Research

As a plant physiological ecologist, my work investigates how particular qualities and functions of plants may influence species interactions and community assembly. With a focus on herbaceous vegetation, like grasslands and old-field meadows, my research has sought to characterize light availability within naturally-occurring herbaceous canopy systems. My PhD thesis further explores whether herbaceous plant species may be capable of adapting shade responses under natural field conditions, and if these measured qualities are comparable to or differ from forest understory species.

Teaching

Since 2018, I've held Teaching Assistantships for courses of various themes: Research in Biology (BIOL537), Introduction to Statistics (BIOL243 & STAM200), Fundamentals of Biology: Molecular and Cell Biology (BIOL102), Fundamentals of Biology: Organisms to Ecosystems (BIOL103), Introduction to Biology I (Algoma University), Introduction to Biology II (Algoma University), Biochemistry (Algoma University), Cellular Biology (Algoma University), Plant Form and Function (Algoma University), and Vertebrate Form and Function (Algoma University).

Publications

Shi J, Wu Q, Deng J, Balfour K, Chen Z, Liu Y, Kumar S, Chen Y, Zhu Z, Zhu G. (2022). Metabolic Profiling and Antioxidant Analysis for the Juvenile Red Fading Leaves of Sweetpotato. Plants. 11(22): 3014.

Balfour, K.C., Greco, D.M., Gridzak, R., Piggott, G., Schamp, B.S., Aarssen, L.W. (2022) Smaller species experience mild adversity under shading in an old-field plant community. Ecology and Evolution. 12(6): e9006.

Guo, L., Nizamani, M.M., Harris, A.J., Lin, Q., Balfour, K., Wang, H. (2022) Socio-ecological effects on non-native plant distributional patterns on Hainan Island. Frontiers in Ecology in Evolution. 10: 838591.

Cheng, X.L., Padulles Cubino, J., Balfour, K., Zhu, Z.X., Wang, H.F. (2022) Drivers of spontaneous and cultivated species diversity in the tropical city of Zhanjiang, China. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 67: 127428.

Cheng, X.L., Nizamani, M.M., Jim, C.Y., Qureshi, S., Liu, S., Zhu, Z.X., Wu, S.S., Balfour, K., Wang, H.F. (2021) Response of urban tree DBH to fast urbanization: Case of coastal Zhanjiang in south China. Urban Ecosystems. 25: 511-522.

Cheng, X., Nizamani, M., Jim, C., Balfour, K., Da, L., Qureshi, S., Zhu, Z., Wang, H. (2020) Using SPOT Data and FRAGSTAS to Analyze the Relationship between Plant Diversity and Green Space Landscape Patterns in the Tropical Coastal City of Zhanjiang, China. Remote Sensing. 12(21): 3477.

Wang, H., Cheng, X., Nizamani, M., Balfour, K., Da, L., Zhu, Z., Qureshi, S. (2020) An Integrated Approach to Study Spatial Patterns and Drivers of Land Cover Within Urban Functional Units: A Multi-City Comparative Study in China. Remote Sensing. 12(14): 2201.

Deng, J., Wu, D., Shi, J., Balfour, K., Wang, H., Zhu, G., Liu, Y., Wang, J., Zhu, Z. (2020) Multiple MYB Activators and Repressors Collaboratively Regulate the Juvenile Red Fading in Leaves of Sweetpotato. Frontiers in Plant Science. 11: 941.

Topics

  • Botany / diversity of the plant kingdom
  • Community and ecosystem ecology
  • Ecology
  • Field ecology and conservation
  • Plant biology
  • Plant physiology
  • Statistics and data analysis