Study looks at Impact of Native American Land Use on Forests

In a new article published in the Journal of Biogeography, SUNY Geneseo geographer Associate Professor Stephen Tulowiecki and four undergraduate researchers examined the influence of Native American land use on the composition of historic forests in the Northeastern United States. The team found that Native American settlements and land use had a lesser effect on the distribution of tree species across the region when compared to climate and soil conditions.

Biologists awarded NSF grant to model evolution of Hawaiian plants

The research team will focus on 12 understudied plant groups — including Kadua, Wikstroemia and Psychotria — using new sequencing and modeling techniques to gain a broader idea of how Hawaiian plant diversity originated. The project includes conservation and educational components as well, including collecting new wild specimens for the National Tropical Botanical Garden herbarium.