Science

Climate change is shifting flowering dates in polar and temperate regions around the world, but we know relatively little about the demographic consequences of these shifted flowering times, especially whether there are consequences for population persistence. Plants that initiate life-cycle events earlier could be tracking their preferred climate conditions, which simply occur on an earlier calendar date under climate change.

We are using a multi-step approach to investigate the presence of adaptive genetic variation for seed dormancy, and the interaction of genetic and environmental controls on this dormancy, on widespread, high-priority restoration species in the genus Viola that are known to have challenging seed dormancy. Many Viola species are known to exhibit physiological dormancy.

This research project investigates the biology, conservation, and restoration of plants and insects in tallgrass prairie. It focuses on a model study system: a common native prairie plant, Echinacea angustifolia (the narrow-leaved purple coneflower), growing in remnant populations within an agricultural landscape in western Minnesota. The team comprises scientists based at the Chicago Botanic Garden and the University of Minnesota and has been funded by the National Science Foundation since 2000.

Reintroductions are increasingly used to expand the occupancy and abundance of endangered species and thus reduce their extinction risk. We have been working on a long-term experimental reintroduction program with the national tree of Malawi, Widdringtonia whytei (Cupressaceae); this Red Listed species has almost been extirpated from its natural range on Mt. Mulanje, Malawi.

The maintenance of biodiversity is an important objective of many conservation plans. We are working with a number of institutions to assess the levels of genetic diversity that currently exist in a number of rare species, both in situ and ex situ. This includes working with numerous partners on the vulnerable Cirsium hillii and the federally listed, Cirsium pitcheri.

This project is determining the range-wide status of the federally listed threatened plant, Cirsium pitcheri (Pitcher’s thistle), explicitly incorporating threat assessment.