Joseph Pollard

Rose J. Forgione Professor of Biology (Emeritus)

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Dr. Joe Pollard grew up in Atlanta and completed his bachelor's degree in botany at Duke University. He received a Winston Churchill Scholarship to pursue doctoral studies in Cambridge, England, receiving his Ph.D. in botany in 1981. After seven years on the faculty of Oklahoma State University, Dr. Pollard moved to Furman in 1988 and served in the biology department for 32 years. He was chair of Furman's biology department from 2000 to 2010, and in 2008 he was appointed to the Rose J. Forgione professorship in biology. In addition to teaching introductory courses, ecology, research & analysis, and field botany, he taught many of the department's study away programs during his years at Furman. Dr. Pollard retired in 2020, and currently resides in Santa Rosa, California. Although he is no longer teaching, he remains active in collaborative research and publication, as described under the Professional Activities tab. Students and others who are interested in Dr. Pollard’s area are encouraged to contact him directly via email.

Honors & Awards

  • 2014 – 2021: Newsletter Editor and Council Member, Southern Appalachian Botanical Society
  • 2013 – 2015: Chair of the Faculty, Furman University
  • 2008 –2020: Rose J. Forgione Professor of Science (endowed chair), Furman University
  • 2000 – 2010: Department Chair, Biology, Furman University
  • 2004 – 2005: Vice-President, Association of Southeastern Biologists
  • 2001 – 2002: Visiting Research Fellowship, Magdalen College, Oxford University
  • 1992: Knight Foundation Summer Research Fellowship, Furman University
  • 1977 – 1981: Churchill Scholarship to pursue doctoral research at Cambridge University

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Cambridge
  • B.S.,  Duke University

Research

Dr. Pollard studies the physiological and evolutionary ecology of plants, with a focus on interactions between soil chemistry and plant growth, and how these interactions affect herbivores and ecosystems. Recent research in his lab has focused on plants that "hyperaccumulate" heavy metals, i.e. concentrate elements such as zinc or nickel to exceptionally high concentrations in leaf tissues. He and his students have investigated the extent to which hyperaccumulation is a genetically variable character within species, the ecological significance of hyperaccumulation as a defense against herbivores, and the extent to which hyperaccumulator plants may facilitate the transfer of metals into food chains. The research has involved field work in England, Spain, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guatemala, and the Carolinas. Commercial enterprises are now attempting to use hyperaccumulator plants on a large, agricultural scale as a source of valuable metallic elements, avoiding the environmental destruction associated with traditional mining operations. Although retired from teaching, Dr. Pollard actively collaborates with hyperaccumulation researchers in Europe and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Botanickel (https://www.botanickel.com), a pioneering firm in the development of agromining.

Publications

*Denotes undergraduate coauthor

  • van der Ent A, Aarts MGM, Morel JL, Chaney RL, Baker AJM, Simonnot M-O, Laubie B, Pollard AJ, Tang Y-T, Qiu R-L, Echevarria G. 2026. Agromining of nickel: finally becoming a reality at commercial scale. Environmental Science and Technology 60(9):6852–6861. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c08259
  • Disinger HP*, Navarrete Gutiérrez DM, Díaz Reyes AM, Rodas Duarte R, Quezada ML, van der Ent A, Baker AJM, Echevarria G, Pollard AJ. 2024. Herbarium and field studies of nickel hyperaccumulator plants from ultramafic soils in Guatemala. Ecological Research 39(6):838–851. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12495
  • Navarrete Gutiérrez DM, Pollard AJ, Disinger HP*, van der Ent A, Cathelineau M, Pons M-N, Cuevas Sánchez JA, Gómez Hernández T, Echevarria G. 2024. Nickel hyperaccumulation in Orthion and Mayanaea (Violaceae) from Mesoamerica. Ecological Research 39(6):879–893. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12504
  • van der Ent A, Sakaguchi S, Boyd RS, Rajakaruna N, Pollard AJ, Mizuno T, Isnard S, Gonnelli C, Echevarria G. 2024. Recent advances in the study of serpentine ecosystems: Perspectives from the 10th International Conference on Serpentine Ecology, France. Ecological Research 39(4):411–415. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12499
  • van der Ent A, Sakaguchi S, Boyd RS, Rajakaruna N, Pollard AJ, Mizuno T, Isnard S, Gonnelli C, Echevarria, G. 2024. Recent advances in the study of serpentine plants and ecosystems: Perspectives from the 10th International Conference on Serpentine Ecology, France: Part II. Ecological Research 39(6):803–808. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12530
  • Pollard AJ. 2023. Inadvertent uptake of trace elements and its role in the physiology and evolution of hyperaccumulators. Plant and Soil 483:711–719. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05856-w
  • Pollard AJ, McCartha GL*, Quintela-Sabarís C, Flynn TA, Sobczyk MK, Smith JAC. 2021. Intraspecific variation in nickel tolerance and hyperaccumulation among serpentine and limestone populations of Odontarrhena serpyllifolia (Brassicaceae: Alysseae) from the Iberian Peninsula. Plants (Basel) 10(4):800. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040800
  • Nkrumah PN, Navarrete Gutiérrez DM, Tisserand R, van der Ent A, Echevarria G, Pollard AJ, … Morel J-L. 2021. Element case studies: nickel (tropical regions). In A van der Ent, AJM Baker, G Echevarria, M-O Simonnot, & JL Morel (Eds.) Agromining: Farming for Metals, 2nd edition (pp. 365-383). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58904-2_17
  • van der Ent A, Pollard AJ, Echevarria G, Abubakari F, Erskine PD, Baker AJM, Reeves RD. 2021. Exceptional uptake and accumulation of chemical elements in plants: extending the hyperaccumulation paradigm. In A van der Ent, AJM Baker, G Echevarria, M-O Simonnot, & JL Morel (Eds.) Agromining: Farming for Metals, 2nd edition (pp. 99-132). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58904-2_6
  • Navarrete Gutiérrez DM, Pollard AJ, van der Ent A, Cathelineau M, Pons M-N, Cuevas Sánchez JA, Echevarria G. 2021. Blepharidium guatemalense, an obligate nickel hyperaccumulator plant from non‑ultramafic soils in Mexico. Chemoecology 31:169–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00049-021-00338-4
  • Navarrete Gutiérrez DM, Nkrumah PN, van der Ent A, Pollard AJ, Baker AJM, Navarrete Torralba F, … Echevarria G. 2021. The potential of Blepharidium guatemalense for nickel agromining in Mexico and Central America, International Journal of Phytoremediation 23:1157-1168. https://doi.org/10.1080/15226514.2021.1881039
  • McCartha GL*, Taylor CM, van der Ent A, Echevarria G, Navarrete Gutiérrez D, Pollard AJ. 2019. Phylogenetic and geographic distribution of nickel hyperaccumulation in neotropical Psychotria (Rubiaceae). American Journal of Botany 106:1377–1385. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1362
  • van der Ent A, Echevarria G, Pollard AJ, Erskine PD. 2019. X-ray fluorescence ionomics of herbarium collections. Scientific Reports 9:4746. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40050-6
  • DeGroote KV*, McCartha GL*, Pollard AJ. 2018. Interactions of the manganese hyperaccumulator Phytolacca americana L. with soil pH and phosphate. Ecological Research 33:749–755. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-017-1547-z
  • Sobczyk MK, Smith JAC, Pollard AJ, Filatov DA. 2017. Evolution of nickel hyperaccumulation and serpentine adaptation in the Alyssum serpyllifolium species complex. Heredity 118:31-41. https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.2016.93
  • Pollard AJ. 2016. Heavy metal tolerance and accumulation in plants of the southeastern United States. Castanea 81(4):257-269. https://doi.org/10.2179/16-084
  • van der Ent A, Baker AJM, Reeves RD, Pollard AJ, Schat H. 2015. Commentary: Toward a more physiologically and evolutionarily relevant definition of metal hyperaccumulation in plants. Frontiers in Plant Science 6:554. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00554
  • McAlister RL*, Kolterman DA, Pollard AJ. 2015. Nickel hyperaccumulation in populations of Psychotria grandis (Rubiaceae) from serpentine and non-serpentine soils of Puerto Rico. Australian Journal of Botany 63(2):85-91.
  • Pollard AJ, Reeves RD, Baker AJM. 2014. Facultative hyperaccumulation of heavy metals and metalloids. Plant Science 217–218:8–17.
  • Campbell LR*, Stone CO*, Shamsedin NM*, Kolterman DA, Pollard AJ. 2013. Facultative hyperaccumulation of nickel in Psychotria grandis (Rubiaceae). Caribbean Naturalist 1:1-8.
  • van der Ent A, Baker AJM, Reeves RD, Pollard AJ, Schat H. 2013. Hyperaccumulators of metal and metalloid trace elements: facts and fiction. Plant and Soil 362:319–334.
  • Pollard AJ, Stewart HS*, Roberson CB*. 2009. Manganese hyperaccumulation in Phytolacca americana L. from the Southeastern United States. Northeastern Naturalist 16(5):155–162.
  • Peterson LR*, Trivett V, Baker AJM, Aguiar C, Pollard AJ. 2003. Spread of metals through an invertebrate food chain as influenced by a plant that hyperaccumulates nickel. Chemoecology 13:103-108.
  • Pollard AJ, Powell KD*, Harper FA, Smith JAC. 2002. The genetic basis of metal hyperaccumulation in plants. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 21:539-566.
  • Pollard AJ, Dandridge KL*, Jhee EM*. 2000. Ecological genetics and the evolution of trace element hyperaccumulation in plants. In: N Terry and G Banuelos (eds), Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soils and Waters. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. Pp. 251-264.
  • Jhee EM*, Dandridge KL*, Christy AM*, Pollard AJ. 1999. Selective herbivory on low-zinc phenotypes of the hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens. Chemoecology 9:93-95.
  • Pollard AJ, Baker AJM. 1997. Zinc hyperaccumulation in Thlaspi caerulescens (Brassicaceae) as a defense against herbivores. New Phytologist 135:655-658.
  • Pollard AJ, Baker AJM. 1996. Quantitative genetics of zinc hyperaccumulation in Thlaspi caerulescens. New Phytologist 132: 113-118.
  • Tuberville TD*, Dudley PG*, Pollard AJ. 1996. Responses of invertebrate herbivores to stinging trichomes of Urtica dioica and Laportea canadensis. Oikos 75:83-88.
  • Pollard AJ. 1992. The importance of deterrence: responses of grazing animals to plant variation. In R. S. Fritz and E. L. Simms (eds.), Plant Resistance to Herbivores and Pathogens. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  • Lookadoo SE*, Pollard AJ. 1991. Chemical contents of stinging trichomes of Cnidoscolus texanus. Journal of Chemical Ecology 17:1909-1916.
  • Cast KG, McPherson JK, Pollard AJ, Krenzer EG, Waller GR. 1990. Allelochemicals in soil from no-tillage versus conventional-tillage wheat (Triticum aestivum) fields. Journal of Chemical Ecology 16:2277-2289.
  • Gibson JP*, Pollard AJ. 1988. Zinc tolerance in Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass) from the Picher mine area. Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science 68:45-49.
  • Pollard, A. J. 1986. Variation in Cnidoscolus texanus in relation to herbivory. Oecologia 70:411-413.
  • Burrows GE, Pollard AJ, Tyrl RJ, Edwards WC. 1984. Toxic plants of Oklahoma: Species causing phytodermatoses. Oklahoma Veterinarian 37:23-26.
  • Pollard AJ, Briggs D. 1984. Genecological studies of Urtica dioica L. III. Stinging hairs and plant-herbivore interactions. New Phytologist 97:507-522.
  • Pollard AJ, Briggs D. 1984. Genecological studies of Urtica dioica L. II. Patterns of variation at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, England. New Phytologist 96:483-499.
  • Pollard AJ, Briggs D. 1982. Genecological studies of Urtica dioica L. I. The nature of variation in U. dioica. New Phytologist 92:453-470.
  • Pollard AJ*. 1980. Diversity of metal tolerance in Plantago lanceolata L. from the southeastern United States. New Phytologist 86:109-117.

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