Erika Edwards

{{Infobox scientist | name = Erika Edwards | image =  | caption = | birth_name =  | birth_date =  | birth_place = | death_date =  | workplaces = | education = | alma_mater = Yale University | thesis_title = Pereskia and the origin of the cactus life form | thesis_url = https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70234383 | thesis_year = 2005 | doctoral_advisor = | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = | awards = | website =  }} '''Erika Jeannine Edwards''' is a professor at Yale University known for her work on evolution of plants. She is also the director of the Marsh Botanical Garden.

== Education and career == Edwards has a B.S. from Stanford University (1998) and earned her Ph.D. from Yale University<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=August 2020|title=Edwards CV|url=http://edwardslab.org/reprints/edwardsCVaug2020.pdf|access-date=February 16, 2022|website=Yale University}}</ref> where she worked on the evolution of the ''Pereskia'', a genus of cactus.<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=Pereskia and the origin of the cactus life form|date=2005|language=English|first=Erika Jeannine|last=Edwards|oclc = 70234383}}</ref> Following her Ph.D. she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Santa Barbara before accepting a position at Brown University as an assistant professor in 2007. In 2017 she moved to Yale University as a professor and director of the Marsh Botanical Garden.<ref name=":0" />

In 2020 she began her term as president of the Society of Systematic Biologists.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-14|title=Executive Committee - Society of Systematic Biologists|url=https://www.systbio.org/executive-committee.html|access-date=2022-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814175652/https://www.systbio.org/executive-committee.html|archive-date=2020-08-14}}</ref>

== Research == Edwards research focuses on succulents and the evolution of C4 carbon fixation in plants. Her early research centered on ''Pereskia'' where she examined its physiology<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Edwards|first1=Erika J.|last2=Diaz|first2=Miriam|date=2006|title=Ecological physiology of Pereskia guamacho, a cactus with leaves|journal=Plant, Cell & Environment|language=en|volume=29|issue=2|pages=247–256|doi=10.1111/j.1365-3040.2005.01417.x|pmid=17080640|issn=1365-3040|doi-access=free}}</ref> and its place in the evolutionary history of cactus plants.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Edwards|first1=Erika J.|last2=Nyffeler|first2=Reto|last3=Donoghue|first3=Michael J.|date=2005|title=Basal cactus phylogeny: implications of Pereskia (Cactaceae) paraphyly for the transition to the cactus life form|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.3732/ajb.92.7.1177|journal=American Journal of Botany|language=en|volume=92|issue=7|pages=1177–1188|doi=10.3732/ajb.92.7.1177|pmid=21646140|issn=1537-2197|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Edwards|first1=Erika J.|last2=Donoghue|first2=Michael J.|date=2006-06-01|title=Pereskia and the Origin of the Cactus Life-Form.|url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/504605|journal=The American Naturalist|volume=167|issue=6|pages=777–793|doi=10.1086/504605|pmid=16649155|s2cid=832909|issn=0003-0147|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Her research into C4 carbon fixation has examined how climate change alters the distribution of the C4 grasses and revealed that the C4 carbon fixation pathway gives plants an advantage in dry environments.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal|last1=Edwards|first1=Erika J.|last2=Smith|first2=Stephen A.|date=2010-02-09|title=Phylogenetic analyses reveal the shady history of C4 grasses|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=107|issue=6|pages=2532–2537|doi=10.1073/pnas.0909672107|issn=0027-8424|pmc=2823882|pmid=20142480|bibcode=2010PNAS..107.2532E|doi-access=free}}</ref> Her subsequent research tracked the increase in C4 grasses with increases in tropical woodlands and savannas.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Edwards led the working group which established the phylogeny of C4 grasses and defined the genetic differences across different types of grass.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Edwards|first1=Erika J.|last2=Osborne|first2=Colin P.|last3=Strömberg|first3=Caroline A. E.|last4=Smith|first4=Stephen A.|last5=Consortium|first5=C4 Grasses|last6=Bond|first6=William J.|last7=Christin|first7=Pascal-Antoine|last8=Cousins|first8=Asaph B.|last9=Duvall|first9=Melvin R.|last10=Fox|first10=David L.|last11=Freckleton|first11=Robert P.|date=2010-04-30|title=The Origins of C4 Grasslands: Integrating Evolutionary and Ecosystem Science|url=https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1177216|journal=Science|volume=328|issue=5978|pages=587–591|language=EN|doi=10.1126/science.1177216|pmid=20431008|bibcode=2010Sci...328..587E|s2cid=17934192|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=2012|title=New grass phylogeny resolves deep evolutionary relationships and discovers C4 origins|journal=New Phytologist|language=en|volume=193|issue=2|pages=304–312|doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03972.x|pmid=22115274|issn=1469-8137|author1=Grass Phylogeny Working Group II|doi-access=free|hdl=2262/73271|hdl-access=free}}</ref> She uses changes in leaf shape to define how plants expend their resources during growth,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Edwards|first1=Erika J.|last2=Chatelet|first2=David S.|last3=Sack|first3=Lawren|last4=Donoghue|first4=Michael J.|date=2014|title=Leaf life span and the leaf economic spectrum in the context of whole plant architecture|journal=Journal of Ecology|language=en|volume=102|issue=2|pages=328–336|doi=10.1111/1365-2745.12209|issn=1365-2745|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ledford|first=Heidi|date=2018|title=The lost art of looking at plants|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=553|issue=7689|pages=396–398|doi=10.1038/d41586-018-01075-5|bibcode=2018Natur.553..396L|issn=0028-0836|doi-access=free}}</ref> examines plants' responses to changes in biome.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Donoghue|first1=Michael J.|last2=Edwards|first2=Erika J.|date=2014-11-23|title=Biome Shifts and Niche Evolution in Plants|journal=Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics|volume=45|issue=1|pages=547–572|doi=10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091905|issn=1543-592X|doi-access=free}}</ref> and compares the parallel evolution of C4 photosynthesis and crassulacean acid metabolism.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Heyduk|first1=Karolina|last2=Moreno-Villena|first2=Jose J.|last3=Gilman|first3=Ian S.|last4=Christin|first4=Pascal-Antoine|last5=Edwards|first5=Erika J.|date=2019|title=The genetics of convergent evolution: insights from plant photosynthesis|url=http://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-019-0107-5|journal=Nature Reviews Genetics|language=en|volume=20|issue=8|pages=485–493|doi=10.1038/s41576-019-0107-5|pmid=30886351|s2cid=81977914|issn=1471-0056|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Edwards|first=Erika J.|date=2019|title=Evolutionary trajectories, accessibility and other metaphors: the case of C4 and CAM photosynthesis|journal=New Phytologist|language=en|volume=223|issue=4|pages=1742–1755|doi=10.1111/nph.15851|pmid=30993711|s2cid=119525986|issn=1469-8137|doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Selected publications == *{{cite journal |last1=Edwards |first1=Erika J. |last2=Osborne |first2=Colin P. |last3=Strömberg |first3=Caroline A. E. |last4=Smith |first4=Stephen A. |last5=Bond |first5=William J. |last6=Christin |first6=Pascal-Antoine |last7=Cousins |first7=Asaph B. |last8=Duvall |first8=Melvin R. |last9=Fox |first9=David L. |last10=Freckleton |first10=Robert P. |last11=Ghannoum |first11=Oula |last12=Hartwell |first12=James |last13=Huang |first13=Yongsong |last14=Janis |first14=Christine M. |last15=Keeley |first15=Jon E. |last16=Kellogg |first16=Elizabeth A. |last17=Knapp |first17=Alan K. |last18=Leakey |first18=Andrew D. B. |last19=Nelson |first19=David M. |last20=Saarela |first20=Jeffery M. |last21=Sage |first21=Rowan F. |last22=Sala |first22=Osvaldo E. |last23=Salamin |first23=Nicolas |last24=Still |first24=Christopher J. |last25=Tipple |first25=Brett |title=The Origins of C 4 Grasslands: Integrating Evolutionary and Ecosystem Science |journal=Science |date=30 April 2010 |volume=328 |issue=5978 |pages=587–591 |doi=10.1126/science.1177216 |pmid=20431008 |bibcode=2010Sci...328..587E |s2cid=17934192 |url=https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1177216|url-access=subscription }} *{{cite journal |last1=Edwards |first1=Erika J. |last2=Osborne |first2=Colin P. |last3=Strömberg |first3=Caroline A. E. |last4=Smith |first4=Stephen A. |last5=Consortium |first5=C4 Grasses |last6=Bond |first6=William J. |last7=Christin |first7=Pascal-Antoine |last8=Cousins |first8=Asaph B. |last9=Duvall |first9=Melvin R. |last10=Fox |first10=David L. |last11=Freckleton |first11=Robert P. |last12=Ghannoum |first12=Oula |last13=Hartwell |first13=James |last14=Huang |first14=Yongsong |last15=Janis |first15=Christine M. |last16=Keeley |first16=Jon E. |last17=Kellogg |first17=Elizabeth A. |last18=Knapp |first18=Alan K. |last19=Leakey |first19=Andrew D. B. |last20=Nelson |first20=David M. |last21=Saarela |first21=Jeffery M. |last22=Sage |first22=Rowan F. |last23=Sala |first23=Osvaldo E. |last24=Salamin |first24=Nicolas |last25=Still |first25=Christopher J. |last26=Tipple |first26=Brett |title=The Origins of C4 Grasslands: Integrating Evolutionary and Ecosystem Science |journal=Science |date=30 April 2010 |volume=328 |issue=5978 |pages=587–591 |doi=10.1126/science.1177216 |pmid=20431008 |bibcode=2010Sci...328..587E |s2cid=17934192 |language=EN}} *{{cite journal |last1=Arakaki |first1=M. |last2=Christin |first2=P.-A. |last3=Nyffeler |first3=R. |last4=Lendel |first4=A. |last5=Eggli |first5=U. |last6=Ogburn |first6=R. M. |last7=Spriggs |first7=E. |last8=Moore |first8=M. J. |last9=Edwards |first9=E. J. |title=Contemporaneous and recent radiations of the world's major succulent plant lineages |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=17 May 2011 |volume=108 |issue=20 |pages=8379–8384 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1100628108|pmid=21536881 |pmc=3100969 |bibcode=2011PNAS..108.8379A |doi-access=free }} *{{cite journal |last1=Edwards |first1=E. J. |last2=Smith |first2=S. A. |title=Phylogenetic analyses reveal the shady history of C4 grasses |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=9 February 2010 |volume=107 |issue=6 |pages=2532–2537 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0909672107|pmid=20142480 |pmc=2823882 |bibcode=2010PNAS..107.2532E |doi-access=free }}

== Awards and honors == In 2016, Edwards received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 9, 2016|title=President Obama honors early career scientists with top White House award|url=https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=137709|access-date=2022-02-16|website=www.nsf.gov|language=English|archive-date=2022-01-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127152006/https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=137709|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 6, 2016|title=For botanist, road to White House led through Peruvian desert|url=https://www.brown.edu/news/2016-05-06/edwards|access-date=2022-02-16|website=Brown University|language=en}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * {{google scholar id|mlC_ztAAAAAJ&hl}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Erika}} Category:Stanford University alumni Category:Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Category:Yale University faculty Category:American women botanists Category:21st-century American botanists Category:American women evolutionary biologists Category:American women climatologists Category:21st-century American earth scientists Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers Category:21st-century American women scientists Category:American climatologists Category:American evolutionary biologists