Dr. Michael W. Palmer
Professor Emeritus
Dept. of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution
301 Physical Sciences, Stillwater, OK 74078-3013, USA
Research
I study the determinants of species richness at all spatial scales, from the microcosm to the continent. I have used a variety of methods, including meta-analysis of floristic data, greenhouse microcosms, computer simulations, permanent plot data, and field experiments. Particular projects include an analysis of North American floras, analysis of ordination methods, studies on microcommunities emerging from soil seed banks, the flora of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, the vegetation of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, the distribution of Costa Rican rain forest trees, analysis of species-area curves, methods for extrapolating biodiversity, applications of fractal geometry, forest dynamics in an old-growth North Carolina forest, succession following catastrophic wind disturbance in Minnesota, and several others.
My two largest projects currently are the Floras of North America Project and the Plant Virus Biodiversity and Ecology project.
Recent Publications
For most recent publication list, see Google Scholar
Eiseman, Charles S., Armin Namayandeh, John van der Linden, and Michael W. Palmer. 2023. Metriocnemus erythranthei sp. nov. and Limnophyes viribus sp. nov. (Diptera: Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae): leafminers of monkeyflowers, speedwells, and other herbaceous plants, with new observations on the ecology and habitats of other leaf-mining Chironomidae. Zootaxa 5249(1): 41–68.
C. Eiseman, O. Lonsdale, J. Van Der Linden, T. Feldman, M.W. Palmer. 2021. Thirteen new species of Agromyzidae (Diptera) from the United States, with new host and distrivution records for 32 additional species. Zootaxa 4931 (1): 001-068.
V. Michelsen, M.W. Palmer. 2020. Pegomya disticha Griffiths and P. cedrica Huckett (Diptera: Anthomyiidae)—first documented case of insects trespassing the silica barrier of Common scouring-rush, Equisetum hyemale L. Zootaxa 4718 (3): 355-370.
Konstantinov, A. S., A. M. Linzmeier, A. C. C. Morais, M. W. Palmer, S. J. Scheffer, and M. L. Lewis. 2019. Discovery of the First Nearctic Moss-Eating Flea Beetle, Distigmoptera borealis Blake, 1943 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini). The Coleopterists Bulletin 73:599-610, 512.
Gagné, R., M. W. Palmer. 2019. Neolasioptera Spp. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from stem galls of Verbesina (Asteraceae) with the description of a new species. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 121(3): 429-438. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.121.3.429
Hobohm, C., M. Janišová, M. Steinbauer, S. Landi, R. Field, S. Vanderplank, C. Beierkuhnlein, J.-A. Grytnes, O. R. Vetaas, A. Fidelis, L. de Nascimento, V. R. Clark, J. M. Fernández-Palacios, S. Franklin, R. Guarino, J. Huang, P. Krestov, K. Ma, V. Onipchenko, M. W. Palmer, M. F. Simon, C. Stolz, and A. Chiarucci. 2019. Global endemics-area relationships of vascular plants. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation 17:41-49.
McGlinn, D. J., and M. W. Palmer. 2019. Examining the assumptions of heterogeneity-based management for promoting plant diversity in a disturbance-prone ecosystem. Peerj 7:e6738.
McGlinn, D. J., and M. W. Palmer. 2019. Spatial Scale and Biodiversity.in D. Gibson, editor. Oxford Bibliographies. Oxford University Press.
Palmer, M. W. 2019. Gradient Analysis of Ecological Communities (Ordination). Pages 241-274 in A. Gelfand, M. Fuentes, P. Hoeting, and R. L. Smith, editors. Handbook of Environmental and Ecological Statistics. CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Palmer, M. W., and D.J. McGlinn. (2017) Scale Detection Using Semivariograms and Autocorrelograms.in S.E. Gergel and M.D. Turner, editors. Learning Landscape Ecology. Springer, New York, New York.
CS Eiseman, DR Davis, JA Blyth, DL Wagner, MW Palmer, TS Feldman (2017) A new species of Marmara (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae: Marmarinae), with an annotated list of known hostplants for the genus. Zootaxa 7337:198-222.
AJ Harris, J Dee, MW Palmer (2017) The effects of taxonomic rank on climatic calibrations: A test using extant floras of United States counties. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 244:316-324.
CS Eiseman, TS Feldman, EF Lopresti, MW Palmer (2017) First North American Records of Porphyrosela minuta Clarke (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), with Notes on its Native Congener, P. desmodiella (Clemens). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 119: 18-23
Justin Dee, Michael W. Palmer (2017) Annual rings of perennial forbs and mature oaks show similar effects of climate but inconsistent responses to fire in the North American prairie-forest ecotone. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 47:716-726. PDF
Palmer, M. W. and D.J. McGlinn. (2017) Chapter 5: Scale detection using semivariograms and autocorrelograms. in S. E. Gergel and M. G. Turner, editors. Learning Landscape Ecology, A Practical Guide to Concepts and Techniques. 2nd Edition. p. 65-81.
AJ Harris, Justin Dee, Michael W. Palmer (2017) "The effects of taxonomic rank on climatic calibrations: A test using extant floras of United States countries" doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2017.02.002.
Palmer, M.W. (2017) How to write an effective manuscript in Vegetation science. (IAVS Bulletin 2017) 6-8.
Charles S. Eiseman, Tracy S. Feldman, Eric F. Lopresti, and Michael W. Palmer (2017) "First North American Records of Porphyrosela minuta Clarke (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae", with Notes on its Native Congener, P. desmondiella (Clemens)." Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 119(1):18-23. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.119.1.18.
Dee, J. R., and M. W. Palmer. (2016) Application of herb-chronology: annual fertilization and climate reveal annual ring signatures within the roots of U.S. tallgrass prairie plants. Botany 94:277-288.
Dee, J. R., S. M. Thomas, S. D. Thompson, and M. W. Palmer. (2016) Long-term late season mowing maintains diversity in southern U.S. tallgrass prairie invaded by Bothriochloa ischaemum. Applied Vegetation Science 19:442-453.
Harris, A. J., C. Walker, J. R. Dee, and M. W. Palmer. (2016) Latitudinal trends in genus richness of vascular plants in the Eocene and Oligocene. Plant Diversity 38:133-141.
Hovick, T. J., D. Elmore, S. D. Fuhlendorf, M. W. Palmer, and B. W. Allred. (2016) Informing conservation by identifying range shift patterns across breeding habitats and migration strategies. Biodiversity and Conservation 25:345-356.
J. Channing Richardson and Michael W. Palmer (2016) "The Bryophyte flora of the north slope of Winding Stair Mountain (LeFlore County, Oklahoma, U.S.A.). J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 10(2): 535-540. 2016.
Bacaro G, Altobelli A, Cameletti M, Ciccarelli D, Martellos S, Palmer M, Ricotta C, Rocchini D, Scheiner S, Tordoni E, Chiarucci A (2016) Incorporating spatial autocorrelation in rarefaction methods: Implications for ecologists and conservation biologists. Ecological Indicators 69: 233-238.
Thapa, V., D. J. McGlinn, U. Melcher, M. W. Palmer, and M. J. Roossinck. (2015) Determinants of taxonomic composition of plant viruses at the Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Oklahoma. Virus Evolution 1:vev007-vev007.
Rocchini, D., L. Dadalt, L. Delucchi, M. Neteler and M. W. Palmer (2014) "Disentangling the role of remotely sensed spectral heterogeneity as a proxy for North American plant species richness." Community Ecology 15: 37-43.
Piper, W. H., M. W. Palmer, N. Banfield, and M. W. Meyer. (2013) Can settlement in natal-like habitat explain maladaptive habitat selection? Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 280.
Saitanis, C. J., M. V. Frontasyeva, E. Steinnes, M. W. Palmer, T. M. Ostrovnaya, and S. F. Gundorina. (2013) Spatiotemporal distribution of airborne elements monitored with the moss bags technique in the Greater Thriasion Plain, Attica, Greece. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment185:955-968.
Ding, T., M. W. Palmer, and U. Melcher. (2013) Community terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms reveal insights into the diversity and dynamics of leaf endophytic bacteria. Bmc Microbiology 13.
Williams, R. J., S. W. Hallgren, G. W. T. Wilson, and M. W. Palmer. (2013) Juniperus virginiana encroachment into upland oak forests alters arbuscular mycorrhizal abundance and litter chemistry. Applied Soil Ecology 65:23-30.
Allen, M. S., V. Thapa, J. R. Arevalo, and M. W. Palmer. (2012) Windstorm damage and forest recovery: accelerated succession, stand structure, and spatial pattern over 25 years in two Minnesota forests. Plant Ecology 213:1833-1842.
Baniya, C., T. Solhøy, Y. Gauslaa, and M. W. Palmer. (2012) Richness and composition of vascular plants and cryptogams along a high elevational gradient on Buddha Mountain, Central Tibet. Folia Geobotanica 47:135-151.
Bergman, K. O., N. Jansson, K. Claesson, M. W. Palmer, and P. Milberg. (2012) How much and at what scale? Multiscale analyses as decision support for conservation of saproxylic oak beetles. Forest Ecology and Management 265:133-141.
Legatzki, A., M. Ortiz, J. W. Neilson, R. R. Casavant, M. W. Palmer, C. Rasmussen, B. M. Pryor, L. S. Pierson, and R. M. Maier. (2012) Factors Influencing Observed Variations in the Structure of Bacterial Communities On Calcite Formations in Kartchner Caverns, AZ, USA. Geomicrobiology Journal 29:422-434.
Palmer, M. W. and J. C. Richardson. (2012) Biodiversity data in the Information Age: Do 21st Century floras make the grade? Castanea 77:46-59.
Shahriary, E., M. W. Palmer, D. J. Tongway, H. Azarnivand, M. Jafari, and M. M. Saravi. (2012) Plant species composition and soil characteristics around Iranian piospheres. Journal of Arid Environments 82:106-114.
Stobbe, A. H., U. Melcher, M. W. Palmer, M. J. Roossinck, and G. A. Shen. (2012) Co-divergence and host-switching in the evolution of tobamoviruses. Journal Of General Virology 93:408-418.
Thapa, V., U. Melcher, G. B. Wiley, A. Doust, M. W. Palmer, K. Roewe, B. A. Roe, G. A. Shen, M. J. Roossinck, Y. M. Wang, and N. Kamath. (2012) Detection of members of the Secoviridae in the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Osage County, Oklahoma, USA. Virus Research 167:34-42.
Allen, M. S. and M. W. Palmer. (2011) Fire history of a prairie / forest boundary: More than 250 years of frequent fire in a North American tallgrass prairie. Journal of Vegetation Science 22:436-444.
Cordova, C. E., W. C. Johnson, R. D. Mandel, and M. W. Palmer. (2011) Late Quaternary environmental change inferred from phytoliths and other soil-related proxies: Case studies from the central and southern Great Plains, USA. Catena 85:87-108.
Scheets, K., O. Blinkova, U. Melcher, M. W. Palmer, G. B. Wiley, T. Ding, and B. A. Roe. (2011) Detection of members of the Tombusviridae in the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Osage County, Oklahoma, USA. Virus Research 160:256-263.
Linneman, J. S., M. S. Allen, and M. W. Palmer. (2011) The effects of removal of Juniperus virginiana L. trees and litter from a central Oklahoma grassland. Oklahoma Native Plant Record 11:43-60.
McGlinn, D. J. and M. W. Palmer. (2011) Quantifying the influence of environmental texture on the rate of species turnover: evidence from two habitats. Plant Ecology 212:495-506.
Min, B.-E., T. S. Feldman, A. Ali, G. Wiley, V. Muthukumar, B. A. Roe, M. Roossinck, U. Melcher, M. W. Palmer, and R. S. Nelson. (2011) Molecular Characterization, Ecology, and Epidemiology of a Novel Tymovirus in Asclepias viridis from Oklahoma. Phytopathology 102:166-176.
Allen, M. S. and M. W. Palmer. (2011) Fire history of a prairie/forest boundary: more than 250 years of frequent fire in a North American tallgrass prairie. Journal of Vegetation Science 22:436-444.
Cordova, C. E., W. C. Johnson, R. D. Mandel, and M. W. Palmer. (2011) Late Quaternary environmental change inferred from phytoliths and other soil-related proxies: Case studies from the central and southern Great Plains, USA. Catena 85:87-108.
McGlinn, D. J. and M. W. Palmer. (2011) Quantifying the influence of environmental texture on the rate of species turnover: evidence from two habitats. Plant Ecology 212:495-506.
Baniya, C. B., T. Solhoy, Y. Gauslaa, and M. W. Palmer. (2010) The elevation gradient of lichen species richness in Nepal. Lichenologist 42:83-96.
Burton, J., M. W. Palmer, and S. Hallgren. (2010) Fire frequency affects structure and composition of xeric oak forests of eastern Oklahoma. Natural Areas Journal 30: 370-379.
Denslow, M. W., M. W. Palmer, and Z. E. Murrell. (2010) A bibliography of North Carolina local floras. Castanea 75(4):475-483.
Denslow, M., M. Palmer, and Z. E. Murrell. (2010) Patterns of native and exotic plant richness along an elevational gradient from sea level to the summit of the Appalachian Mountains, USA. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Club 137:67-80.
DeSantis, R. D., S. W. Hallgren, T. B. Lynch, J. A. Burton, and M. W. Palmer. (2010) Long-term directional changes in upland Quercus forests throughout Oklahoma, USA. Journal of Vegetation Science 21:606-615.
Hackett, J., V. Muthukumar, G. Wiley, M. W. Palmer, B. Roe, and U. Melcher. (2010) Viruses in Oklahoma Euphorbia marginata. Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences 89:57-62.
Maier, R. M., M. W. Palmer, G. L. Andersen, M. J. Halonen, K. C. Josephson, R. S. Maier, F. D. Martinez, J. W. Neilson, D. A. Stern, D. Vercelli, and A. L. Wright. (2010) Environmental Determinants of and Impact on Childhood Asthma by the Bacterial Community in Household Dust. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 76:2663-2667.
Mansy, K., G. Gunderson, and M.W. Palmer. (2010) Design Guidelines for Sustainable Biological Field Stations. Oklahoma Academy of Sciences, Stillwater, Oklahoma. http://ecology.okstate.edu/FieldStations.pdf
McGlinn, D. J. and M. W. Palmer. (2010) Spatial structure alters the shape of the unimodal species richness-biomass relationship in a neutral model. Diversity 2:550-560.
McGlinn, D. J., R. Churchwell, and M. W. Palmer. (2010) Effects of a tornado on a cross timbers bird community. Southwestern Naturalist 55:460-466.
McGlinn, D. J., P. G. Earls, and M. W. Palmer. (2010) A twelve-year study on the scaling of vascular plant composition in an Oklahoma Tallgrass Prairie. Ecology 91:1872.
van Els, P., R. Will, M. Palmer, and K. Hickman. (2010) Changes in forest understory associated with Juniperus virginiana encroachment in Oklahoma, USA. Applied Vegetation Science 13: 356-368
Allen, M. S., R. G. Hamilton, U. Melcher, and M. W. Palmer. (2009) Lessons from the Prairie: Research at The Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Oklahoma Academy of Sciences, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Chiarucci, A., G. Bacaro, D. Rocchini, C. Ricotta, M. W. Palmer, and S. M. Scheiner. (2009) Spatially constrained rarefaction: incorporating the autocorrelated structure of biological communities into sample-based rarefaction. Community Ecology 10:209-214.
Grandlic, C. J., M. W. Palmer, and R. M. Maier. (2009) Optimization of plant growth-promoting bacteria-assisted phytostabilization of mine tailings. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 41:1734-1740.
Lättman, H., P. Milberg, M. W. Palmer, and J.-E. Mattsson. (2009) Changes in the distributions of epiphytic lichens in southern Sweden using a new statistical method. Nordic Journal of Botany 27:413-418.
Muthukumar, V., U. Melcher, M. L. Pierce, G. B. Wiley, B. Roe, M. W. Palmer, V. Thapa, A. Ali, and T. Ding. (2009) Non-cultivated plants of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve of northeastern Oklahoma frequently contain virus-like sequences in particulate fractions. Virus Research. 141:169-173.