Tumbleweeds
Tumbleweeds aren’t restricted to one species or plant family, but are an…
Duck dispersal
As more land is developed, plants have an increasingly difficult task of…
Ballast Plants
Ships transporting cargo and passengers use ballast to stabilize the ship at…
Hitchhikers
Some plants have evolved to literally hitchhike on passing animals. They have…
Seeds go ballistic
Getting help is great, but sometimes you just have to do something…
Fruit-eating lemurs
Given the abundance of tasty fruit, it is clear that many plants…
Escapes from cultivation
Humans have a long history of moving and cultivating plant species. But…
Traveling Plants
While plants can’t walk, they can definitely travel. Plants have evolved a…
Indicators of past settlement
Humans alter the environments where they live and we can use those…
Aquatic Hitchhikers
Although all plants need some water to grow, aquatic plants have adapted…
Firewood and pathogens
As plants travel the world with people, these plants can bring along…
Maize & Teosinte
Maize (Zea mays), or corn, is a domesticated cereal crop native to…
Rice and its Wild Relatives
Humans have been farming rice for approximately 10,000 years. The two major…
Alpine Invaders
Climate Change can negatively impact Alpine regions by making them more susceptible…
Alpine Adaptation: Stay Shaggy!
Temperatures may be low but sun-exposure is extremely intense at high-elevations due…
Alpine Adaptation: Red is the New Black
Hairs are one way to deflect damaging UV radiation while locking in…
Alpine Meadows
Alpine meadows exist where soils have deepened and matured through centuries of…
Climate Change & Alpine Retreat
Temperature and moisture availability are factors which influence the distribution patterns of…
Treeline Expansion
The absence of trees at high-elevations both defines Alpine zones and is…
"Citizen Scientists" Support Alpine Research!
Increases in temperature and changes to the availability of moisture and snow…
Alpine Adaptation: Dig-Down & Stand Your Ground
Extreme conditions at high-elevations tend to impede the establishment of annual plants…
Alpine Refugia
Mountaintops have served as unlikely shelter for populations of cold-adapted species throughout…
Alpine Adaptation: Hold Tight & Take It Slow
These prototypical "cushion plants" are extreme alpine specialists. Short and dense branching…