis\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dr. Christine Davis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instructional Professor and Director of  the Biology Learning Assistants Program<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PhD Botany, Duke University, 2005
\nBS Botany, University of Florida, 1998\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Areas of Interest\/Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bryophyte diversity and systematics<\/strong>– 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<\/a> to build a comprehensive phylogeny of the flagellate plants (GoFlag). Courses I teach in this area: BOT3151C Local Flora of Florida<\/em><\/strong> and BSC2321 Gulf Coast Flora<\/em><\/strong>, a course developed for the Gulf Scholars Program<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant symbiosis<\/strong> – 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<\/em><\/strong>, and give considerable focus to plant symbioses when teaching BSC2011 Integrated Principles of Biology II<\/em><\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My past funded<\/span> collaborative research in biology and botany education includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n