So much of my research is collections-based meaning it relies on the data we can get from collecting plant species and populations, and this data could be phenotypic, genetic, ecological, geographical, etc. Plant specimens support countless research in ecology and evolution and are housed in natural history collections all throughout the world.

Common garden experiments are a fundamental tool in ecology and evolution to understand local adaptation in populations. Evidence of local adaption leads to identifying the genetic basis of adaptive traits in natural population. Of course, these inferences all rely on the conditions of your common garden experiment and the environment the plants experience, specifically if it is a stressful.