Conservation

Castilleja salsuginosa is known from only two populations near alkaline hot springs in Nevada, which are threatened by development and recreation. In collaboration with the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage and the Bureau of Land Management, my work will support conservation of this G1 Critically Imperiled plant by clarifying its evolutionary relationship with members of the C. pilosa species complex.

In collaboration with Nature Conservancy scientists and land managers in Illinois, where C. sessiliflora is state-endangered, my work identified that pollinator visitation and fruit set were higher at a remnant prairie site than at a nearby restoration, though lower overall throughout Illinois than elsewhere in the region. Despite this, population genetic analysis showed C. sessiliflora maintains healthy genetic diversity and inbreeding levels throughout its range. 

As an assessor for the IUCN Red List with the Morton Arboretum, I contributed to consevation status assessments of over 50 species of oaks and the updated Red List of US Oaks.