Peter Melcher

Professor, Biology
School: School of Humanities and Sciences

Recent Presentations (2010 - Present)

Student Presentations 

Fionna McSweeney, Julia Stachowski.  Freezing Mechanisms of Quercus rubra and Acer rubrum. James J. Whalen Academic Symposium. 2021. poster

Abigail Wine*, Sophia Pity-Daly, Adriana Del Grosso, Susan Witherup and Peter Melcher. Pollen Analysis of Scaevola plumeria and Scaevola taccada in Puerto Rico. Eastern Colleges Science Conference. Ithaca College. 2018. poster

Adriana Del Grosso*, Sophia Pitti-Daly, Susan Witherup and Peter Melcher. Understanding pollen movement between an introduced and endemic species of Scaevola spp. 82nd Annual Meeting of the Northeast Section of the American Society of Botany. Amherst, MA. 2018. poster

Miranda Ella, Peter Melcher and Susan Witherup. Quantifying post-disturbance damage of Scaevola plumieri and Scaevola taccada. Rochester Academy of Sciences 45th Annual Meeting SUNY Geneseo. 2018. poster

Cindy Yong* (Biol ’16), Madison Billings* (Biol ’17), Venique Clarke (Biol ’17), Savannah Portilla (Biol ’16),  Jill Preston (UVM) & Peter Melcher. (2016) *Poster presentation. “Drought and freezing mechanisms of grasses in the Pooidae:. Northeast Regional American Society of Plant Biologists. Ithaca College. 

Erika Bucior* (ENVS '16) and Peter Melcher '16. Assessing the physiological responses of Brassica rapa to nutrient and drought stress”. NCUR 2016.  (Poster) Asheville, NC.

Erika Bucior* (ENVS '16) and Peter Melcher. (2015). The physiological responses of Brassica rapa (Fast Plants) to nutrient and drought stress. Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting held in Edmonton, Alberta Canada for the Physiological Section. Won the Best Poster Presentation Award. 

Robert Griffin-Nolan* (Biol '13) and Peter Melcher 2013. The physiological responses of bryophytes to green light. Botanical Society of America Meeting, New Orleans, LA. Won Best Physiological Section Poster Presentation Award.

Yongqian Zhang* (Chem '14) , Robert Griffin-Nolan (Biol '13), Leanne Donahue (Biol '13), Michael Guidi (, Jason Hamilton, and Peter Melcher (2013) The effects of herbivory on leaf-level photosynthesis measured on wild tobacco plants. Botanical Society of America Meeting, New Orleans, LA. 

Robert Griffin-Nolan*, Benjamin Rosen (Biol '12) and Peter Melcher.  The role of green light in photosynthesis in Bryophytes and higher plants. (2012) Botany Society of America Annual Meeting. Columbus, OH. Presentation winner of the Physiological Li-Cor Prize for Best Poster. 

Leanne Donahue*(Biol '13), Robert Griffin-Nolan* (Biol '13), Jason Hamilton, and Peter Melcher (2012). (Poster). A rapid fluorescence imaging screening protocol to assess PSII electron efficiency of plants. Botany Society of America Annual Meeting. Columbus, OH.

Pamela Millan*(Biol '13), Peter Melcher and Lawren Sack. (2011) Intracanopy leaf plasticity and te impact of light versus height on carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination for five temperate deciduous tree species. Botanical Society of America Meeting, St Louis, MO.

Melcher's Invited Talks:

  • Embolism Refilling under negative water potentials – Fact or Fiction? University of Vermont, James Marvin Memorial Seminar Series. Fall 2014
  • Do Plants Defy Physical Laws?  How plants move water against the forces of gravity and hydraulic resistance without using a heart-like pump.  Ithaca College. Physics Department Seminar Series. Fall 2013
  • The risky business of moving water long-distances under negative pressure in plant. Hamilton College, Utica NY. Biology Department Seminar Series. Fall 2012
  • Mission Impossible: Moving Water against the Forces of Evil (Gravity and Resistance) in Plants.  Colgate University, Biology Department Seminar Series. Fall 2012
  • Dying for a good cause - xylem pays the ultimate price for transpiration.  UCLA - Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: Discovering Nature Series. Spring 2010

Melcher's Presentations at Professional Meetings:

  • Melcher PJ* and Preston J. Understanding Freezing and Drought Resistance Mechanisms in Pooidae. Botany 2018 - Thriving with Diversity. Botanical Society of America. Rochester, MN. 2018

  • Melcher Peter*, Sydney O’Shaughnessy, Adam Zelehowsky, and Susan Witherup. Ecophysiological assessment of an introduced species (Scaevola taccada) in an endemic species (Scaevola plumieri) coastal habitat on the islands of Puerto Rico. ASPB, Honolulu, HI. 2017.

  • Melcher PJ* and Susan Witherup A physiological approach to understand invasiveness of Scaevola taccada in coastal habitats on the islands of Puerto Rico. NEASPB Meeting. 2017. Poster (CT).
  • Melcher PJ*. Vascular transport in plant-research frontiers and priorities. NSF Workshop in Washington,  DC. Spring 2015.  oral 
  • Melcher PJ*. A new approach to measure hydraulic resistance in plants.  American Society of Plant Biology Northeastern sectional meeting in Rhode Island. Spring 2014. oral
  • Melcher PJ*. Importance of bridging phloem and xylem biologists to work together to understand mechanisms of embolism refilling.  Symposium Presentation. Botany Society of America Annual Meeting. Columbus, OH. 2012 oral
  • Organized Symposium: Melcher PJ (chair) and Pratt B (Co-Chair). Water transport in plants at multiple scales: A physiological, ecological, and evolutionary appraisal.  Botanical Society of America Meeting. Columbus, OH. 2012. 
  • Melcher PJ*. A novel way to measure xylem conductivity in plants. Botanical Society Meeting, Columbus, OH. 2012. oral
  • Melcher PJ*, Holbrook MN and Zwieniecki MA. Functional embolism refilling in red maple (Acer rubrum L.). Botanical Society of America Meeting. St. Louis, MO. 2011. oral
  • Melcher PJ* and Warchocki S. The impact of xylem wounding on the measure of stem hydraulic resistance. Botanical Society of America Meeting. Providence, RI. 2010. oral