Joshua G.

Harrison
Education
2012–2017 Doctor of Philosophy: University of Nevada, Reno Reno, NV, USA
Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology
Advisor: Prof. Matthew L. Forister

2001–2005 Bachelor of Science: Lipscomb University Nashville, TN, USA

Major: environmental science
Minors: biology and mathematics

Research Positions
Contact 2018–2021 Botany Department, University of Wyoming Laramie, WY, USA
University of Wyoming Postdoctoral researcher
Department of Botany Advisor: Prof. C. Alex Buerkle
1000 E. University Ave. Fall 2016 University of Nevada, Reno Reno, NV, USA
Laramie, WY, U.S.A. Steve and Katherine Jenkins Graduate Fellow in Ecology
82070
Fall 2014 University of Nevada, Reno Reno, NV, USA
+1 7752293253 Research Assistant

joshua.grant.harrison
2004 Lipscomb University Nashville, TN, USA
@gmail.com
Undergraduate Research Internship
jgharrison.weebly.com

Teaching Positions
2020–2021 Computational Biology Laramie, WY, USA
Botany Department, University of Wyoming
Instructor of record
Sole instructor in 2021, co-taught with Dr. W. John Calder in 2020
2015–2017 Evolution Reno, NV, USA
University of Nevada, Reno
Teaching Assistant
2012–2015 Principles of Biological Investigation Reno, NV, USA
University of Nevada, Reno
Teaching Assistant; Head Teaching Assistant 2013–2014
Guest lectures

• Course: Research design in ecology

• Lecture: Bayesian hierarchical linear modeling–2016 & 2017
• Course: Ecology and Population Biology
• Lecture: Microbial ecology–2017
• Course: Biological diversity
• Lecture: Microbial ecology–2016
Publications
Forthcoming
S. A. Yoon, K. So, J. G. Harrison, S. Chaturvedi, K. Urie, Z. Gompert, P. Miura, A.
M. Smilanich, M. L. Forister. Interactive effects of viral infection and diet on the
transcriptome of an insect herbivore. (in prep.)

C. J. Hubbard, J. G. Harrison, R. McMinn, J. Ponsford-Bennett, L. Maignien, B.

Ewers, C. Weinig. Rhizosphere microbial community composition shifts diurnally
and in response to natural variation in host clock phenotype (in prep.)

E. DeWolf, W. J. Calder, J. G. Harrison, G. D. Randolph, B. Noren, C. Weinig. Aquatic

macrophytes are associated with variation in biogeochemisty and microbiomes of
mountain lakes. (in prep.)

S. A. Yoon, J. G. Harrison, A. Smilanich, M. L. Forister. How do maternally transmitted

microbes and host plant use affect the insect immune response? Insights from the
specialist butterfly Lycaeides melissa. (in prep.)

J. C. B. Ponsford, C. J. Hubbard, J. G. Harrison, L. Maignien, C. A. Buerkle, C.

Weinig. Whole-genome duplication and host genotype affect rhizosphere microbial
communities in Arabidopsis thaliana. (in review; preprint on bioRxiv)

2021
J. G. Harrison, G. Randolph, C. A. Buerkle. Characterizing microbiomes via sequencing
of marker loci: techniques to improve throughput, account for cross-contamination,
and reduce cost. mSystems (DOI:10.1128/mSystems.00294-21)

J. G. Harrison, L. P. Beltran, C. A. Buerkle, D. Cook, D. Gardner, T. L. Parchman,

S. R. Poulson, M. L. Forister. A suite of rare microbes interacts with a dom-
inant, heritable, fungal endophyte to influence plant trait expression. ISME
(DOI:10.1038/s41396-021-00964-4)

2020
J. G. Harrison, W. J. Calder, B. N. Shuman, C. A. Buerkle. The quest for absolute
abundance: the use of internal standards for DNA-based community ecology.
Molecular Ecology Resources (DOI:10.1111/1755-0998.13247)

J. G. Harrison, E. A. Griffin. The diversity and distribution of endophytes across

biomes, plant phylogeny, and host tissues—how far have we come and where do
we go from here? Environmental Microbiology (DOI:10.1111/1462-2920.14968)

J. G. Harrison, W. J. Calder, V. Shastry, C. A. Buerkle. Dirichlet-multinomial modelling

outperforms alternatives for analysis of microbiome and other ecological count
data. Molecular Ecology Resources (DOI:10.1111/1755-0998.13128)

M. L. Forister, S. A. Yoon, C. S. Philbin, C. D. Dodson, B. Hart, J. G. Harrison, O.

Shelef, J. A. Fordyce, Z. H. Marion, C. C. Nice, L.A. Richards, C. A. Buerkle, S. Leibis, L.
K. Lucas, Z. Gompert. Caterpillars on a phytochemical landscape: The case of alfalfa
and the Melissa blue butterfly. Ecology and Evolution (DOI:10.1002/ece3.6203)

2019
E. A. Griffin, J. G. Harrison, M. M. McCormick, K. T. Burghardt, J. D. Parker. Tree
diversity reduces fungal endophyte richness and diversity in a large-scale temperate
forest experiment. Diversity (DOI:10.3390/d11120234)
S. A. Yoon, J. G. Harrison, C. Philbin, C. Dodson, D. Jones, I. Wallace, M. L. Forister,
A. M. Smilanich. Host plant-dependent effects of microbes and phytochemistry on
the insect immune response. Oecologia (DOI:10.1007/s00442-019-04480-3)

C.C. Nice, M. L. Forister, J. A. Fordyce, J. G. Harrison, Z. Gompert, J. H. Thorne,

D. P. Waetjen, A. M. Shapiro. Extreme heterogeneity of population response
to climatic variation and the limits of prediction. Global Change Biology
(DOI:10.1111/gcb.14593)

E. A. Griffin, J. G. Harrison, S. W. Kembel, A. Carrell, S. J. Wright, W. P. Carson.

Plant host identity and soil macronutrients explain little variation in endophyte
community composition: is disturbance an alternative explanation? Journal of
Ecology (DOI:10.1111/1365-2745.13145)

J. G. Harrison, M. L. Forister, S. R. Mcknight, E. Nordin, T. L. Parchman. Rarity

does not limit genetic variation or preclude subpopulation structure in the geo-
graphically restricted desert forb Astragalus lentiginosus var. piscinensis. American
Journal of Botany (DOI:10.1002/ajb2.1235)

2018
L. A. Dyer, K. M. Philbin, K. M. Ochsenrider, L. R. Richards, T. J. Massad, A. M.
Smilanich, M. L. Forister, T. L. Parchman, L. Galland, P. J. Hurtado, A. E. Espeset,
A. E. Glassmire, J. G. Harrison, C. Mo, S. Yoon, N. A. Pardikes, N. D. Muchoney, J. P.
Jahner, H. L. Slinn, O. Shelef, C. D. Dodson, M. J. Kato, L. F. Yamaguchi, C. S. Jeffrey.
Modern approaches to study plant-insect interactions in chemical ecology. Nature
Reviews Chemistry (DOI:10.1038/s41570-018-0009-7)

J. G. Harrison, T. L. Parchman, D. Cook, D. R. Gardner, M. L. Forister. A herit-

able symbiont and host associated factors shape fungal endophyte communities
across spatial scales. Journal of Ecology (DOI:10.1111/1365-2745.12967)

J. G. Harrison, C. Philbin, Z. Gompert, G. Forister, L. Hernandez-Espinoza, B. W.

Sullivan, I. Wallace, L. Beltran, C. Dodson, J. S. Francis, A. Schlageter, O. Shelef,
S. Yoon, M. L. Forister. Deconstruction of a plant-arthropod community reveals
influential plant traits and nonlinear effects on arthropod assemblages.Functional
Ecology (DOI:10.1111/1365-2435.13060)

A. M. Smilanich, T. C. Langus, L. Doan, L. A. Dyer, J. G. Harrison, J. Hsueh, M. B. Teglas.

Host plant associated enhancement of immunity and survival in virus infected
caterpillars. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology (DOI:10.1016/j.jip.2017.11.006)

2017
N. Pardikes*, J. G. Harrison*, A. M. Shapiro, M. L. Forister. Synchronous population
dynamics explained by climatic forcing in a long-term record of the butterflies of
Northern California. Royal Society Open Science (DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170190) *equal
contribution

2016
J. G. Harrison, M. L. Forister, T. L. Parchman, G. W. Koch. Vertical stratification of the
foliar fungal community in the world’s tallest trees. American Journal of Botany
(DOI:10.3732/ajb.1600277)

M. L. Forister, B. N. Cousens, J. G. Harrison, K. Casner, J. Thorne, D. Waetjen,

C. Nice, M. De Parsia, M. Hladik, R. Meese, H. van Vliet, A. M. Shapiro. Increasing
neonicotinoid use and the declining butterfly fauna of lowland California. Biology
Letters (DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0475)

J. G. Harrison, D. M. Urruty, M. L. Forister. An exploration of the fungal as-

semblage in each life history stage of the butterfly, Lycaeides melissa (Lycaenidae),
as well as its host plant Astragalus canadensis (Fabaceae). Fungal Ecology
(DOI:10.1016/j.funeco.2016.02.001)

A. E. Espeset, J. G. Harrison, A. M. Shapiro, C.C. Nice, M. L. Forister. Understanding a

migratory species in a changing world: climatic effects and demographic declines
in the western monarch revealed by four decades of intensive monitoring. Oecolo-
gia (DOI:10.1007/s00442-016-3600-y)

J. G. Harrison, Z. Gompert, J. A. Fordyce, C. A. Buerkle, R. Grinstead, J.P. Jahner,

S. Mikel, C. C. Nice, A. Santamaria, M. L. Forister. The many dimensions of
diet breadth: chemical, genetic, behavioral and physiological perspectives on
the interaction between a native herbivore and an exotic host. PLOS one (DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0147971)

2015
K. J. Badik, A. M. Shapiro, M. M. Bonilla, J. P. Jahner, J. G. Harrison, M. L. Foris-
ter. 2015. Beyond annual and seasonal averages: butterfly richness predicted
by patterns of precipitation across temporal scales. Ecological Entomology
(DOI:10.1111/een.12228)
J. G. Harrison, A. M. Shapiro, A. E. Espeset, C. C. Nice, J. P. Jahner, M. L. Forister.
2015. Species with more volatile population dynamics are differentially impacted
by weather. Biology Letters (DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0792)

Software
J. G. Harrison, W. J. Calder, V. Shastry, C. A. Buerkle. 2020. CNVRG: Dirichlet-
Multinomial Modelling of Relative Abundance Data. R package hosted on ‘The Com-
prehensive R Archive Network’. This software provides a user friendly interface to
Stan to facilitate Dirichlet-multinomial modelling of count data.

Grants
2017–Prairie Biotic Research, Inc.–Fungal endophytes of locoweeds and their influ-
ence on seed predation ($1,000)
2017–National Science Foundation–Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: A
heritable symbiont shapes community structure of plant-associated organisms
($18,012)
2015–U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service–Population structure of the Fish Slough milk-
vetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. piscinensis) PIs: Thomas L. Parchman and Mat-
thew L. Forister. As a graduate student, I was unable to be an investigator of record,
but took the lead on writing the proposal and conducting research. ($18,000)
2015–Puget Sound Mycological Society– Ben Woo Research Grant ($2,445)
2015–Nevada Native Plant Society– Margaret Williams Research Grant ($1,000)
2014–Sonoma County Mycological Association–Graduate Student Award ($1,500)

Awards and Honors

• University of Nevada, Reno
2017 Outstanding graduate student ($1,000)
2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016–Graduate Student Travel Award (total $1,500)
2015–Ben and Beatrice Edwards Scholarship($1,125)
2015–Summer stipend (awarded competitively) ($1,000)
2015–Paper competition (3rd place)($300)
2013–Jerry and Betty Wilson Scholarship ($4,000)
• Lipscomb University
2001–2004–Presidential Scholar–full-tuition and room/board stipend
2001–2002–Mathematics Scholarship ($4,000)
• National Merit Finalist
Presentations

* denotes invited talk

• July 2021–J. G. Harrison, L. Beltran, C. A. Buerkle, M. L. Forister, T. L. Parch-
man, S. Poulson, D. Cook, D. Gardner. Rare endophytes affect plant traits.
Phyllosphere Fortnight, University of California, Davis (Davis, CA)
• September 2020–J. G. Harrison.Recent improvements in laboratory and stat-
istical methods for DNA-based community ecology. Botany Department, Uni-
versity of Wyoming (Laramie, WY)
• May 2019–J. G. Harrison., C. A. Buerkle, L. Beltran, W. J. Calder, D. Cook, D.
Gardiner, T. L. Parchman, M. L. Forister. Both dominant and infrequent endo-
phytes affect plant traits as shown through experimentation and a new applic-
ation of Dirichlet-multinomial statistical modeling. Yosemite Symbiosis Work-
shop (Yosemite National Park, CA)
• April 2019–J. G. Harrison., W. J. Calder, C. A. Buerkle. A Bayesian probabilistic
method for analyzing multinomially distributed data. 3rd Workshop on statist-
ical and algorithmic challenges in microbiome data analysis. Flatiron Institute,
Simons Foundation (New York, NY)
• November 2018–J. G. Harrison. Compositional data analysis. Microbial Eco-
logy Collaborative Biannual Meeting, University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY)
• March 2018–J. G. Harrison. Community assembly writ small: the influence
of intraspecific variation in host plants on arthropod and fungal endophyte
communities. Botany Department, University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY)
• May 2017–J. G. Harrison, T. L. Parchman, D. Cook, D. R. Gardner, M. L. Foris-
ter. A heritable symbiont and host-associated factors shape fungal endophyte
communities across spatial scales. Yosemite Symbiosis Workshop (Yosemite
National Park, CA)
• *Jan. 2017–J. G. Harrison, T. L. Parchman, D. Cook, D. R. Gardner, M. L. For-
ister. Exploring the drivers of fungal endophyte diversity in the arid West. 8th
Biennial Conference of the International Biogeography Society (Tucson, AZ)
• *Sep. 2015–J. G. Harrison. The fungi within: the ecological importance of
symbiotic fungi. Sonoma County Mycological Society (Santa Rosa, CA)
• Aug. 2014–J. G. Harrison, A. M. Shapiro, A. E. Espeset, C. C. Nice, M. L. Foris-
ter. Linking climate to irruptive dynamics in Californian butterflies. Ecological
Society of America (Sacramento, CA)
• Apr. 2013–J. G. Harrison, A. M. Shapiro, J. P. Jahner, M. L. Forister. Exploring
drivers of Lepidoptera (Papilionoidea) abundance across an elevational tran-
sect. Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (South Lake
Tahoe, CA)
Poster presentations
• Feb. 2017–J. G. Harrison, G. Forister, C. Dodson, Z. Gompert, L. Hernandez-
Espinoza, C. Philbin, B. Sullivan, I. Wallace, L. Beltran, J. Francis, A. Schlageter,
A. Santamaria, S. Yoon, M. L. Forister. Arthropod community structure at small
spatial scales is predicted by intraspecific variation in host plants. Gordon
Conference on Plant-Herbivore Interactions (Ventura, CA)
• Feb. 2017–J. G. Harrison, S. Yoon, M. L. Forister. Plants as communities: how
to incorporate a microbial perspective into studies of plant-herbivore interac-
tions. Gordon Seminar on Plant-Herbivore Interactions (Ventura, CA)
• June 2016–J. G. Harrison, T. L. Parchman, M. L. Forister. The influence of
host genetic structure on fungal endophyte community assembly. Evolution
(Austin, TX)
• May 2016–J. G. Harrison, M. L. Forister, T. L. Parchman, G. W. Koch. A room
with a view: vertical stratification in the foliar fungal community of the world’s
tallest trees. Yosemite Symbiosis Workshop (Yosemite National Park, CA)
• July 2015–J. G. Harrison, T. L. Parchman, M. L. Forister. Exploring fungal en-
dophyte diversity through the use of next-generation sequencing. Botany (Ed-
monton, Canada)
Professional service
Manuscripts reviewed for the following journals: Journal of Ecology (10); Mi-
croorganisms (4); Annals of the Entomological Society of America (3); Ecological
Entomology (3); Microbial Ecology (3); Journal of Animal Ecology (2); Functional
Ecology (2); Molecular Ecology Resources (2); PeerJ (2); Annals of Agricultural
Science (1); Applied Sciences (1); Biological Invasions (1); BMC Ecology (1); Di-
versity (1); Evolutionary Ecology (1); Insects (1); Letters in Applied Microbiology (1);
Molecular Ecology (1); New Phytologist (1); Selbyana (1); Soil Systems (1); USGS
external manuscript reviewer (1)

Review Editor for Frontiers in Fungal Biology (Fungi-Plant Interactions special-

ity) 2020–2021

Botanical Society of America–member since 2016

Science Outreach and Volunteering

• University of Wyoming
2018–present–Data science consultant–Have assisted 30+ individuals
from many institutions with a variety of analytical and computational tasks.
2020–Postdoctoral Representative to faculty hiring committee
• Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Program, Univ. of Nevada, Reno
2015–2017–Website content manager–Responsible for updating news
items, personnel listings, the calendar, and general website upkeep.
2014–2016–Student grant committee member–responsible for finding
and publicizing grant opportunities for fellow students.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters–2017–Assisted with science outreach event.
• Nevada Native Plant Society–2017–Authored article on fungal endophytes for
society newsletter.
• Nevada Bugs and Butterflies–2013–2017–This organization provides inver-
tebrate focused science outreach events for Nevadan youth. I participated
in a number of events at schools and libraries geared towards middle school
students.
• Wildlife Society–Univ. of NV, Reno chapter–2016–Presented on choosing a
graduate program and advisor at symposium for undergraduates interested
in careers in natural resources.
• Tahoe Institute for Natural Science–2012–2016–Volunteered during inver-
tebrate biology outreach events.
• Pollinator Week–2015–Volunteered at outreach event focused on pollinator
awareness.
• Northern Nevada Science Olympiad–2015–Event supervisor for eco-
logy/environmental science competition portion of Olympiad.
• Friends of Black Rock High Rock Desert–2013–2014–Over 100 volun-
teer hours participating in restoration projects and fundraising events.
• City of Eugene, Oregon–2011–Performed avian point-count surveys to docu-
ment bird presence within a habitat restoration project within the urban area.
• Escuela Katitawa–2009–Assisted with school/library construction in
Ecuador for 3 months.
• The Nature Conservancy–2008–Volunteered at the White Dome Preserve,
Utah.
• Lha Charitable Trust–2007–Taught English to Tibetan refugees for two weeks
in northern India.
Skills
Computational skills: expert knowledge of R; proficient in Python and bash; practical
knowledge of Perl; I routinely use high-performance, distributed computing (includ-
ing job scheduling and management via Slurm); Linux; html; LATEX; R markdown;
Make; Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator (and other similar tools); ArcGIS; git; Stan
& JAGS/BUGS probabilistic programming languages; regular expressions and other
data wrangling software; Google’s Open Data Kit (used to generate mobile forms for
Android-based data collection).
Analytical expertise: data wrangling and various analytical methods, including
Bayesian statistical modeling, frequentist univariate and multivariate techniques,
and many machine learning approaches. Expert knowledge of the bioinformatics
required for microbial sequencing efforts. Experience with the bioinformatics ne-
cessary for transcriptomics, metabolomics, and RADseq based population genet-
ics.
Field work proficiencies: field botany and entomology expertise (including numerous
sampling and data collection techniques); sampling to facilitate surveys of micro-
bial biodiversity; expert backcountry navigation skills (including travel and camp-
ing in extreme conditions); creation of custom Android forms for field data collec-
tion; ESRI’s ArcPad software for in-field GIS; previously Wilderness First Aid certified;
HAM radio operator (Technician class); SCUBA certified.
Laboratory skills: next-generation sequencing technologies; library preparation; PCR
and gel electrophoresis; primer design (including barcoded designs for extreme
multiplexing); familiar with benchtop liquid handling automation systems, including
programming and troubleshooting such systems; project management via Atlas-
sian’s Jira and Confluence software; operation of standard laboratory devices (e.g.
pipettes, balances, centrifuges, optical microscopes, incubators, autoclaves, etc.);
DNA extraction (including high-throughput techniques); microbial culturing.

Non-academic professional experience

2012 United States Forest Service South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA
Field Crew Lead
Field Crew Lead. Supervised botanical monitoring crew in the Lake Tahoe Basin of
California
2009–2011 Long Tom Watershed Council Eugene, OR, USA
Stewardship Technician
Managed restoration projects in Willamette Valley of Oregon. Duties included con-
tractor oversight, landowner coordination, budget management, and diverse addi-
tional tasks required to implement grant-funded habitat restoration on public and
private lands. Created and implemented vegetation monitoring protocols to determ-
ine effectiveness of oak and prairie habitat restoration projects. Was part of a three-
person grant writing team to secure funding for restoration projects (budget of or-
ganization exceeded $1,000,000 annually and was predominantly grant funded).
2009 Independent Contractor for Bureau of Land Management Eugene, OR, USA
Stewardship Technician
Performed botanical surveys for the Eugene, Oregon BLM.
2009 Institute for Applied Ecology Eugene, OR, USA
Botanical Technician
Contract position. Monitored populations of rare plants and butterflies and char-
acterized vegetation communities under management. Position required detailed
knowledge of Willamette Valley, Oregon flora.
2007–2009 Redcliff Ascent Enterprise, UT, USA
Head Instructor
Guided at-risk youth on week-long backpacking trips in the Utah desert. Taught sur-
vival skills and facilitated therapy of students.
2005–2006 Terracon Consulting, Inc. Nashville, TN, USA
Environmental professional
Consulting duties included management of NEPA, Phase 1 Environmental Site As-
sessment, and Biological Assessment projects. Authored two training manuals for
local office.
2004–2005 ELAB of Tennessee Nashville, TN, USA
Aquatic Toxicology Technician
Performed laboratory-based water quality testing.