Investigating Rare Arctic Plants

The shores of Lake Superior are home to varieties of rare, cold-weather plants known as arctic relicts. These plants have evolved to survive in the harsh conditions found in northern climates. However, climate change is affecting their habitats. MSI PI Briana Gross (associate professor, Biology, UMD) and members of her research group are studying some of these plants to learn more about how they might survive as their habitats warm. They are featured in a recent story on the University of Minnesota Duluth website: Preserving a Hidden Past.

Professor Gross uses resources available through MSI for genetic and genomic studies of plants to discover the causes and consequences of domestication.