Crossing North America for Cliff Fern Conservation
/Ashley Zenzen, MSc (in progress).
Graduate student Ashley Zenzen (MSc, Integrative Biosciences) spent the 2018 spring and summer crossing North America in search of Woodsia scopulina and its nearby relatives. Zenzen is using molecules, morphology, cytogenetics, and historical niche modeling to explore the biogeographical and evolutionary origins of Woodsia scopulina subsp. laurentiana, seeking to determine the conservation status of this putative endemic glacial relict.
Geographic distribution of the Woodsia scopulina complex. putative parents (left, right) of the laurentian shield tetraploid (4x), Woodsia scopulina subsp. laurentiana (center). Modified from efloras.org.
