Dr. Jonathan Evans received a faculty research grant for his proposal to study hillcane population genetics. Hillcane (Arundinaria appalachiana) is a newly discovered species in the bamboo family, which spreads clonally through the landscape. There has been no previous work to determine clonal diversity within and among watersheds, but understanding population genetics is integral to understanding how hillcane spreads and persists over time.
This will be a collaborative project among Sewanee Biology faculty, Dr. Jon Evans and Dr. Elise Kikis, and a faculty at MTSU, Dr. Ashley Morris. Sewanee Herbarium post-baccalaureate fellow Callie Oldfield will begin working with Dr. Ashley Morris in May and will transfer the DNA extraction techniques to Sewanee. Two students received summer Biology research assistantships to work on this project.