A new study by MSI PI Jennifer Powers (associate professor, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior) and graduate student Leland Werden provides data to help with the restoration of tropical dry forests that have been destroyed by activities such as logging or farming. In many cases, the soil of these former forests is extremely degraded. The study, published recently in the Journal of Applied Ecology, showed that traits in certain trees allowed them to survive in poor soil conditions.
An article about this research can be found on the University of Minnesota News site: UMN researchers find recipe for forest restoration. The paper itself can be found on the journal website: Using soil amendments and plant functional traits to select native tropical dry forest species for the restoration of degraded Vertisols.
Professor Powers uses MSI resources for statistical analyses and other computational work that supports her research into Costa Rican dry forests.