Plant Science Bulletin archive


Issue: 2022-v68-2Actions

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 IN THIS ISSUE...

SUMMER 2022 VOLUME 68 NUMBER 2

PLANT SCIENCE  

BULLETIN

A PUBLICATION OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

 Get to know Sarah Sims, BSA’s New  

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Outreach  

Programs Coordinator... p. 99

 Meet Eli Hartung, the new  

BSA Student Representative!... p. 139

Demystifying the Manuscript  

Submission Process by BSA Publications  

Manager Amy McPherson... p. 102

BSA 

Announces  

2022  

Award  

Winners!  

See p. 110

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                                                  Summer 2022 Volume 68 Number 2

PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN  

Editorial Committee  

Volume 68

FROM THE EDITOR

James McDaniel 

(2022) 

Botany Department 

University of Wisconsin - Madison 

Madison, WI  53706 

jlmcdaniel@wisc.edu

Seana K. Walsh 

(2023) 

National Tropical Botanical  

Garden 

Kalāheo, HI 96741 

swalsh@ntbg.org

Greetings,

 This summer finds us in the leadup to the BSA’s first-ever hybrid 

meeting. It will be a learning experience for everyone, I’m sure. 

In this issue we include information about Botany 2022, as well 

as the first part of our spotlight on awards. If you are a student, be 

sure to check out the student section for a description of several 

upcoming events and resources. 

 In this issue, we will begin to list notices of death for members who have passed 

away, but whom do not yet have an In Memoriam article prepared. An obituary 

may be in preparation and will appear in a later issue. However, if you would be 

interested in preparing an In Memoriam for someone listed, please contact me 

at mackenzietaylor@creighton.edu. Similarly, if you become aware of the death 

of a member, please let me or the BSA staff know. 

As always, Plant Science Bulletin depends on member submissions. If you have 

an idea for a potential article, please reach out!

 Sincerely,

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98

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOCIETY NEWS

Introducing Sarah Sims: BSA’s New Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  

     Outreach Programs Coordinator .....................................................................................................................99

Demystifying the Manuscript Submission Process  - Highlights from the  

     Botany360 Workshops presented in May 2022 ..................................................................................102

Latest news on 

Applications in Plant Sciences

 and 

American Journal of Botany ................

108

Botanical Society of America’s Award Winners (Part 1) ......................................................................110

 MEMBERSHIP NEWS .................................................................................................................................130
SCIENCE EDUCATION

Spring 2022 PlantingScience Session Recap ............................................................................................135

STUDENT SECTION

Getting Ready for Botany 2022 ..........................................................................................................................137

Papers to Read for Future Leaders ..................................................................................................................139

Getting to Know your New Student Representative - Eli Hartung  ................................................139

ANNOUNCEMENTS

In Memoriam Anne Lubbers (1954–2022) .................................................................................................141

Eagle Hill Institute’s 2022 Vascular Plant Seminars ...............................................................................146

BOOK REVIEWS ..............................................................................................................................................147

www.botanyconference.org

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99

SOCIETY NEWS

We would like to welcome Sarah Sims (she/her/

hers) in the newly created position of Diversity, 

Equity and Inclusion Outreach Programs 

Coordinator for the BSA! She comes to us from 

a background in art and history museums. 

Her career spans diversity, equity, accessibility, 

and inclusion programming and training; 

museum education; inquiry-based teaching; 

Introducing Sarah Sims: 

BSA’s New Diversity, Equity, and 

Inclusion Outreach Programs  

Coordinator

teacher, staff, and volunteer professional 

development; and trauma-informed practices. 

She has a decade of experience in the non-

profit and culture sectors, including prior work 

with member societies.   Sarah will spend the 

majority of her time working on our Botany 

and Beyond: PLANTS III grant as well as on 

other BSA diversity initiatives.  We wanted to 

introduce Sarah to the BSA community!

Sarah, what motivated you to apply for the 

DEI position at the BSA?

Most of my professional experience has been 

within the field of museum education (art and 

history museums, specifically.) As my career 

grew, I sought out a lot of my own professional 

development. I’ve always been a big believer 

in the value of professional growth, and I 

specifically wanted to learn more about issues 

of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion 

(DEAI); my own racial identity and how that 

affects my presence in work settings; as well 

as how institutions, programs, and groups 

are affected by the legacies of colonialism, 

white supremacy, and hetero patriarchy. 

 

These experiences with self-reflection 

and growth led me to seek involvement 

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in more DEAI projects, to take on formal 

responsibilities for implementing DEAI 

at the institutional level, and eventually to 

provide DEAI trainings for others. The more 

I’ve done this work, the more I’ve realized its 

broad application across different fields and 

job functions.  I am a firm believer that no 

one person, discipline, or organization can be 

neutral—we all operate with lenses informed 

by biases. I really enjoy being able to connect 

with people whose content area expertise and 

job responsibilities are completely different 

from mine to help them understand how DEAI 

concepts not only fit into, but are essential to, 

their work. Plus, I have a soft spot for plants, so 

I was very excited when this opportunity came 

along for me to help support and implement 

DEAI in an entirely new (for me) field! 
One of the first things you’ve been work-

ing on since starting here is the Botany and 

Beyond-Plants III grant. Can you briefly de-

scribe the grant and what it aims to achieve?

The Botany & Beyond PLANTS III (Preparing 

Leaders and Nurturing Tomorrow’s 

Scientists) grant is funded by the National 

Science Foundation (DEB-2138730) and 

encompasses three programs that take place 

at or around the annual Botany conference. 

The first is a conference mentoring program 

for undergraduates that are underrepresented 

in science called PLANTS, which has been 

around for over a decade. The second 

program is a faculty professional development 

workshop called the Inclusive Teaching 

Initiative. And the third is a science identity 

workshop for undergraduates. All three 

programs aim to engage, support, and sustain 

a diverse community of emerging scientists; 

foster inclusive practices across the BSA and 

botanical sciences; increase plant awareness; 

and advance research and training for a more 

diverse, inclusive, and accessible 21st-century 

botanical science workforce. My position helps 

to coordinate and administer the various arms 

of the grant, and supports the three principal 

investigators. 

Over the past couple of years, many 

organizations have launched DEAI 

initiatives that look strong “on paper.” What 

do you think are the best ways to turn words 

into meaningful action?

I think you’re right, and we often then see 

those efforts fizzle out after a given project is 

completed. In my experience, DEAI initiatives 

need to include plans for culture change and 

sustainability in order for the words on paper 

to be transformed into lasting, meaningful 

action. 

Culture change could look like developing 

shared definitions and goals. The terms 

“diversity,” “equity,” “accessibility,” and 

“inclusion” get thrown around a lot, but if you 

asked 10 different people what those words 

mean, theoretically and operationally within 

an organization, you would get 10 different 

answers. It’s important for people to get on 

the same page. Being on the same page doesn’t 

mean there isn’t room for ongoing dialogue. 

But too often we use these terms without 

defining what we really mean, and we end up 

talking past each other. Having a common 

definition serves as a jumping off point for 

setting clear goals and a road map for reaching 

them.

I think that culture change also looks like 

ensuring everyone at the organization (all 

employees/volunteers/members, not just the 

one committee or one person hired to support 

DEAI work), are receiving ongoing support 

and professional development. A mentor once 

told me that “racial equity and other justice 

work is not a line with a starting and ending 

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point, but rather a circle: you’re never done 

learning, and many times its useful to come 

back to old lessons and reflect again with 

each new life experience.” Too often, there is 

only one anti-bias training for all staff, which 

also tends to be facilitated in a one-size-fits-

all way. We need to give support more often 

and recognize that folks have different entry 

points into this work.

When it comes to sustainability, again, I think 

you have to look at the whole organization, 

not just the DEAI person. What are the 

specific ways that each person or department 

can advance DEAI? How do DEAI goals and 

measures get baked into standard operating 

procedures and policies? How is DEAI woven 

into the recruitment, hiring, and retention 

process? And where is DEIA showing up in 

the budget?

The BSA’s Strategic Plan contains quite a 

few DEAI initiatives. Which of these are you 

most eager to work on?

Y

es! The level that DEAI is infused into the 

BSA’s current strategic plan was another 

reason I was so excited to apply for this job!  

I think the one that excites me the most 

is the strategy to  offer DEAI leadership 

training opportunities to members, in 

support of the goal to become an anti-racist 

and anti-discriminatory society. As I’ve said, 

I believe that quality, ongoing professional 

development opportunities that meet people 

where they are is an essential component of 

real culture change. I’ve benefited so much 

from professional development in my career 

and have many experiences developing goals, 

promoting, and sourcing facilitators for such 

trainings. 

Before we wrap up, tell us a little about 

yourself! What are your interests outside of 

work? 

Well, normally I would answer with “plants 

and gardening!”—but I suppose that is now 

very much related to my work. I also love to 

run and hike, explore new restaurants with 

my spouse, and indulge my toddler’s ever-

changing obsessions (which currently include 

The Princess Bride, light sabers, and the upright 

bass).

And how can BSA members reach you?

I would love to hear from members via email 

at ssims@botany.org or phone at 314-577-9404 

(although with hybrid work at home and the 

office, you’ll get a faster response with email).

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    By Amy McPherson 

   Botanical Society of America 

  ORCID id: 0000-0001-7904-242X

Navigating the peer review process in scientific 

journals can be mysterious. Standards for 

manuscript submission, peer review, and 

responding to reviewers aren’t always formally 

taught and can be difficult to understand. 

Those navigating the review process for the 

first time often must rely on a network of 

mentors to maneuver a manuscript from 

submission to acceptance. 

To shed some light, a panel of journal editors 

and authors (Brittany Sutherland, Briana 

Gross, Pamela Diggle, and myself) provided 

a behind-the-scenes look at the peer-review 

process and offered tips for the various stages 

of publication, from pre-submission through 

post-acceptance. These sessions focused on 

BSA-affiliated journals (American Journal of 

Botany and Applications in Plant Sciences) but 

are broadly applicable across most biological 

publications. The event  recordings and 

supporting documents are available on the 

Botany360 homepage (https://botany.org/

home/resources/botany360.html).

PART 1: WHAT SHOULD 

HAPPEN BEFORE YOU 

SUBMIT YOUR PAPER TO 

A JOURNAL?

Publishing your work is vital to science. 

You publish to share your work with other 

researchers, the public, the funders who 

support research, and government agencies—

and to move science forward and to advance 

your career, among other reasons.

If you need advice on writing the paper, 

there are lots of resources available (see, e.g., 

Heard, 2022; and supporting resources for 

the workshop). But as you collect and analyze 

your data and begin thinking of the story you 

want to tell, and who will be an author and 

what the order of authors will be, decide on a 

data management plan; begin organizing your 

references; and start thinking about possible 

journals. 

Keeping your Data  

Organized 

Take it from early career researcher Brittany 

Sutherland:  Keeping your data organized 

saves you time and effort! Her sage advice, 

gleaned from experience, is to clearly and 

consistently label all files and data columns; 

keep metadata with original data; and don’t 

Demystifying the Manuscript  

Submission Process   

Highlights from the Botany360 Workshops  

presented in May 2022

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touch the raw data. Also, back up your data 

frequently in a different physical location and 

consider the many options for depositing 

your data in a public repository (e.g., Dryad, 

Zenodo, FigShare). Not only is it a good 

thing to do for reasons of transparency and 

replicability, but it may also be required by 

the journal you are submitting your paper to 

or the funding organization supporting your 

research.

As well as managing your data, you will need 

to organize your references. It’s likely that you 

will accumulate thousands of papers quickly, 

so have a system in place early on. There are 

many reference managers available, some of 

which are free, subsidized by your university, 

or available at minimal cost (see, e.g., Dr. 

Sutherland’s slides and Perkel [2020]). 

Selecting a Journal

Many people decide on where to submit 

their manuscript after they have collected 

and analyzed the data, and before they have 

started to write the paper. The website Jane 

(Journal/Author Name Estimator, https://

jane.biosemantics.org/) can help identify a 

number of possible journals. Authors must 

weigh several criteria, including: 

• The reputation/prestige of the journal 

(often based on the journal’s Impact Fac-

tor or H5-index, or the recommendation 

of an advisor)

• The appropriateness of the journal (does 

your study topic fit within its aims and 

scope? is it the journal your peers read 

and cite and/or where interested people 

will find it?)

• The speed of publication;
• The cost; and 

• The community (is it important to you to 

support a Society journal that re-invests 

in its members?). 

It’s also important to avoid “predatory 

journals” (see Culley, 2018).

The Editor-in-Chief of Applications in Plant 

Sciences (APPS), Briana Gross, spoke about 

maximizing your publication power by 

choosing the right fit for your research. If 

you’re working with a novel method, protocol, 

or software package, or have developed a new 

genomic resource, you may want to consider 

publishing a separate, stand-alone manuscript 

in a methods journal such as APPS. There are 

numerous advantages for doing so: 

• APPS is a fully open-access Society jour-

nal, with professional copyediting, index-

ing, and support throughout the publish-

ing process

• It offers competitive Article Processing 

Charges (APCs), with discounts for BSA 

members and waivers for authors from 

eligible countries, as well as transforma-

tional deals between the publisher Wiley 

and institutions worldwide

• The BSA helps promote your research on 

social media and through other outreach 

once it is published. 

Once you’ve chosen a journal, it is important to 

consult the author guidelines that are available 

on the journal’s website. The guidelines will 

help you shape your manuscript and ensure 

that you are satisfying requirements needed 

for consideration and eventual acceptance 

(as well as saving time, possible frustration, 

and effort later in the process). They will also 

indicate whether the journal editor wants to 

see a cover letter, and what should be included 

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in the cover letter—your first opportunity to 

make a case for your manuscript to be sent out 

for review. You are also strongly encouraged 

to suggest appropriate reviewers, in the cover 

letter and/or in the manuscript submission 

system. This is a huge help to the editors, as 

long as you do not suggest people who may 

have a conflict of interest (e.g., co-authors, 

collaborators, or lab members).  

PART 2: WHAT HAPPENS 

AFTER YOU SUBMIT 

YOUR PAPER TO A  

JOURNAL?

An electronic manuscript submission system 

(e.g., 

Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, OJS, 

eJournal Press, Bench Press)

 

may be your first 

direct contact with a journal editorial office. 

The systems may be easy or frustrating to 

navigate, but they’re designed to help curate 

and structure the ever-important metadata 

of your article. Keep in mind that there are 

people on the other end of the system who 

are there to help when you need it—so don’t 

be afraid to reach out. Once the required 

items have been uploaded and submission 

questions have been answered, you should 

receive confirmation that the paper arrived 

safely. If you do not receive confirmation, 

double-check that you have approved the 

submission.

The titles and numbers of editors may 

vary from journal to journal, but there is 

some universality in the process. A paper is 

submitted to a journal and is given an initial 

evaluation: Is the subject matter appropriate 

for the journal? Are all the pieces there (figures, 

tables, cover letters, author agreements)? If 

no, the paper may be returned to the author. 

If yes, the manuscript moves to the next stage. 

For the American Journal of Botany (AJB), 

this means the submission goes to the Editor-

in-Chief (EiC), Pamela Diggle, who will read 

the abstract and consider whether the topic 

will likely be of interest to readers, addresses 

a timely topic, and clears the bar for making 

a significant contribution to the field. A well-

written abstract will make the case, but the 

cover letter can also convince the Editor of the 

paper’s appropriateness. If after reading the 

abstract and cover letter, it is still not clear, 

the Editor may read part of the manuscript 

introduction or the conclusion. If the answer is 

no, the paper will be returned without review. 

While this is disappointing for the author, it 

does mean they can turn the paper around 

for another journal. If the answer is yes, the 

EiC will send the paper to an Associate Editor 

(AE) with appropriate subject-area expertise 

(the author is free to request a particular AE). 

The AE decides whether they agree that the 

paper potentially meets or exceeds journal 

standards and that the research is within their 

area of expertise. If the answer is no on either 

account, they will return the manuscript to 

the EiC: If the issue is with appropriateness 

or standards, the AE will often provide 

feedback for the author to consider whether 

resubmitting to AJB or sending to another 

journal. If yes, the AE will begin thinking of 

potential reviewers and sending out invitations 

(your suggestions can be helpful!). Up until 

this point, your paper has likely not been read 

in detail: Most of the critical decisions have 

been made based on the title, abstract, and 

cover letter. Make these count!

The Reviewers read the title and abstract of 

the paper in the invitation letter and accept 

or decline to review the paper, within a given 

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timeframe. They do not see your cover letter, 

but once they accept the invitation, they have 

access to your paper, figures, appendices, and 

they may request access to the data underlying 

the research (see data management, above). 

After their evaluation, they provide comments 

and a recommendation to the AE.

When the reviews (usually two) are received, 

the AE reads the comments and makes a 

recommendation to the EiC, with suggestions, 

based on the reviews and their own reading 

of the paper. The EiC reads all the reviews 

and recommendations and makes a decision 

that is conveyed to the author. The AE and 

Reviewers receive a copy of the decision letter.

Author Receives the  

Decision Letter Containing 

the Reviews,  

What Happens Next? 

It’s human nature to be nervous, so our advice 

is to take a deep breath. Reviewers are, as a 

rule, trying to help make your science as clear 

and impactful as possible, but it’s hard to 

receive criticism of your own work. Read the 

reviews carefully, set them aside for a day or 

two if necessary, ask for clarification if needed, 

and revise as you see fit. When you are ready 

to submit your revision, prepare a detailed 

response to reviewers, providing line numbers 

and explanations of what changes were made 

(or why a change was not made). Make it easy 

for the AE and, if necessary, the reviewers to 

understand what you have done.

Decision process for manuscripts submitted to a journal (courtesy of Pamela Diggle, Editor-in-

Chief of the American Journal of Botany).

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The revised manuscript is again checked 

for completeness, and a Similarity Check is 

run for the manuscript through iThenticate 

against other published articles. If all looks 

good, the manuscript goes back to the AE 

(sometimes also reviewers), who makes a 

recommendation to the EiC, potentially with 

comments for the authors. When everyone 

is satisfied, a tentative accept/provisional 

acceptance decision is made and the paper 

goes to the Content Editor, who inspects the 

paper for journal requirements (figure/table 

formatting, confirmation that data have been 

deposited, funding sources are acknowledged, 

etc.) This is also a good time to try to take 

an objective look at the title, key words, and 

abstract: will interested people be able to 

find my paper among the many thousands of 

papers published every day? Is the title clear, 

brief, and informative? If I place my key words 

in a search engine, would I find appropriate 

papers? Does my abstract reinforce my main 

takeaways, while remaining within the word 

limit? 

When all the minor issues are resolved, you 

will receive an acceptance letter and be given 

an opportunity to post your accepted article 

online as-is. Whether you choose this option 

or not, your paper will be placed in the 

copyediting queue; once queries have been 

resolved, the paper will be formatted and you 

will receive page proofs with a short (usually 

3-day) turnaround time before the article 

appears in Early View, then slotted into an 

issue of AJB. Congratulations! 

Discoverability and  

Accessibility

A lot of hard work goes into doing the research 

and writing up the results. A point that long-

time AJB Managing Editor Amy McPherson 

stressed was that understanding how people 

and machines—in the form of search engines 

and other algorithms/Artificial Intelligence, 

and screen readers or other assistive devices—

interact with your paper can ensure that your 

research is accessible and discoverable. 

For accessibility, it’s worth considering from 

the outset that the structure of your paper, 

including the text, headings, tables, and 

figures, affects how someone relying on a 

screen reader will be able to comprehend what 

you’re trying to convey. It’s worth your time 

to write clearly, in a well-structured format; 

create images that are useful, but not overly 

complicated or heavily reliant on color alone; 

and structure tables clearly and as simply as 

possible. 

As a researcher, author, and reviewer (and 

maybe an editor), you want your work to be 

discoverable and you need acknowledgment 

for your contributions. One of the ways you 

can ensure this is through persistent digital 

identifiers, or PIDs. It’s highly recommended 

when you start publishing that you sign up 

for an ORCID, or Open Researcher and 

Contributor ID (https://orcid.org/). This is 

a unique number that you own and control 

and that distinguishes you from every other 

researcher; it also allows you to connect with 

all your professional information, including 

publications, grants, affiliations, peer review, 

etc. As part of publishing in a journal, you may 

also be asked to assign CRediT, the Contributor 

Roles Taxonomy (https://casrai.org/credit/), 

to your list of authors. Because you settled 

authorship early on (hint; see above), this just 

confirms to the reader the roles of everyone 

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involved. As a reviewer of manuscripts, 

you may also be given the opportunity to 

receive credit through Publons, a Reviewer 

Recognition Service (https://publons.com/), 

which is integrated with the Web of Science, 

ORCID, and scholarly journals and allows 

you to track and demonstrate service to the 

scholarly community. 

Another way you can make your work 

discoverable is to promote it! This can be 

done through presenting talks and posters 

at conferences, through social media (e.g., 

“Science Twitter”), Public Information 

Officers at your institution, newsletters, blogs, 

and podcasts. When you publish with a BSA 

journal, your article will be promoted on social 

media via Twitter (@Botanical_), Facebook (@</p>

BotanicalSocietyofAmerica), and Instagram 

(@botanicalsocietyofamerica). We have over 

54,000 followers on these platforms.

Other ways to attract attention to your 

article are through graphical abstracts—a 

concise visual representation of the presented 

research; Plain Language Summaries—jargon-

free, short summaries for the general public; 

abstracts in languages in addition to English; 

and submitting an image for the cover of the 

journal.

Research Integrity and Ethics 

No discussion of publishing is complete 

without touching on research integrity and 

ethics. The topics may be covered in one’s 

scientific training, but then again, it’s worth 

being reminded that the submission of a 

manuscript to a journal is both an ethical and 

a legal undertaking. Issues of concern include 

intellectual copyright; plagiarism; redundant 

publishing; fabrication, falsification, or 

obfuscation of data; and misappropriation of 

information. The Committee on Publication 

Ethics, COPE (https://publicationethics.org/), 

is available as a resource for authors, editorial 

offices, and publishers worldwide, and Wiley 

offers guidance for authors as well (https://

authorservices.wiley.com/ethics-guidelines/

index.html). 

The Botany360 publishing sessions wrapped 

with a few pieces of advice: The publishing 

process is not meant to be scary or 

mysterious. Behind the electronic systems 

are people who want to work with you. 

• Always be respectful—it’s a small world. 
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions, includ-

ing if you’re worried a step in the process 

is taking too long.

• If you are really pleased with the feedback 

you received, don’t be shy about express-

ing that; if you are concerned that some 

of the feedback was not constructive, 

point that out, too.

• Share your science with the broader com-

munity.

• Go out there and make a difference in the 

world! 

And send your next paper to a Society journal! 

REFERENCES

Culley, T. M. 2018. How to avoid preda-

tory journals when publishing your work, 

Plant Science Bulletin 64: 96–111. https://bit.

ly/2OOBos6
Heard, S. B. 2022. The Scientist’s Guide to 

Writing: How to write more easily and effec-

tively throughout your scientific career, ed 2. 

Princeton University Press.
Perkel, J. M. 2020. Streamline your writing—

and collaborations—with these reference 

managers.  Nature 585: 149-150. https://doi.

org/10.1038/d41586-020-02491-2

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To find out more about the free 

Botany360 webinars currently 

available online, see the  

Membership News article in this 

issue on  

p. 130---or go to  

https://botany.org/home/re-

sources/botany360.html!

LATEST NEWS ON  

APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES  

AND 

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY

APPS Special Issue Call for 

Papers: “Resilient Botany:  

Innovation in the Face of 

Limited Mobility and  

Resources”

Proposal Submission Dead-

line: September 16, 2022

We are pleased to announce a call for papers 

for a special issue of APPS, “Resilient botany: 

Innovation in the face of limited mobility and 

resources.” This special issue aims to showcase 

a collection of articles describing how 

botanists have creatively leveraged resources 

at hand to continue their research in the face 

of restricted mobility, limited funding, and 

disrupted supply chains. Our intent is for 

the issue to span diverse topics and scales 

across botanical research; we welcome novel 

laboratory, field, herbarium techniques, new 

software, and mini-reviews.

More information is available here: https://

botany.org/home/publications/apps/

apps-call-for-papers-advances-in-plant-

imaging-across-scales.html, or contact apps@</a>

botany.org with questions.

APPS Special Issue Call for 

Papers: “Advances in Plant 

Imaging across Scales”

Proposal Submission Dead-

line: August 5, 2022

Proposals are now being accepted for a 

special  issue of APPS  “Advances in Plant 

Imaging across Scales.” The goal of this 

special issue is to explore how new imaging 

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APPS Virtual Issue: Methods 

for Plant Leaf Measurements 

The editors at APPS have curated a collection 

of articles showcasing the diverse methods 

to measure and analyze living and preserved 

leaves published in the journal. The featured 

papers include well-known and established 

methods, like Easy Leaf Area, and new 

approaches leveraging machine learning and 

3D reconstruction of cellular layers. View 

the issue here: https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.

wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1002/(ISSN)2168-0450.

leafmethods.

AJB/APPS Virtual Issue: 

Exploring Angiosperms353 

Collection

This virtual issue brings together papers 

from the American Journal of Botany and 

Applications in Plant Sciences that focus on 

studies using the Angiosperms353 toolkit for 

target sequence capture in flowering plants. 

The heart of the collection is two special issues, 

each titled “Exploring Angiosperms353: 

a Universal Toolkit for Flowering Plant 

Phylogenomics.” Additional articles published 

in the two journals that relate to this topic 

are being added on a continual basis. The 

universal nature of Angiosperms353 is 

creating new opportunities for systematists 

and evolutionary biologists. This collection 

of articles shares the many ways in which the 

toolkit is already being used, celebrates new 

discoveries, and improves our understanding 

of its properties and limitations. View the 

issue here: https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.

wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1002/(ISSN)1537-2197.

angiosperms353.

technologies are enabling novel research into 

plant form and function, genomics, ecology, 

and evolution. The issue will highlight novel 

imaging and image processing techniques 

targeted to plants at any scale of organization. 

We encourage the submission of new tools, 

techniques, protocols, software/pipelines, 

and reviews of imaging techniques or image 

processing.

More information is available here: https://

botany.org/home/publications/apps/apps-

call-for-papers-advances-in-plant-imaging-

across-scales.html, or contact apps@botany.

org with questions.

New and Upcoming  

APPS Special Issues

The March–April issue of APPS  explores 

“Methodologies in Gametophyte Biology.” 

Guest editors Sally Chambers, Jerald Pinson, 

and Susann Wicke have curated a diverse group 

of papers that provide a valuable resource for 

understanding this minute, sometimes cryptic, 

and often overlooked part of the plant life 

cycle. Despite their obscurity, gametophytes 

are vital to our understanding of biodiversity 

and to the successful implementation of 

conservation strategies. See the full issue 

here: https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/

toc/21680450/2022/10/2.

Be on the lookout for two more APPS special 

issues publishing later this year:  “Advances, 

Applications, and Prospects in Aquatic 

Botany” and 

“Meeting the Challenge of 

Exceptional Plant Conservation: Technologies 

and Approaches.”

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Dr. Pamela Diggle 

University of Connecticut

Dr. Pamela Diggle is a world-class scientist, 

teacher, mentor, Editor, and leader in the 

field of botany, and has provided invaluable 

service to the Botanical Society of America 

(BSA) throughout her impressive career. She 

is a world leader in plant morphology, de-

velopment and evolution (“devo-evo”) and is 

a recognized authority on the integration of 

developmental ideas into plant reproductive 

biology. Her research focuses on the evolution 

of morphological diversity among plants with 

particular emphasis on understanding how 

features of development shape the dynam-

ics of evolutionary change. Her approaches 

range from analyses of developmental re-

sponses of individuals to contrasting envi-

ronmental conditions, to understanding how 

development has evolved over time in groups 

of closely related plants, and to understand-

ing differences across all of flowering plants.  

 

Dr. Diggle’s classic work on labile sex expres-

sion in the Tomato genus (Solanum) demon-

strated that plants can regulate whether they 

produce hermaphroditic or male flowers, 

depending on the extent of fruit production 

within a single blooming period. This remark-

able developmental plasticity in sex expres-

sion is now known to be a general phenom-

enon across flowering plants. Dr. Diggle has 

also made important contributions to several 

other outstanding problems in plant biology, 

including how plant architecture influences 

sexual dimorphism in gender dimorphic spe-

cies, the role of development in shaping phe-

BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA’S  

AWARD WINNERS (PART 1)

Distinguished Fellow of the Botanical Society of America 

The Distinguished Fellow of the Botanical Society of America is the highest honor our Society 

bestows. Each year, the award committee solicits nominations, evaluates candidates, and selects those 

to receive an award. Awardees are chosen based on their outstanding contributions to the mission 

of our scientific Society. The committee identifies recipients who have demonstrated excellence in 

basic research, education, public policy, or who have provided exceptional service to the professional 

botanical community, or who may have made contributions to a combination of these categories.

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nological responses to temperature variation 

(particularly warming due to climate change), 

and the ecological importance of preforma-

tion of meristems in alpine species. Her work 

is regularly funded by the US National Sci-

ence Foundation (NSF), including for “mi-

croMORPH: Microevolutionary Molecular 

and Organismic Research in Plant History,” 

meetings that bring together faculty and grad-

uate students to focus on plant morphology 

and related areas. 

Dr. Diggle is currently the Editor-in-Chief of 

the BSA’s flagship journal, the American Journal 

of Botany (term 2015-2025). Since she assumed 

the Editorship, several positive changes to the 

journal are evident that enhance the profile 

of botany, its relevance, and diversity. She has 

spearheaded several initiatives, including the 

“On the Nature of Things” essays, the recently 

formalized series of invited reviews and topic-

specific special issues, and the increased 

diversity and international representation 

of Associate Editors—all actions that have 

noticeably raised the journal’s impact (and 

its impact factor). In addition, Dr. Diggle has 

been actively involved with the BSA in other 

areas, serving on several committees, and on 

the Board, first as Council Representative, 

then as Secretary, and lastly as President-Elect, 

President, and Past-President. She has offered 

workshops for authors, held focus groups with 

grad students and postdocs, and reached out 

to BSA sections to encourage members to 

contribute to their Society journals. Dr. Diggle 

is widely respected as having sound judgment, 

an even-handed approach to problems, and 

loyalty to the institutions and societies she has 

worked for. BSA has greatly benefited from 

her service and expertise over the years.

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Dr. Ann Sakai 

University of California Irvine

It is a pleasure and an honor to announce 

that the first recipient of the BSA’s Impact 

Award is Dr. Ann Sakai, Professor Emeritus 

from the University of California Irvine. In 

addition to being an excellent scientist, with 

research interests in evolutionary ecology 

and conservation biology, Dr. Sakai has been 

steadfast in promoting diversity and inclusivity 

during her entire career. Dr. Sakai attended 

SACNAS for several years on behalf of the BSA, 

reaching out to underrepresented students 

and promoting our botanical community 

and the PLANTS program to early career 

researchers while also judging countless talks 

BSA 

Impact

 Award  

The Botanical Society of America Impact Award recognizes a BSA member or group of members 

who have significantly contributed to advancing diversity, accessibility, equity, and/or inclusion in 

botanical scholarship, research and education.

at those meetings. Ann also served as BSA’s 

first Director-at-Large for Human Diversity 

on the BSA Board of Directors.

Notably, along with a dedicated team, Dr. Sakai 

directed the NSF-funded PLANTS (Preparing 

Leaders and Nurturing Tomorrow’s Scientists) 

outreach program for its first 11 years 

beginning in 2011. The PLANTS program 

provides undergraduates from diverse 

backgrounds with travel grants and mentors so 

that they can attend the national meetings of 

several societies focused on the plant sciences. 

This experience provides these students the 

opportunity to explore their academic and 

research interests in the plant sciences and to 

broaden their career opportunities.

Ann was tireless in her dedication to the 

program and her hands-on support of each 

and every student (over 100) that came to 

BOTANY through the PLANTS program. 

Scholars in the PLANTS program say that from 

the very first morning meeting with the rest of 

the PLANTS cohort, Dr. Sakai “set a tone of 

inclusivity and welcomeness” that has become 

a signature of the program. Not only did she 

support students during the meetings, making 

sure they had what they needed, attending their 

talks, and introducing them to other botanists, 

she provided support and encouragement as 

they subsequently developed their interests 

and career goals. She kept in touch with many 

of them throughout the years, helping to edit 

their CVs and their grant proposals, writing 

letters of recommendation and tracking their 

career paths. The personal connection, feeling 

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that she has been “in their corner” throughout their botanical journey, has been as important 

for many students as the program itself.

According to one of the 2011 PLANTS recipients, who is currently an Associate Professor, “Ann 

is quite literally changing the makeup of our BSA meetings and the field of botany as a whole, 

one undergraduate at a time”—and thus is fully deserving of the BSA’s first-ever Impact Award.

BSA EMERGING LEADER AWARD 

The Emerging Leader Award of the Botanical Society of America is given annually in recognition 

of creative and influential scholarship as well as impact in any area of botany reflecting the breadth 

of BSA. Awardees have outstanding accomplishments and also have demonstrated exceptional 

promise for future accomplishments in basic research, education, public policy, exceptional service 

to the professional botanical community, or a combination of these categories. 

 

Dr. Karolina Heyduk is currently Assistant 

Professor in the School of Life Sciences at the 

University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and the Direc-

tor of the Joseph F. Rock Herbarium. Her re-

search integrates plant ecophysiology, evolu-

tionary biology, and genomics to understand 

the ways plants adapt to harsh environments, 

with a particular focus on photosynthetic 

pathway evolution, especially Crassulacean 

acid metabolism (CAM).

Karolina’s research requires a high level 

of computational skills, a thorough 

understanding of the biology and metabolism 

involved, and the ability to conduct 

experiments that are meaningful in terms 

of the ecology and physiology of the species 

under investigation. Such an integrated 

approach is rare in plant science research. She 

has been influential in her early adoption of 

target sequence capture, a method that allows 

researchers to “efficiently plumb the depths of 

the nuclear genome for a range of comparative 

purposes.” Dr. Heyduk developed protocols 

and an accompanying probe set for target 

Dr. Karolina Heyduk  

University of Hawai'i

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sequence capture in palms, which are now 

universally known as “Heyduk baits.” She 

has received numerous grants (including for 

funding that will improve the herbarium’s 

infrastructure and utility), has an impressive 

list of publications, serves on the editorial 

boards of Applications in Plant Sciences and 

Annals of Botany, and has been invited to give 

talks at institutions around the world.

Dr. Heyduk is recognized as an exceptional 

community builder, uplifting those whose 

voices have been marginalized, excluded, or 

entirely absent from the conversation through 

her work in the classroom, collections 

management, research, and service. She 

recruits students from diverse backgrounds, 

particularly Pacific Islanders and Native 

Hawaiians, to participate in research and 

herbarium activities. Through her interactions 

on Twitter, she is the “rare scientist who is 

simultaneously rigorous in their scholarly 

sharing and their advocacy for inclusivity 

and awareness.” She is active on BSA’s Early 

Career Development Committee, tasked 

with providing opportunities for early career 

members; has been a longtime mentor in the 

PLANTS program; and is co-organizing a 

symposium and colloquium at Botany 2022 

on colonialism in botany and Indigenous 

perspectives. Although Karolina is early in her 

career, she is already making a huge difference 

as a leader in the community.

Charles Edwin Bessey 

Teaching Award 

(BSA in association with the Teaching Section 

and Education Committee)

Dr. Stefanie (Steffi) Ickert-Bond

University of Alaska  

Museum of the North and University 

of Alaska Fairbanks 

Dr. Stefanie (Steffi) Ickert-Bond (University of 

Alaska Museum of the North and University of 

Alaska Fairbanks) is a well-respected botanist 

with a passion for fieldwork, collections, and 

natural history, combined with skills in active 

learning and evidence-based pedagogy—as 

well as a conviction for offering equitable 

access to science learning. Long before the 

Covid pandemic hit, she created online 

courses that allowed students to participate in 

hands-on, two-way communicative learning 

from any location. 

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Donald R. Kaplan Memorial Lecture 

This award was created to promote research in plant comparative morphology, the Kaplan family 

has established an endowed fund, administered through the Botanical Society of America, to 

support the Ph.D. research of graduate students in this area.

Lena Hileman, University of Kansas, Patterns and processes of floral diversification in the 

wildflower genus Penstemon.

The BSA Developing Nations Travel Grants

Maribel Arenas-Navarro, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico 
João Iganci, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil 
Funmilola Mabel OJO, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology 
Yesenia Madrigal Bedoya, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia 
Sebastián Martínez-Salazar, Universidad De Antioquia, Colombia 
Malka Saba, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan 
Olubunmi Sharaibi, Lagos State University, Ojo Campus, Nigeria 
Hugo A. Valdebenito, Universidad San Francisco de Quito / Herbarium QUSF, Ecuador 
Aleena Xavier, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, India

In early March 2020, she offered her course 

"BIOL F195-F02; Introduction to Alaska’s 

Flora” to be made freely available on the 

“BotanyDepot” website, thereby offering a 

lifeline to botany educators around the world 

who suddenly found themselves scrambling to 

build virtual experiences and online resources 

to teach systematic botany, plant anatomy, and 

local floristic courses. The course materials 

are a series of short video modules, grouped 

into topics, plus additional reading materials 

and fun, creative activities that are designed 

to deepen students’ understanding of the 

concepts—and encourage them to go outside 

and explore the plants in their area. In the 

“Learning Glass” presentations, Dr. Ickert-

Bond speaks to the camera while drawing, 

labeling, and describing aspects of plant form 

and structure. She guides the viewer through 

complex aspects by creating a basic foundation, 

a step-by-step pedagogical scaffolding—and 

then proceeds to add clear examples and 

visual explorations. She is continuing to build 

new course content, including for winter 

bud identification and for fundamentals of 

museum studies.

Dr. Ickert-Bond is a trailblazer in botany 

education, not only in teaching, but also in 

diversity and inclusion in botany education. As 

one person from the nomination committee 

wrote, “Through inclusive pedagogy that uses 

innovative technology combined with an 

artistic and creative vision to engage students 

in critical learning about plants, habitats and 

biodiversity science, Dr. Steffi Ickert-Bond 

embodies the action and spirit of the Bessey 

Award.”

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The BSA Professional Member Travel Grants

Irene Cobo Simón, University of Connecticut 
Kyra N. Krakos, Maryville University 
Benjamin Lee, Carnegie Museum of Natural History 
Ellie Mendelson, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University 
Maria Cristina Rengifo Faiffer, Michigan Technological University 
Mathew Sharples, Independent/Contractor 
Carolina Siniscalchi, Mississippi State University 
Qiang Sun, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 
Brittany Verrico, University of Vermont 
Cheng-Chiang Wu, National Taiwan University

Botany Advocacy Leadership Grant

This award organized by the Environmental and Public Policy Committees of BSA and ASPT aims 

to support local efforts that contribute to shaping public policy on issues relevant to plant sciences. 

To learn more about the winning projects, go to https://botany.org/home/awards/special-funds-

and-awards/botany-advocacy-leadership-grant.html.

Sara E. Hansen, PhD StudentEarth and Ecosystem Science, Central Michigan University 
Rhea Ewing, Visual artist, RheaEwing.com 
Anna K. Monfils, Professor and Director of CMU Herbarium, Department of Biology, 
Central Michigan University 
For the proposal: Creating Inclusive Resources for Botanical Science Education

BSA Public Policy Award

The Public Policy Award was established in 2012 to support the development of tomorrow’s leaders 

and a better understanding of this critical area.

Brendan Kosnik, Arkansas State University 
Zack Quirk, University of Washington

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Donald R. Kaplan Award in Comparative Morphology

This award was created to promote research in plant comparative morphology, the Kaplan 

family has established an endowed fund, administered through the Botanical Society of 

America, to support the Ph.D. research of graduate students in this area.

Yesenia Madrigal Bedoya, University of Antioquia (Colombia)

For the Proposal: A morpho-anatomical characterization of the vegetative-to-reproductive 

meristematic transition in terrestrial and epiphytic neotropical orchids

The BSA Graduate Student Research Award

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards support graduate student research and are 

made on the basis of research proposals and letters of recommendations. Within the award 

group is the Karling Graduate Student Research Award. This award was instituted by the 

Society in 1997 with funds derived through a generous gift from the estate of the eminent 

mycologist, John Sidney Karling (1897-1994), and supports and promotes graduate student 

research in the botanical sciences.

The J. S. Karling Graduate Student Research Award

Jessie Pelosi, University of Florida

For the Proposal: Beyond the genome: methylomics of the alternation of generations

The BSA Graduate Student Research Awards

Sam Anderson, University of Wisconsin Madison 

For the Proposal: The Forgotten Forest Layer: A multivariate gradient analysis and physiologi-

cal comparison of understory shrubs in northern mesic forests

Juan Angulo, City University of New York

For the Proposal: The evolution of dioecy and its consequences on plant diversification: phy-

logenetic and comparative studies on neotropical Miconia section Cremanium (Melastomata-

ceae)

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Derek Denney, University of Georgia

For the Proposal: Evaluating selection induced by climate change on water-use efficiency in 

Boechera stricta

Trinity Depatie, University of South Carolina

For the Proposal: Understanding the Genetic Basis of Personate Flowers in Penstemon

Erin G. Eichenberger, North Carolina State University

For the Proposal: Population vital rates and pollinator community of an endangered South-

eastern prairie perennial, Echinacea laevigata (Boynton & Beadle) Blake

Rosemary Glos, Michigan State University

For the Proposal: Trichome-mediated defense in Mentzelia (Loasaceae)

Kaleb Goff, North Carolina State University

For the Proposal: A functional trait perspective on alpine plant community responses to rapid 

climate change in a xeric mountain range

Hansika Herath, University of Kentucky

For the Proposal: Intraspecific variation of acquired thermotolerance in the liverwort March-

antia inflexa

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Hossein Madhani, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

For the Proposal: The role of immune system incompatibilities in the evolution of isolating 

barriers within an ongoing adaptive radiation

Kathleen Madsen, Ohio University

For the Proposal: The Fitness Consequences of Gypsum Endemsim

Sylvie Martin-Eberhardt, Michigan State University

For the Proposal: Insect signaling by anthocyanins in the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea

Sebastián Martínez-Salazar, Universidad de Antioquia

For the Proposal: Molecular basis underlying nectar spur development in tropaeolaceae

Jared B. Meek, Columbia University

For the Proposal: Towards a comprehensive phylogeny of North American Delphinium (Ra-

nunculaceae)

Nicole Mitidieri Rivera, University of Wisconsin-Madison

For the Proposal: Evolutionary pathways to becoming a fig: a phylogenetic comparative approach

Oluwatobi Oso, Yale University

For the Proposal: Developmental Anatomy and Evolution of Overwintering Buds in Viburnum

Evan Perkowski, Texas Tech University

For the Proposal: The influence of nitrogen fixation and soil nutrient availability on leaf and 

whole plant acclimation to elevated CO2

Rebecca Rooney, University of Minnesota - Duluth

For the Proposal: Coordination of Phloem Function and Anthocyanin Accumulation in Young 

and Senescing Leaves of Quercus rubra

Kyle Rosenblad, University of California, Berkeley

For the Proposal: Climate change and evolutionary potential in a montane meadow-dependent species

Catherine Sherry, North Carolina State University

For the Proposal: How Does Fire Kill Trees? Impacts of Stem Heating on Plant Hydraulics

Abrianna Soule, Michigan State University

For the Proposal: Evolution of the chemical defense of aspen (Populus tremuloides) and spe-

cialist herbivores (Chrysomela) across latitude

Kailin Sun, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich

For the Proposal: Phylogeny and biogeography of the genus Myricaria

Keana Tang, University of Kansas

For the Proposal: Fossil flowers and their role in uncovering the evolutionary and biogeo-

graphic history of Lauraceae

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Piotr Tuczapski, University of Georgia

For the Proposal: Specificity of mycorrhizal symbionts in four sympatric Lepanthes species 

(Orchidaceae) and the possible role of symbionts in driving orchid diversification

Mackenzie Urquhart-Cronish, University of British Columbia

For the Proposal: Testing the influence of historical range expansion on contemporary plant 

mating system evolution

Alyson Van Natto, Queen’s University

For the Proposal: Evolutionary genomic consequences of invasion of Mimulus guttatus into 

New Zealand

Susana Vega Betancur, Universidad de Antioquia 

For the Proposal: Understanding the diversity of spikemosses in the Neotropics: taxonomy of 

Selaginella (Selaginellaceae) for Antioquia, Colombia

Leah Veldhuisen, University of Arizona

For the Proposal: Facilitation & Phylogenetic Structure of Montane Plant Communities

Christopher Waters, Tennessee Technological University

For the Proposal: Documenting effective pollinator species and metabarcoding pollinator en-

vironmental DNA across the range of Physaria globosa (Brassicaceae)

Katherine Wolcott, University of Miami

For the Proposal: 3D pollination biology of Theobroma cacao and its relatives, Ayenia euphrasi-

ifolia, Guazuma microphylla, Herrania umbratica (Byttnerioideae)

Rieka Yu, University of Missouri - St. Louis

For the Proposal: Differences in pollinators as drivers of plant population genetic change in 

disturbed landscapes

 

The BSA Undergraduate Student Research Awards

The BSA Undergraduate Student Research Awards support undergraduate student research and 

are made on the basis of research proposals and letters of recommendation.

Caroline Bendickson, The University of Alabama in Huntsville

For the Proposal: Building a Molecular-based Phylogeny for the Genus Trillium Using Angio-

sperms353 Bait Capture Sequencing

Cesar Galan, Cornell University

For the Proposal: Travel to Harvard University Herbaria Collections; Access to Additional 

Sample Specimens

Jack Hatajik, University of Pittsburgh

For the Proposal: Mapping the population dynamics of the invasive Alliaria petiolata (garlic 

mustard) in response to climate

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Isabeau Lewis, Queen’s University

For the Proposal: Kin discrimination and plastic responses in growth and flowering in a clonal plant

Nicholas Rocha, Cornell University

For the Proposal: The Attractiveness of visual traits of Calochortus venustus to insect pollinators

Erika Sipos, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

For the Proposal: A Phylogenetic and Biogeographical Study of Parsonsia (Apocyanceae)

The BSA Young Botanist Awards

The purpose of these awards is to offer individual recognition to outstanding graduating 

seniors in the plant sciences and to encourage their participation in the BSA.

Christina Andreski, Plymouth State University, Advisor: Diana Jolles

Anais Barnes, Bucknell University, Advisor: Christopher Martine

Charles Boissavy, Oberlin College, Advisor: Michael Moore

Caroline Brose, Colorado College, Advisor: Rachel Jabaily

Emma Cooley, Fort Lewis College, Advisor: Ross McCauley

Carmen David, University of California, Davis, Advisor: Jennifer Gremer

Adalie Duran, Connecticut College, Advisor: Rachel Spicer

Norbaya Jameela Durr, Elmhurst University, Advisor: Kasey Pham

Josh Felton, Colorado College, Advisor: Rachel Jabaily

Tori Ford, University of Florida, Advisor: Makenzie Mabry

Stephanie Kate, San Francisco State University, Advisor: Jason Cantley

Kaitlin Schieuer, South Dakota State University, Advisor: Maribeth Latvis

Caroline Shaw, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Advisor: Benjamin Gahagen

Edward J. Spagnuolo, Pennsylvania State University, Advisor: Peter Wilf

Sharon Haley Spiess, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Advisor: Benjamin Gahagen

Kayla Warner, Barnard College, Columbia University, Advisor: Hillary Callahan

Adam Wilson, Creighton University, Advisor: Mackenzie Taylor

Talia Zeidner, Connecticut College, Advisor: Rachel Spicer

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The BSA PLANTS Grant Recipients

The PLANTS (Preparing Leaders and Nurturing Tomorrow’s Scientists: Increasing the diversity 

of plant scientists) program recognizes outstanding undergraduates from diverse backgrounds 

and provides travel grant.

Luigie Alequín, Haverford College, Advisor: Nathalie Nagalingum

Victoria Clements, Tennessee Technological University, Advisor: Shawn Krosnick

Adalie Duran, Connecticut College, Advisor: Rachel Spicer

Josh Felton, Colorado College, Advisor: Rachel Jabaily

Tori Ford, University of Florida, Advisor: Pam Soltis

Cesar Galan, Cornell University, Advisor: Alejandra Gandolfo

Mayra Hernandez, CSU Dominguez Hills, Advisor: Helen I. Holmlund

Amelie LeTierce, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Advisor: Jessamine Finch

Karina Mendez, Chabot College, Advisor: Mackenzie Mabry

Aadia Moseley-McCloud, Howard University, Advisor: Janelle Burke

Austin Nguyen, University of Kansas, Advisor: Kelly Matsunaga

Inti Quinchiguango Archuleta, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, Advisor: Suzy Strickler

 

The BSA Student and PostDoc Travel Awards 

Winners were selected by lottery

Juan Angulo

Andrea D. Appleton

Antigone Burke

Robert P. Comito

Diana Gamba

Elyssa Garza

Michelle Gaynor

Samuel Lockhart

Jess Shamik

Caroline Siegert

Meredith Zettlemoyer

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Vernon I. Cheadle Student Travel Awards

(BSA in association with the Developmental and Structural Section)

This award was named in honor of the memory and work of Dr. Vernon I. Cheadle.

Benjamin Ajayi, University of Lagos, Advisor: Professor Akeem Babalola 

For the Presentation: Dumpsite aftereffects on structural and functional integrity of three crop 

weeds
Kelly Pfeiler, University of Kansas, Advisors: Kelly Matsunaga & Brian Atkinson,

For the Presentation: Anatomically preserved cheirolepidiaceous pollen cones from the Creta-

ceous of western North America. Co-authors: Brian Atkinson, Kelly Matsunaga

Keana Tang, University of Kansas, Advisor: Brian Atkinson

For the Presentation: Crown group Lauraceae in the Late Cretaceous: new evidence from fos-

sil flowers. Co-authors: Kelly Matsunaga, Brian Atkinson

Elizabeth Wilson, William Jewell College, Advisor: Nathan Jud

For the Presentation: Revising the description and diagnosis of the Late Pennsylvanian medul-

losan Neuropteris lindahli White based on new fossil material. Co-author: Nathan Jud

Brandi Zenchyzen, University of Alberta, Advisor: Jocelyn Hall

For the Presentation: Exploring nectary diversity in Cleomaceae. Co-authors: Jaymie Martin, 

Stacie Weissner, Ainsley Lopushinsky, Ida John, Ishnoor Nahal, Jocelyn Hall

 

 

AWARDS FOR STUDENTS - GIVEN BY THE SECTIONS

Southeastern Section Student Presentation Awards

The following winners were selected from the Association of Southeastern Biologists meeting that 

took place at the end of March 2022.
Rachel A. Jessup, North Carolina State University 

Ryan Long, Jacksonville State University

Bryological and Lichenological  

Section Student Travel Awards

Hansika Herath, University of Kentucky, Advisor: Nicholas McLetchie 

For the Proposal: Testing for long-term acquired thermotolerance in the tropical plant 

Marchantia inflexa. Co-author: Nicholas McLetchie

Rho Kackley, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Advisor: Donald McClelland 

For the Proposal: A Partial Checklist of the Bryophytes of Montserrat, West Indies

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Evita Oļehnoviča, Daugavpils University, Advisor: Anna Mežaka,  

For the Proposal: Bryophyte functional traits in black alder swamp forests along forest age 

chronosequence in Latvia. Co-authors: Anna Pastare-Skutele, Anna Mežaka, Ligita Liepiņa

Developmental & Structural Section Student Travel Awards

Cesar Galan, SIPS Plant Biology, Advisor: Alejandra Gandolfo 

For the Presentation: Epidermal morphology of the subfamily Athrotaxoideae (Cupressaceae). 

Co-authors: Ana Andruchow Colombo, Maria Gandolfo

Vandana Gurung, University of Connecticut, Advisor: Pamela Diggle 

For the Presentation: The curious case of CUC in corolla tube formation in Mimulus. Co-authors: 

Pamela Diggle, Yaowu Yuan

Sarita Munoz-Gomez, University of Connecticut, Advisor: Yaowu Yuan 

For the Presentation: Creation of novel pigmentation patterns in monkeyflowers (Mimulus)

Co-author: Yaowu Yuan

Deannah Neupert, Miami University, Advisor: Richard Moore 

For the Presentation: The evolution of structural novelty: A morphological analysis of 

development in Mimulus and its implications for plant architecture and reproduction.  

Co-authors: Robert (Rob) Baker, Rich Moore, Jonathan Bauer

Ecological Section Student Travel Awards

Haley Branch, University of British Columbia, Advisor: Amy Angert 

For the Presentation: Transgenerational plasticity and maternal effects alter drought responses 

in scarlet monkeyflower. Co-authors: Dylan Moxley, Amy Angert

Veronica Gibson, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Advisor: Celia Smith  

For the Presentation: Integrated physiological response by four red algae species and analysis 

of benthic community structure across an environmental gradient of tidally-driven submarine 

groundwater discharge conditions. Co-author: Celia Smith

Jill Wilson, University of Georgia, Advisor: Megan DeMarche 

For the Presentation: Herbarium specimens underestimate phenological shifts in wild popu-

lations. Co-authors: Megan DeMarche, Meredith Zettlemoyer

Economic Botany Section Student Travel Awards

Kristen Nolting, University of Georgia 

For the Presentation: Do crops have reduced stress tolerance compared with their wild pro-

genitors? Evidence from a comprehensive meta-analysis. Co-Authors: Emily Dittmar, Lisa 

Donovan, John Burke

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Maya Shamsid-Deen (Allen), University of New Mexico 

For the Presentation: A Germination of Freedom: How Blackdom, New Mexico Grew Its Roots 

through Dry-Farming Crops of the African Diaspora. Co-Authors: Gary Ivan Stafford, and 

Nokwanda Makunga

Genetics Section Student Travel Awards

Gracy Buckholtz, University of British Columbia, Advisor: Jeannette Whitton 

For the Presentation: Tracking a Cryptic Invader: The Morphology and Genetics of Fraser 

River Estuary Cattails.
Trevor Faske, University of Nevada, Reno, Advisor: Thomas Parchman 

For the PresentationDeterminants of mixed-ploidal variation and hybridization in big sage-

brush (Artemisia tridentata) across the landscape. Co-authors: Alison Agneray, Bryce Rich-

ardson, Elizabeth Leger, Thomas Parchman
Talieh Ostovar, San Diego State University, Advisor: Amy Litt 

For the Presentation: Impacts of allopolyploidy on gene expression in Nicotiana section Repan-

dae. Co-authors: Jacob Landis, Elizabeth McCarthy, Jason Stajich, Elizabeth Waters, Amy Litt
Connor L. Purvis, Francis Marion University, Advisor: Jeremy Rentsch  

For the Presentation: Regulation of the Dhurrin Biosynthetic Pathway in Sorghum halepense 

seedlings. Co-authors: Jeremy Rentsch, Elizabeth Jones
Alyson Van Natto, Queen’s University, Advisor: Jannice Friedman  

For the Presentation: Mating system and hybridization combine to effect range-wide genetic 

structure in a coastal endemic plant. Co-author: Chris Eckert

Physiological Section Student Travel Awards

Veronica L. Gibson, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Advisor: Celia Smith 

For the Proposal: Integrated physiological response by four red algae species and analysis of 

benthic community structure across an environmental gradient of tidally-driven submarine 

groundwater discharge conditions. Co-author: Celia Smith
Thomas Hennessey, Western Carolina University, Advisor: Beverly Collins 

For the Proposal: Restoring the Roan: Red Spruce Forest Understory Response to Canopy 

Gaps at Roan Mountain, NC.
Marissa Ochoa, University of California, Los Angeles, Advisor: Lawren Sack  

For the Proposal: How does stomatal anatomy influence leaf conductance from minimum to 

maximum? Causal relationships and meta-analysis. Co-authors: Lawren Sack, Thomas N. 

Buckley, Christian Henry, Camila Medeiros, Ruihua Pan, Grace Patricia John

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Phytochemical Section Student Travel Awards

Tomi Lois Adetunji, North-West University, South Africa, Advisor: Frances Siebert 

For the Proposal: Sceletium tortuosum: A review on its phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, 

biological, pre-clinical and clinical activities. Co-authors: Frances Siebert, Ademola Adetunji, 

Brian Harvey, J. Gericke, JH Hamman, Frank Van der Kooy
David Henderson, Washington University in St. Louis, Advisor: Jonathan Myers 

For the Proposal: Testing the Role that Biotic Interactions Play in Shaping Elevational-Diversi-

ty Gradients: An Ecological Metabolomics Approach. Co-authors: Sebastian J. Tello, Brian Se-

dio, Jonathan Myers
Gordon Younkin, Cornell University, Advisor: Georg Jander 

For the Proposal: Comparative transcriptomics of 48 Erysimum species guides discov-

ery of cardiac glycoside biosynthetic genes. Co-authors: Martin Alani, Mahdieh Mirzaei, 

Georg Jander

Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI)  

Section Student Travel Awards

Sarah Allen, Penn State Altoona
Jennifer Blake-Mahmud, Hope College
Cecilia Ezeanya, University of Ibadan
Elizabeth McCarthy, SUNY Cortland

Pteridological Section & American Fern Society  

Student Travel Awards

Lacey E. Benson, San José State University, Advisor: Susan Lambrecht 

For the Presentation: A morphometric analysis of western sword fern (Polystichum munitum

pinnae and pinnae scales across the coast redwood forest ecological gradient. Co-Author: Su-

san Lambrecht
Bertrand Black, University of Vermont, Advisor: Michael Sundue 

For the Presentation: A phylogenetic revision of the Athyrium filix-femina clade (Athyriaceae) 

in the Americas. Co-Author: Michael Sundue
Alexandria Quinlan, National Taiwan University, Advisor: Li-Yaung Kuo  

For the Presentation: Ferns on ferns: an exploration of low-trunk epiphytic fern gametophytes 

growing on tree ferns in Taiwan. Co-Authors: Li-Yaung Kuo, Jer-Ming Hu

Gregory J. Pec, University of Nebraska at  

                            Kearney
Qiang Sun, University of  

                    Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Susana Wadgymar, Davidson College

Yingying Xie, Purdue University

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Jacob Suissa, Harvard University, Advisor: William E. Friedman  

For the Presentation: The hydraulic implications of rhizomatous growth and the homorhizic 

habit. Co-Authors: William Friedman, Andrews Agbleke
Zane Walker, Oregon State University, Advisor: Gar Rothwell 

For the Presentation: A permineralized osmundaceous fern sporeling from the Lower Cretaceous 

of western Canada. Co-Authors: Gar Rothwell, Ruth Stockey

Botany 2022 Plenary Speaker!

DR. CASSANDRA QUAVE

Medical Ethnobotanist and 

 Professor at Emory University

Author of  

The Plant Hunter: A Scientist's Quest 

for Nature's Next Medicines

Sunday, July 24th - 7:30 PM 

Alaskan Time

 

Join us in person or virtually! 

 

Register Now!! 

www.botanyconference.org

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ARE YOU REGISTERED?

Can't make it to Alaska?  

Join us as a virtual registrant! 

Participate in live-streamed and pre-recorded events such as the Symposia, Colloquia, Contributed 

Talks, Lightning Talks, and Special Lectures during the week the conference is happening in Anchorage.

Enjoy the conference on the Pathable platform—the same conference platform that has been used for the 

past two years. You will have easy access to the schedule, be able to connect to other conference goers, 

and get to watch live and prerecorded presentations throughout the conference right on the platform.

Access all of the recorded content after the conference is over, for up to one year!

Register before the conference starts to save on registration. You do not want to miss the first hybrid 

Botany Conference!

REGISTER NOW! 

https://2022.botanyconference.org

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130

By 

Amelia Neely

BSA Membership & 

Communications  

Manager

 

E-mail: ANeely@</a>

botany.org

 MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Botany360 (https://botany.org/home/resources/

botany360.html) is a series of programming that 

connects our botanical community during the 

360 days outside of Botany conferences. The 

Botany360 event calendar is a tool to highlight 

those events. The goal of this program is 

to connect the plant science community 

throughout the year with professional 

development, discussion sessions, and 

networking and social opportunities. To see 

the calendar, visit botany.org/calendar

Botany360 Event Recordings  

Now Available

We are excited to now offer the following event 

recordings from our Spring 2022 Botany360 

events:

• Ace It! - Write a Better Title  

(March 2, 2022) 

Workshop presented by Dr. Bruce Kirchoff, 

University of North Carolina at Greens-

boro, and Dr. Eliezer Cocoletzi, University 

of Veracruz 

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2_

CkFtBcI4

• Ace It! - Write a Better Abstract  

(March 23, 2022) 

Workshop presented by Dr. Bruce Kirchoff, 

University of North Carolina at Greens-

boro, and Dr. Eliezer Cocoletzi, University 

of Veracruz. 

[https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=dbPGAr9_GyE] 

• De-mystifying the MS submissions pro-

cess: Before you submit (Part 1)  

(May 11, 2022) 

Part 1 of a two-part workshop to help 

navigate all stages of the peer review 

process. This workshop was presented by 

Dr. Briana Gross, University of Minnesota-

Duluth, Editor-in-Chief, Applications in 

Plant Sciences, and Dr. Brittany Suther-

land, George Mason University.

[https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=NIAM4TQK6iI] 

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• De-mystifying the MS submissions pro-

cess: Before you submit (Part 2)  

(May 18, 2022)  

Part 2 of a two-part workshop to help 

navigate all stages of the peer review 

process. This workshop was presented by 

Dr. Pamela Diggle, University of Connecti-

cut, Editor-in-Chief, American Journal of 

Botany, and Amy McPherson, Director of 

Publications, Botanical Society of America 

and Managing Editor, American Journal of 

Botany. 

[https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=UBylHDG2mts

• So you want to get involved with section 

leadership...

 

(June 5, 2022) 

Presented by Kyra N. Krakos, Maryville 

University, 2022 Chair of the BSA Teach-

ing and Outreach Section. A walkthrough 

of the roles, responsibilities, and benefits 

of being in section leadership: Have you 

thought about section leadership? How 

does one get elected? What is involved in 

the different positions? How can it benefit 

your professional development? During 

this session the group walked through the 

different roles and responsibilities and an-

swered questions about the process. 

[https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=sVkkSbqfuyo]

BSA LEGACY SOCIETY

Thank you to all of our Legacy Society members 

for supporting BSA by including the Society 

in your planned giving. We look forward 

to hosting you at this year’s Legacy Society 

Reception at Botany 2022 in Anchorage, 

Alaska. If you are interested in joining the 

Legacy Society, you are welcome to come to 

the event and sign up in person or by filling 

out this form at any time: https://crm.botany.

org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=46&reset=1. 

 

The intent of the  BSA's Legacy Society  is 

to ensure a vibrant society for tomorrow’s 

botanists, and to assist all members in 

providing wisely planned giving options. 

All that is asked is that you remember the 

BSA as a component in your legacy gifts. It’s 

that simple—no minimum amount, just a 

simple promise to remember the Society. We 

hope this allows all BSA members to play a 

meaningful part in the Society’s future. To 

learn more about the BSA Legacy Society, and 

how to join, please visit: https://botany.org/

home/membership/the-bsa-legacy-society.

html 

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• Dr. Andrea Berardi, 

Postdoctoral Fellow, OEB and Harvard University Herbaria, Harvard 

University (https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/

andrea-berardi.html

• Dr. Rocio Deanna, Postdoctoral Fellow, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University 

of Colorado, Boulder (

https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spot-

light-series/rocio-deanna.html

) 

• Danielle Gafford, Undergraduate Student, Biological Sciences, University of Missouri 

(https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/danielle_

gafford.html) 

• Luiza Teixeira-Costa, Postdoctoral Fellow, Functional Ecology of Plants and Ecosystems, 

Vrije Universiteit, Brussel (https://botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-

spotlight-series/luiza-teixeira-costa.html) 

• Shawn K. Thomas, Graduate Student, Biological Sciences, University of Missouri (https://

botany.org/home/careers-jobs/careers-in-botany/bsa-spotlight-series/shawn_thomas.html)

Would you like to nominate yourself or another early career scientist to be in the Spotlight 

Series? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/vivajCaCaqQrDL648. 

BSA SPOTLIGHT SERIES

The BSA Spotlight Series highlights early career scientists in the BSA community and shares 

both scientific goals and achievements, as well as personal interests of the botanical scientists, 

so you can get to know your BSA community better.

Here are this year’s Spotlights so far:

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DID YOU KNOW?

Do you want to know more about what the 

BSA has to offer you as a member? Each month 

a new BSA resource will be highlighted in the 

BSA  Membership Matters newsletter in the 

“Did You Know” section. Below are the three 

most recent resources. Visit botany.org 

and browse the website to find even more 

great information.

• Did you know that BSA has a  Careers 

in Botany Profiles page  that high-

lights diverse careers that BSA  mem-

bers  have in the field of botany?   

The BSA Student Representatives update this 

page each year. If you want to be highlighted, 

contact them at studentrep1@botany.org and  

imenavaldes2020 @u.northwestern.edu. 

h t t p s : / / b o t a n y. o r g / h o m e / c a -

reers-jobs/careers-in-botany/ca-

re e r s _ i n _ b ot a ny _ prof i l e s . ht m l ] 

• Did you know that you can volunteer to re-

view books for the Plant Science Bulletin?  

Books for review are available to BSA mem-

bers. To find the current list of books, and 

instructions on how to request to review 

the books, go to https://botany.org/books-

forreview/view/reviewrequests/. Books 

go quickly, so check out the list today! 

• Did you know that the BSA’s 

website houses  Botany Confer-

ence websites, abstracts, pho-

tos, and more going back to 2000?  

Simply click on “BOTANY Conference” 

in the  website menu  of botany.org 

and then click any conference year for a 

sub-menu with that year’s meeting web-

site, submitted abstracts, and presentation 

videos!

Make sure to check out the Membership 

Matters eNewsletter for more great 

information, events, and news. Not receiving 

the eNewsletter? Email me at aneely@botany.org.

BSA GIFT MEMBERSHIPS

This is a reminder that BSA Gift Memberships 

are a great way to introduce students and 

Developing Nations’ Colleagues to the BSA 

community. You can purchase one-year 

($10) or three-year ($30) gift memberships 

by visiting: https://crm.botany.org and 

choosing “Give a Gift of Membership.” 

 

 

Don’t have anyone specific for whom to 

purchase a gift membership? Not a problem! 

You can put your own name and email in the 

gift membership fields and I will add that 

donation to a list of memberships that we 

offer to those who need financial assistance. 

Questions about gift memberships or other 

ways to donate? Email me at aneely@botany.org.

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FROM THE 

PSB

 ARCHIVES

60 years ago

“In the course of the last decennia the income from the endowment which Henry Shaw left to the 

Missouri Botanical Garden could not keep up with the increasing costs of maintaining such a garden, 

and at first it was tried to keep expenditures within the limits of the endowment income. When it 

became obvious that this resulted in deterioration of the once so beautiful Garden, the Trustees adopted 

a new policy, namely, that of temporary deficit budgeting. It was believed that if only the Garden could 

be brought into a physically attractive condition and would again provide inspiration and beauty to the 

visitors, then contributions from the visiting public and from the community could be obtained. With 

the exception of research projects financed by the National Science Foundation, the Missouri Botanical 

Garden has never received support from tax money, and as long as it remains a private institution it 

cannot receive any state or city funds for its operation.

". . . Therefore, this deficit budgeting was adopted not just to close financial gaps, but it was rather incentive 

money used in the amelioration of Garden and public facilities. This resulted in an unprecedented increase 

in the attendance by the public and this in turn was the basis for an increase in our operational income.

"For persons who believe that such an increase in public interest can only come by cheapening the 

type of displays and by catering to the lower instincts of the public, such as the television interest 

seems to have done with the greatly increased crime and fight programs, it should be stated here that 

our educational work has been increased and deepened, that more and more educational exhibits 

accompany the popular flower shows, and that our newest green-house, the Climatron, is used in part 

for research purposes. I am thoroughly convinced that the public is interested in any type of scientific 

information which can be given to them, and they enjoy being considered as grown-ups. Yet our new 

educational exhibits find perhaps even more appreciation in the eyes of children than grown-ups."

Went, Fritz W. 1962. Notes from the Missouri Botanical Garden. PSB 8(2): 1-4

50 years ago

“The present emphasis on the environment and its relation to society gives botanists a far greater 

opportunity than they have had recently to educate college students, including future teachers, 

concerning plants as a basic resource. While it is apparent to most of them that green plants are the 

foundation of all biotic communities and food chains, much of society, including some scientists, fail 

to understand the critical nature of this relationship. This emphasis provides opportunities to seek 

greater support, not only for general botany, but also for interdisciplinary courses and programs which 

interpret the various interactions between society, vegetation, and biotic communities. Such courses 

should involve not only botanists, but also colleagues from other disciplines as diverse as engineering, 

economics, sociology, zoology, nutrition, psychology, philosophy, architecture.”

Sharp, A. J. and A. S. Heilman. 1972. Present Opportunities in Botany. PSB 18(2):15

40 years ago

The slide exchange program, sponsored by the BSA Teaching Section, will be expanded this year. 

The membership is encouraged to submit slides to be added to the collection. Slides in several new 

categories are being solicited, Economic Plants, Non-vascular Plant Morphology, and “Slides that 

tell a story” (small sets of slides illustrating a single principle or theme). Additional slides for last 

year’s categories, Vascular Plant Morphology and Plant Geography (S.E. U.S. was particularly weak) 

would also be appreciated. We would also like to expand Plant Geography to worldwide coverage. 

Contributions should be sent to Dr. Marshall D. Sundberg . . .They will be duplicated, and the originals 

returned. The copies will be placed on exhibit at the annual meeting at Penn State and members will 

be offered the opportunity to purchase duplicates, for the cost of reproduction, to be used in teaching. 

We hope to make this program even more successful with greater contributions by the membership.

Teaching Section Slide Exchange. 1982. PSB 28(2): 10

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135

  SCIENCE EDUCATION

 

By Dr. Catrina Adams,  

Education Director

Jennifer Hartley, 

Education Programs 

Supervisor

If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us 

anything, it’s that we work with some amazing 

teachers and scientists.  Despite the fact that 

many K-12 schools are still working through 

a regrouping phase, we had a solid spring 

session that served nearly 700 students. All 

together, they completed 190 investigations 

with nearly every available Investigation 

Theme represented!  Interestingly, the theme 

that drew the most attention from teachers 

and students this session was our Agronomy 

Feeds the World theme, perhaps reflecting the 

Next Generation Science Standards’ emphasis 

on human reliance on the environment and 

effects on biodiversity.  In the end, 30 projects 

received nominations for Star Project awards, 

of which 10 were selected to receive honors. 

Check out the winning projects in our new 

Spring 2022 PlantingScience  

Session Recap

Star Project gallery at: https://plantingscience.

org/psprojects/starprojectssp22.

Of course, none of this could have happened 

without the generous support of our wonderful 

donors, mentors, and Master Plant Science 

Team (MPST) members.  Our thanks go out 

to those who willingly gave their resources, 

time, and attention to our student teams, 

giving them the opportunity to discover 

firsthand what wonderful people you are!  We 

hear regularly from our teachers how much 

they and their students love PlantingScience, 

and how effective the program has been in 

capturing students’ interest in plants.  Thank 

you for being a part of this effort!

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THANK YOU 

2021-22 MASTER  

PLANT SCIENCE TEAM!

As we close out the 2021-22 school 

year, we’d like to take this opportunity 

to recognize the following BSA-spon-

sored PlantingScience MPST members: 

Claudia Anca Barcu

Israel Borokini

Yanni Chen

Dani Davis

Kelsey Fisher

Ana Flores

Sara Johnson

Brooke Kern

Josh Kraft

Guadalupe Maldonado Andrade

Jill Marzolino

Chelsea Pretz

Lydia Tressel

Renate Wuersig

Shan Wong

Aleena Xavier 

These PlantingScience participants not only 

mentor student groups directly; they also 

serve as our teachers’ guides by assisting 

with mentor recruitment, monitoring 

student project progress, and ensuring that 

communication is flowing smoothly.  Please 

join us in applauding the contributions of 

these important PlantingScience members 

and thanking them for playing a vital role in 

the program’s success. 

Recruitment is now underway for the 2022-23 

Master Plant Science Team! If you or someone 

you know could benefit from an opportunity 

to grow as a mentor and leader, visit https://

plantingscience.org/mentorjoin/mpstinfo  to 

learn more about this unique and meaningful 

experience.

PAST PLANTINGSCIENCE 

PARTICIPANTS,  

WE WANT TO HEAR 

FROM YOU!

As the PlantingScience team looks forward 

to the coming school year, we’re seeking 

input from our past participants to ensure 

we’re prioritizing features and improvements 

that make the program the best it can be 

for all. If you’ve served as a PlantingScience 

MPST member or mentor (or both!), we’d 

love to hear more about what aspects of the 

program worked well for you and where you 

encountered challenges.  Consider completing 

our Participant Feedback survey—this survey 

is completely anonymous, and takes about 

5 minutes to complete: https://bit.ly/PS-

Survey-2022.

PLANTINGSCIENCE  

AT BOTANY 2022

Attending Botany2022 in Anchorage (either 

in person or virtually)?  Consider joining us 

for our PlantingScience discussion session, or 

come visit our table.

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STUDENT SECTION

By Imeña Valdes and Ioana Anghel 

BSA Student Representatives

Are you excited about our first-ever hybrid 

Botany conference?! We definitely are and are 

so looking forward to seeing you in Anchorage! 

We have some great events planned and we 

hope you can join us. If you have any questions 

or need any assistance in navigating Botany, 

please email us (Imeña: imenavaldes2020@ 

u.northwestern.edu; Ioana: studentrep1@</p>

botany.org) or connect with us on Twitter  

(@imenarv and @ioana_anghel). 

PLANTING THE SEEDS 

OF SCIENCE  

COMMUNICATION  

WORKSHOP

Sunday, July 24, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM

 

Where do we start when we want to share 

our science with our broader communities? 

Which social platform is the best medium for 

the topics we want to amplify to engage the 

audience we want to reach with our preferred 

style of communication? Join us for a two-

hour workshop to:

Getting Ready for Botany 2022

•  

Meet a panel of plant science communi-

cators who reach people through varied 

media and platforms: community out-

reach, museums and botanical gardens, 

social media, video, and writing

• Hear their advice on how to effectively 

talk about plant science to diverse audi-

ences

• Ask questions about how to get started
• Connect with other scicomm enthusiasts 

 

In this workshop, a panel of science 

communicators will introduce themselves and 

their work, and share some actionable advice. 

Then we will chat in small groups where 

you can learn directly from the panelists 

who best align with your scicomm interests. 

You will leave the workshop with ideas for 

developing an action plan for your science 

communication strategy.

Panelists: Taran Lichtenberger, Budburst; 

Molly Edwards, Harvard University; Teressa 

Alexander, University of the West Indies; 

Chris Martine, Bucknell University;   Tanisha 

Williams, Bucknell University; Brandon 

Corder, University of Wisconsin-Madison; 

Sarah Jacobs, California Academy of Sciences; 

Loy Xingwen, Southeastern Center for 

Conservation; and Kathryn Parsley, Donald 

Danforth Plant Science Center.

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CAREERS IN BOTANY 

LUNCHEON

Monday, July 25, 

12:00 PM–1:30 PM

We are still working on organizing this, but 

we plan to have over 20 professionals from a 

variety of academic disciplines and job titles 

that you will be able to interact with! We 

will have rotating small-group discussions 

so everyone has a chance to speak with our 

panelists. Check out the Careers in Botany 

Profiles (https://botany.org/home/careers-

jobs/careers-in-botany/careers_in_botany_

profiles.html) from last year’s conference and 

the tweets below to see some of the positive 

feedback we received! 

 This event costs $10.00 for students and has 

limited space, so register today! 

STUDENT SOCIAL

Monday, July 25, 9:00 PM–11:59 PM

After the full first day of a lot of cool plant 

information, please join us to wind down, 

network, and socialize with other students. 

This is a great opportunity to make friends 

that you can explore Botany and Anchorage 

with! [Event sponsored by Wiley]

CV REVIEWING

Monday, July 25, 4:00 PM–5:00 PM 

Tuesday, July 26, 4:00 PM–5:00 PM 

Wednesday, July 27, 2:00 PM–3:00 PM

We will hold daily CV reviewing sessions for 

18 students during the Botany conference. 

Each student will send their CV to their 

reviewer prior to the conference and will 

have 30 minutes to talk through it on their 

scheduled date and time. Unfortunately, we 

cannot coordinate for more students, but stay 

tuned to the Botany360 calendar for future 

CV reviewing events by the Early Career 

Professional Development Committee! 

BSA OFFICER MIXER

Wednesday, July 27, 6:30 PM–7:00 PM

Join us as well as other BSA Officers to learn 

more about how to get involved with the 

Society by making contributions to BSA 

publications or taking active roles in leadership 

positions. Come with your questions and we’ll 

have answers!

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PAPERS TO READ FOR 

FUTURE LEADERS

As we continue in our careers, we hope 

to see the academic culture shift to be 

more inclusive and equitable. We hope 

to share papers with student members to 

help support this goal. This form (https://

forms.gle/K P Wha e PD i 1 h 6 Uf p 2 A ) is 

available for sharing papers with us. These 

recommendations will be included in the 

student section of the Plant Science Bulletin

Thank you for your help! 

Montgomery, B. L. and J. A. Whittaker. 2022. 

The Roots of Change: Cultivating Equity and 

Change across Generations from Healthy 

Roots.  The Plant Cell koac121.  https://doi.

org/10.1093/plcell/koac121.

Woolston, C. 2022. PhD students face cash 

crisis with wages that don’t cover living costs. 

Nature 605: 775–777. https://doi.org/10.1038/

d41586-022-01392-w. 

Check out this thread by Dr. Beronda 

Montgomery for a great reading list!

(Available at https://twitter.com/BerondaM/status/12199777

65027340288?s=20&t=lW342jyy7VyZlvbMbabBUQ)

GETTING TO KNOW 

YOUR NEW STUDENT 

REPRESENTATIVE! 

Eli Hartung  

(Kansas State University) 

When did you join BSA and what motivated 

you to do so? Will you encourage other 

students to become members and participate 

in the Society as well?

I joined BSA in 2020.  Most of my lab mates 

and my undergrad advisor were BSA members 

so it just made sense for me to join too.  I will 

absolutely encourage other students to join 

BSA.  I think it is a great organization for 

anyone interested in plants.

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What motivated you to run for the position 

of Student Representative to the Board of 

Directors, and what do you plan to do as the 

student representative of BSA?

I love plants and sharing my love for plants, 

and I really wanted to get involved with 

an organization like BSA that shares my 

passions for the plant sciences. As the student 

representative of BSA, my biggest goal is to 

help students connect with and get involved 

with more established plant scientists and vice 

versa.  It can be really hard for students to find 

labs to get involved with.  It can also be hard 

for labs to find interested students.  I hope I 

can bridge this gap.

What have you gained from being a 

student member of BSA, and why would 

you encourage other students to become 

members and participate in the Society? 

I think the most important thing I’ve gained 

from being a BSA member is the access to 

current plant research. Whether it’s from 

the annual meetings, the newsletters, or just 

the social media pages, I always have access 

to what’s going on in the plant world and I 

get to keep learning about what other plant 

scientists are doing. I think students should 

join BSA because it is a great organization and 

a great opportunity for anyone to expand their 

knowledge and passion for plants.

What’s your research about and how did you 

discover your research interest?

My current research is focused on how big 

bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) responds to 

local and foreign soil microbial communities 

and how these communities influence big 

bluestem success and productivity. I learned 

about my research interests from getting 

involved in different labs at my undergraduate 

university. By getting involved in a variety of 

research areas, I was better able to choose a 

research project that fit my interests.

What sorts of hobbies do you have? 

I enjoy hiking and camping, especially in the 

springtime when things start to flower again.  

I also enjoy playing the piano in my free time.

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Announcements

IN MEMORIAM

Maya Angelou wrote that when great souls 

die, “Our reality, bound to them, takes leave 

of us….” It has felt that way for many at Centre 

College with the unfathomable news that 

Professor of Biology Anne Lubbers had died. 

Surrounded by the love of her two sisters, 

Jane and Julie, and several of her close friends 

from Centre, she died on March 4, 2022 after 

a stroke.

A native of Wisconsin, Anne earned a B.S. 

from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 

and her Ph.D. from Duke University. She 

ANNE LUBBERS

(1954–2022)

Anne in the field with a favorite plant. 

[Photo courtesy: Jim McGraw]

came to Centre in 1993 and was teaching her 

last course, Plant Biology, before retiring from 

Centre. Her research on factors affecting seed 

production in wild ginseng has appeared in 

Ecology, American Journal of Botany, and The 

Canadian Journal of Botany, and numerous 

other publications.

Anne was a member of the Botanical Society 

of America, the Kentucky Native Plant Society, 

the Ecological Society of America, and the 

Southern Appalachian Botanical Society. She 

served on the board of the Kentucky Wildlife 

Refuge and took part in the Audubon Society’s 

annual bird count.

Among Anne’s proudest accomplishments 

was her work on the development of the 

environmental studies minor, now the ENS 

major. She was also on the committee that 

developed Centre’s natural science curriculum, 

and she taught NSC courses for years.

Anne’s love for the natural world stems from 

early walks in the woods near home with her 

sisters Jane and Julie and her brother John. 

In Memoriam Mentions 

We have learned of other recent 

passings of plant scientists; obituaries 

for these may appear in upcoming 

issues of the 

PSB.

Jon Giddens

Adriana Hoffmann

David Spooner

Gary Wallace

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They’d explore until they’d find frogs and 

salamanders, examining every characteristic 

before returning them to their habitat. Early 

on, Anne could identify individual plants and 

birds, but she was fascinated by larger patterns 

and interactions as well. Anne and Jane 

believed it was significant that Jane became an 

artist and Anne an ecologist, each approaching 

the beauty of the world through a different 

lens; each one examining, interpreting, 

capturing, and sharing that beauty in unique 

but interconnected ways. When Anne found 

snake skins in the crawlspace of her home, she 

sent them to Jane as a potential medium for 

her artwork. Anne knew that art and science 

are sisters, and that made her the ideal biology 

professor for a liberal arts institution.

To some, it just made her delightfully odd. For 

office art, she had a framed picture of a hawk 

eviscerating a squirrel (using the verb literally 

here)—a picture she took on Centre’s campus 

in utter glee at this thrilling display of “nature, 

red in tooth and claw” (a reality she evaluated 

more positively than Tennyson).

Anne loved guiding her students in summer 

research projects with field work in plant 

biology and ecology.

“Anne Lubbers’ devotion to teaching and to her 

students was an essential aspect of all she did,” 

said Centre President Milton Moreland. “She 

especially enjoyed her summer research with 

students studying wild ginseng populations in 

Kentucky and showing students how exciting 

research could be. She will be deeply missed.”

In the classroom, her passion for the natural 

world was contagious. Cristin Palmer 

Rieskamp ’15 wrote: “Josh [’15] and I had 

BIO 110 with her our first year at Centre. One 

of our fondest memories is that during one 

lecture she got really excited about hornworts 

and she did this cute little dance when she 

described finding them. It was so pure.”

Meghan Langley ’04 graduated with a major 

in BIO and minor in ENS and went on to get 

a Ph.D. in wetland plant ecology. She credits 

Anne for being “the first person to introduce 

me to a love of native plants.” Professor of 

Biology Peggy Richey remembers Anne’s 

delight over an unusual dandelion root. “All 

scientists are curious,” Richey adds, “but 

Anne was in a league of her own. She was 

curious about everything—not just ‘nature’, 

but people, places, anything. This genuine 

curiosity made her unafraid to show delight, 

surprise, confusion, enthusiasm, whatever the 

emotion when she learned/saw/discovered 

something new.”

Anne was passionate about teaching in a 

close community of learning. Biologist Mike 

Barton served on the search committee 

that brought Anne to campus. “I remember 

the relief we felt when we realized that we 

had finally been rewarded with someone 

who really understood the mission of the 

college—someone who would go on to 

become one of our closest colleagues and 

friends.” Biochemistry colleague Stephanie 

Dew recalls, “One of my fondest teaching 

memories was when we team-taught biology 

Senior Seminar. Our teaching interests and 

areas of expertise could not be further apart, 

but we finally came up with a topic to suit us 

both: Carnivorous Plants and Blood-Sucking 

Animals. Only Anne would have done such 

a crazy topic with me. Her enthusiasm for 

all things plants, her love of teaching and her 

students, and her huge heart are going to be 

deeply missed.”

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Another signature course, Plant-Herbivore 

Interactions, shaped students’ ability to look 

at individual adaptations to larger patterns, 

an approach rooted in those walks in the 

Wisconsin woods. Mark Galatowitsch, her 

colleague in BIO and ENS, remembers, 

“Anne accompanied me in New Zealand 

when I taught my first study abroad course 

about invasive species. As a fellow ecologist 

she couldn’t resist contributing to lectures, 

student discussions, and helping with our 

research projects. Having her support made it 

a much richer experience for the students, but 

also for me.”

Anne’s innovative CentreTerm class on The 

Lawn examined the cultural significance of 

middle-class American yards, including a 

whimsical look at yard art in central Kentucky. 

But it was also a primer on the ecological 

dangers of monoculture.

Her friends received such instruction outside 

the classroom. When I bought six Euonymus 

alatus plants (burning bush) for a small 

ornamental hedge on one side of my house, 

she was shocked that her patient instruction 

on invasive species had been for naught. 

There were words; I returned the plants. I 

once got home late for our planned evening at 

a restaurant and Anne had already arrived. I 

found her in my backyard, dressed for dinner, 

but uprooting honeysuckle plants along the 

fence. Lasting tributes to my dear friend 

include the many (native) trees I’ve planted 

in my yard and the wildflower meadow that 

replaced a fourth of the back lawn.

A tireless advocate for native plant landscaping, 

Anne turned her own property into a natural 

forest and wildlife refuge. On campus, the 

native plant garden adjacent to Young Hall 

presents a small model of her vision. Professor 

Anne Lubbers in New Zealand with Associate Professor of Biology Mark Galatowitsch’s 

class discussing invasive species. [Photo courtesy: Mark Galatowitsch]

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of Biology Peggy Richey admired “the way 

she lived her life (no one recycles more than 

Anne), her home and landscape—all inspiring 

examples of living her values.” Chemistry 

Professor Joe Workman agrees: “I love that 

Anne lived her passion for sustainability 

in the car she drove, the materials she used 

to renovate her house, her solar panels, and 

the mug she brought to every on-campus 

function. She helped me to become a better 

person.”

She loved the campus canopy and used it as 

a branch of her classroom. Whenever new 

buildings were announced, Anne spoke for 

the trees. She spearheaded the “Regeneration” 

project that resulted in the sculpture near the 

central staircase of Young (pictured below), 

created from the majestic beech tree that 

once stood between Young and Crounse. In 

its place, three beeches were planted in front 

of Young. “Anne was not afraid to speak up 

and act,” Richey adds, “whenever she saw an 

opportunity to advocate for the natural world, 

for BIO and ENS programs that challenge 

students to explore all aspects of these 

disciplines, and for a campus that proactively 

‘walks the talk’ about sustainability, 

environmental stewardship, and campus 

ecology. Her combination of passion and 

intellect was inspirational, and hard to beat as 

advocacy.” Workman adds, “Anne is probably 

in a Garden Paradise right now making plans 

to get rid of all of the non-native species.” 

But Workman was inspired by her approach: 

“Anne could be optimistic no matter how dark 

the situation. And when she saw a problem, 

she offered solutions instead of criticisms.”

Protector though she was, Anne once hit a 

tree behind Crounse with her car (and it was 

not invasive). Galatowitsch recalls that in 

New Zealand, “We did all our own driving, 

and the students who rode in her van fondly 

wrote “Lub Tub” in the dust on the side of the 

van. And they were still fond of her when she 

drove on the wrong side of the road.” Even in 

such instances, former Associate Dean Keith 

Dunn remembers, “Her willingness to laugh 

at herself, dust herself off, and keep getting 

better at simply being human—and this 

wonderful human had an amazingly generous 

spirit.”

That generosity of spirit made a difference for 

Anne’s colleagues—colleagues who became 

lifelong friends. She cared deeply about the 

Centre community and was as faithful and 

caring a friend as one could hope for. “From 

my first day at Centre, more than 27 years 

ago,” Dew says, “Anne has been my closest 

friend, professional colleague, and all-around 

sounding board.” Richey adds, “She was 

always there for people when they needed 

help, comfort, and a shoulder to cry on. Her 

compassion was deep and long-lived.”

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She was a mentor to new colleagues, both 

formally and informally. Galatowitsch says that 

“she was an invaluable mentor for teaching, 

guiding student research, and how to serve 

our college.” Biology colleague Amanda Falk 

recalls that “Anne was always there, ready to 

answer a question or offer advice about courses 

or the campus or the natural world. She was 

always there to listen…. I thought she would 

always be there. Centre has lost more than just 

a professor. We’ve lost an activist for ecology 

and conservation, a mentor and supporter 

of students and new faculty members, and a 

genuinely kind soul who just cared so much.”

Workman admired that Anne “always kept 

striving to be a better teacher.” Colleagues 

noted that she was usually the first one in and 

the last one out of the office. Of course, as with 

all teachers, perhaps more is caught than is 

taught. Classics Professor Danielle LaLonde 

reflected, “My own love of the natural world is 

so much richer for her willingness to show me 

its beauty.” For Professor of Psychology Aaron 

Godlaski, Anne had been “a participant in the 

emerging connection to nature in my work, 

which pleased us both. That was Anne, always 

excited to share the love and knowledge of 

nature.”

And Anne was just fun. As Richey put it, “It 

made my heart sing whenever Anne laughed. 

She had a delightful sense of humor (I say that 

not just because she laughed at my jokes) and 

was quick to see the humor in just about any 

situation. What a gift her humor and laughter 

were.” She enjoyed hiking and exploring new 

places; loved holidays, movies, and desserts. 

She loved the Green Bay Packers and NPR. 

She adored being with family, and she adored 

her cats (named, of course, after famous 

ecologists).

Recent graduate Cruz Avendaño-Dreyfus ’20 

wrote that of all the notes in the book written 

to the class of 2020 in lieu of their postponed 

commencement, “Dr. Lubbers wrote the most 

impactful farewell. I’ve kept it above my desk 

and refer to it daily.” Anne would have wanted 

to say goodbye to us. So, I think it’s fitting 

to close this remembrance with Anne’s own 

parting words to the class of 2020, and to all 

of us:

“No matter what you encounter in the years 

to come, do not forget to look above at the 

sky and marvel at the clouds and the stars. 

Shift your gaze downward and discover the 

tiny organisms making a living in ways you 

had never imagined. Look about and note the 

individuality of every tree—the architecture 

of its branches, texture of its bark, venation of 

its leaves. All these things may be oblivious of 

us, but we do not need to be oblivious of them. 

This is what we belong to, and what grounds 

our sense of self.”

Anne now belongs to the earth and sky she so 

loved. And to our grateful memory. Farewell, 

dear friend.

By Rick Axtell, College Chaplain and Stodghill 

Professor of Religion

March 7, 2022

[Originally published at https://www.centre.

edu/centre-college-mourns-anne-lubbers-

professor-of-biology/.]

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EAGLE HILL INSTITUTE’S 2022 VASCULAR 

PLANT SEMINARS

The Eagle Hill Institute is offering in-person week-long seminars in 2022. Eagle Hill is 

right on the coast of Eastern Maine, between Acadia National Park and Petit Manan 

National Wildlife Refuge,

July 10–16

Grass Identification: An In-depth Review — Dennis Magee

August 7–13

Field Botany of the Maine Coast: Learning to Network with the iNaturalist 

Community — Robert Wernerehl

August 21–27

Ferns and Lycophytes: Identification, Biology, and Natural History — Robbin Moran 

and Carl Taylor

For general information, the registration form, seminar flyers, and a complete calendar, 

see:  https://eaglehill.us/programs/sems-weeklong/calendar-weeklong.shtml.

If a seminar you are interested in is full, and you would like to be put on the waitlist, 

please fill out the application form.

If you have any questions about registering for the seminar, please contact us at office@</a>

eaglehill.us.

*Please note that proof of full COVID-19 vaccination (including booster) is required for 

acceptance into our seminars.

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Drosera of the New Jersey Pinelands, U.S.A ..............................................................................................147

The Four Dimensions of Terrestrial Plants:  Reproduction,  

        Structure, Evolution and Ecology .............................................................................................................148 

Plant, Soil and Microbes in Tropical Ecosystems .....................................................................................149

BOOK REVIEWS

Drosera of the New Jersey 

Pinelands, U.S.A.

Alvin Liu, and Daniel DiPietro

2020. ISBN 13-978-1889878-56-0

US$42.00, 156 pp.

Botanical Research Institute of 

Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A

This is probably one of the more unique field 

guides I have seen given its laser focus on a few 

species. This book includes acknowledgements 

and photo credits, introduction, background 

and goals, and organization and methodology. 

The sundews are a relatively small group 

of carnivorous plants that includes five 

species within New Jersey. The first species 

covered is Drosera filiformis followed by D. 

intermedia,  D. rotundifolia,  D. x eloisiana

and D. x hybrida with their own introduction, 

botanical structure, distribution, and habitat 

and ecology.
The descriptions are more thorough than any 

other guide I have seen. D. intermedia and 

D. rotundifolia are included in several other 

guides that I own including bogs and fens and 

wetland plants of the upper Midwest (Chadde, 

2019; Davis, 2016). Those guides include field 

characters, drawings, and measurements but 

can’t match the level of detail of having entire 

chapters dedicated to each species. The figure 

on p. 116 shows a side-by-side comparison 

of three species but not all five, which would 

have been a welcome addition. The table 

on that page also discusses the differences 

between those three species. With the amount 

of photos included in this guide, one could 

argue that comparisons could be made within 

the guide itself.
The book concludes with winter dormancy, 

conservation, cultivation and sourcing plants, 

glossary, bibliography, and about the authors. 

Some of these species are locally rare and 

the authors do a good job of suggesting that 

people reference their state and local laws 

before trying to bring plants into cultivation 

or collect them from the wild, since this may 

be illegal in your area. There are ways to get 

plants outside of collecting them yourself 

that have been collected and propagated 

responsibly. A very detailed and well-planned 

guide for anyone whom wishes to work with 

these species but probably not for the casual 

observer.

REFERENCES

Chadde, S. W., 2019. Wetland plants of the upper 

Midwest: A field guide to the aquatic and wetland 

plants of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. 

Stephen W. Chadde, Middletown, DE. 579 pp.
Davis, R. B. 2016. Bog and Fens. The University of 

New England Press, Lebanon, NH. 296 pp.

 -David W. MacDougall, CWB®, PWS Con-

sulting Biologist

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PSB 68(2) 2022

148

The Four Dimensions of  

Terrestrial Plants:  Repro-

duction, Structure, Evolu-

tion and Ecology

Veit M. Dörken, Dianne 

Edwards, Philip G. Ladd & 

Robert F. Parsons

2021.  

ISBN: 978-3-945941-80-5

Kessel Publishing House, Remagen-Oben-

winter, Germany

.

This volume summarizes the morphology of 

some early land plants, extant bryophytes, 

and vascular plants (including pteridophytes, 

gymnosperms, and angiosperms). I very 

much liked the layout of figures, going 

from overviews to detailed morphology to 

anatomical light micrograph sections and 

on occasion to SEMs. The line diagrams of 

life cycles are simple and clearly drawn and 

labelled in an easy-to-use manner. The book 

provides an up-to-date bibliography that I 

found particularly useful in tracking down 

recent contributions. 
The book is divided into two main sections; 

the first half is the morphology of major 

extant plant groups and the second half and 

discusses their ecology and is illustrated to 

show the plants in their habitats. The authors 

cover details of the vegetative adaptations 

of plants for their respective habitats, their 

dispersal mechanisms, and generally how 

they operate in the world.
The book is an attractive paperback that 

is well worth the purchase for the wealth 

of information it contains. There are some 

particularly nicely laid-out plates, such 

as one (Fig. 67) showing comparison of 

gymnosperm seed cones. However, low-

magnification photographs of anatomy have 

poor contrast and some are out of focus (e.g., 

Fig. 3E, p. 21; Fig. 35F, p. 105). Photographs 

in the first part of the book are a rather pale 

green. These issues could be corrected easily 

in a subsequent addition.
This volume partially fills a niche that hasn’t 

been filled in recent years, in the level of detail 

it treats each major group. In this manner it 

is reminiscent of the Ken Sporne books and 

to some extent Gifford and Foster. It is always 

good to see a volume that provides details 

on the members of the land plants that are 

not angiosperms, that stands back and takes 

into account all of the major groups of extant 

bryophytes, pteridophytes and gymnosperms.
Given the good things about this volume 

there are also some areas that caused me some 

concern:  
1. The lack of inclusion images of fossil 

plants (except for the Rhynie chert plants). 

The newly named “eophytes,” early land 

plants, are detailed and there are beautiful 

photographs of the Rhynie chert plants. 

However, this is as far as the illustrations of 

fossils go and the characterization of fossil 

record is only perfunctory.  There is no 

mention of trimerophytes or zosterophylls, 

and progymnosperms and fossil lycopsids, 

horsetails, ferns, pteridosperms and early seed 

plants are given only a fleeting reference. This 

is a book about extant plants, but you can’t 

tell the evolutionary stories of plant evolution 

without reference to the fossil record. This is 

the fallacy of the PPG I classification scheme 

that is currently in vogue. A statement 

mentioning that not all researchers accept this 

classification scheme would be in order.
2. Disregard for homology and incomplete 

statements.  For example, the horsetails are 

said to have sporophylls (p. 96). Structures 

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PSB 68(2) 2022

149

each bearing a whorl of sporangia on peltate 

heads are traditionally called sporangiophores 

to indicate their homology with branching 

systems, not leaf homologues. Table 1 (p. 11) 

equates microspores with pollen, whereas 

pollen includes both the microspore during 

development and the microgametophyte 

when mature and functional.
3. Odd statements. On p. 8: “In aquatic 

nonvascular plants assignment of gender is 

arbitrary relative to the size of the sex cells, 

large female cells and smaller mostly motile 

male cells with flagella.” I don’t understand 

why the authors think this, since larger cells 

even among algal groups are tending to 

produce more nutrients and are therefore 

fulfilling the “female” role.
4. There need to be qualifiers in some 

statements.  On p. 11: “The diaspore of algae 

is the diploid zygote which is released.” This is 

true of some algae—i.e., those with a dominant 

haploid life cycle—but there are many algae 

with other types of life cycles. I also find it 

interesting that except for a brief mention of 

zygnemetales as sister to land plant origin, 

there is little discussion about which group 

of green algae are thought to give rise to the 

land plants, nor anything about important 

synapomorphies such as the distinctive 

flagellar apparatus. Coleochaete and Chara are 

mentioned briefly, but not much about their 

potential evolutionary significance.
Also on p. 11, seed plants are said to have the 

embryo “embedded in a more or less well-

developed nutritional tissue (nucellus or 

endosperm)” and, on p. 17, “... the nucellus 

surrounds one functional megaspore are 

containing abundant nutrients.” In both cases 

it’s the megagametophyte, not the nucellus 

nor the megaspore that provides the nutrients 

for the embryo.

5. Some obscure and unusual terminology. 

For example, the authors use the macro- prefix 

in place of the mega- prefix, and the suffix 

-thallus instead of gametophyte. This leads 

to the rather unwieldy “macroprothallus” for 

“megagametophyte.” 
6. Some omissions. In Chapter 2, references 

to the Rhynie chert plants are not included.  

In the fern section, marattialean ferns are 

mentioned (pp. 76, 77) but not described.
In conclusion, this is a nice volume for 

introducing the broader plant world to 

audiences who often are only given the briefest 

of glimpses to the rich diversity of land plants 

along with the angiosperms. I only ask for 

some caution in the details discussed above.
-Kathleen B. Pigg, Arizona State University, 

Tempe

Plant, Soil and Microbes  

in Tropical Ecosystems

Suresh Kumar Dubey and 

Satish Kumar Verma (eds)

2021. ISBN: 978-981-16-

3364-5

US$199.99 (hardcover); 

US$149.00 (e-book); 

Springer Singapore 

In editing Plant, Soil and Microbes in Tropical 

Ecosystems, Suresh Kumar Dubey and Satish 

Kumar Verma hoped that their book would 

“develop a better understanding of how the 

soil types and abiotic factors influence the 

plant-soil-microbe interactions in tropics” 

(p. vii). We think that the text successfully 

highlights plant-microbe interactions in 

agroecosystems by providing readers with 

glimpses of basic and advanced techniques 

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PSB 68(2) 2022

150

designed for understanding rhizosphere 

biology and its importance in agricultural 

systems. Consisting of 17 independently 

written chapters, the book delves into a 

basic concept of plant-microbe interactions 

in the rhizosphere, extending out into a 

more advanced and direct understanding of 

methods and applications. Overall, we feel 

that this book would be beneficial to students 

interested in using these techniques and/or 

interested in going into more applied fields in 

sustainable agriculture.  
We would first like to point out that we found 

the title of the book to be a bit misleading.  Most 

of the chapters primarily focus on agricultural 

systems (agroecosystems) with very few 

examples of rhizospheric microbial impacts 

on plant host species in nature. Chapters that 

focused on tropical soils and plant ecology 

would have been helpful. Secondly, most 

chapters use case studies, examples, and 

paper citations primarily from India, and 

many of the crops discussed in chapters (e.g., 

wheat, rice, corn) are not exclusively tropical 

species. Because of these reasons, we believe 

that the title is a bit misleading and would 

therefore suggest that, if another edition is to 

be published, a focus on additional tropical 

ecosystems or a change in the title to more 

appropriately reflect the book’s content would 

be helpful. 
We believe that many similar overlapping 

chapter topics contributed to some 

redundancy in the book. For example, 

Chapters 3 and 4 both cover rhizospheric 

cyanobacteria, while Chapters 1, 2, and 12 all 

discuss plant-rhizobacterial interactions and 

mechanisms of suppressing stress/disease with 

varying specificity. In our collective opinion, 

these can be reduced to a single chapter of 

their respective topics by the editors. Other 

examples might be topics on abiotic and biotic 

stressors in Chapter 1, section 2.3 and Chapter 

10; herbicides and fertilizers discussed in 

Chapters 5, 15, and 17, and section 7.3; or 

similar concepts covered in Chapters 11 and 

14. Chapters on particular crops such as wheat 

(Chapter 8) and millet (Chapter 12) could be 

paired. Overall, we would be excited to read 

another edition of this book in the hopes that 

the editors restructure concepts and chapters 

to reduce content redundancy.  
As is currently organized, we might suggest a 

rearrangement of the book into five sections: 

(1)  The impacts of abiotic stressors on plant-

microbe interactions (e.g., Chapters 1, 2, 

8, 9, and 10); (2) the impacts of pathogens 

(e.g., Chapters 6, 8, and 12); (3) harnessing 

microbes to maximize productivity in 

agroecosystems (e.g., Chapters 7, 11, and 

12); and (4) the negative effects of herbicides 

and the promising impacts of biofertilizers 

in sustainable agriculture (e.g., Chapters 5, 

15, 16, and 17); (5) methods and techniques 

that can be used to characterize and quantify 

impacts of microbes (e.g., Chapters 11, 13, and 

14).  This is merely a suggestion; however, we 

believe that dividing the book into particular 

sections would aid in topic organization 

and furthermore eliminate concepts that 

were discussed multiple times in the current 

version. 
Overall, we feel that authors from some 

chapters could have promoted synthesis from 

the primary literature in a more effective 

way. For example, rather than synthesize the 

importance or mechanisms in which plant 

growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) 

function, the authors of Chapter 10 simply 

listed over 20 genera/species of plant growth 

promoting rhizobacterial at the end of the 

chapter abstract. Authors of numerous 

chapters compiled tables, which were helpful 

in summarizing current trends and topics in 

the literature, and we would have liked to see 

more chapters on the specific mechanisms 

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PSB 68(2) 2022

151

and methods of applications for use in 

agroecosystems (e.g., as described in Figures 

15.2 and 16.1). It also would have been effective 

for at least some chapters to publish raw data 

from current studies, but there unfortunately 

were no examples.  
We found that many of the citations included 

a geographic bias and failed to include more 

global, up-to-date papers. For example, in 

Chapter 5, the authors cited a nearly 21-year-

old paper (Oerke, 2005) to discuss the effects 

of weeds on crop yield. Later, in section 5.2 on 

production and consumption of herbicides, 

the authors cite a paper from 1985 about the 

global use of herbicides. We would suggest 

newer citations such as a recent review by 

Vila et al. (2021) in Environmental Research 

Letters on the effects of weeds on crop yields 

and a review paper by Sharma et al. (2019) on 

worldwide pesticide usage in Springer Nature 

Applied Sciences. Additionally, citations were 

also missing in many places. In Chapter 6, the 

authors wrote the following sentence without 

citation: “About 40% of the geographical 

area of the Indian subcontinent is utilized 

for agriculture, thus playing a crucial role in 

comprehensive socioeconomic development” 

(p. 102).  In Chapter 7, only two citations 

(both >15 years old) were used in an entire 

review section entitled “Microbial Functions 

in Soil” (section 7.2).  Similar instances occur 

in other chapters, and we encourage authors 

to exhibit good scholarship in synthesizing 

the literature.  

We reviewed Plant, Soil, and Microbes in 

Tropical Ecosystems as a graduate-level 

seminar course. Overall, aside from some 

organizational and housekeeping issues 

mentioned, we thought this book was helpful 

and informative to an audience interested 

in how rhizobacteria and other microbes 

could be beneficial in primarily Indian 

agroecosystems. Authors of the independent 

chapters did a nice job at bringing many 

different views from different experiments 

to explain how agroecosystems benefit from 

microbe-plant relationships. We particularly 

enjoyed a synthetic chapter on pathogenic 

microbes (Chapter 6), as well as chapters that 

outlined future directions and suggestions on 

improving agricultural productivity (Chapters 

15 and 16).  In all, we would like to see the 

editors update this book in the future. 
-Eric A. Griffin

1,2 

(ericgriffin742@gmail.com), 

Michelle Cadwell

2

, Joseph Lee Estrada

2

, Anai 

Hernandez

2

, Wilfred Herrera

2

, Joaquin Luce-

ro

2

, Johnchrist A. Osuji

2

, Andrea Manzanares

2

and Faith E. Valencia

2

1

 Department of Environmental Studies, War-

ren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Rd., 

Swannanoa, NC, 28778

2

 Department of Biology, New Mexico High-

lands University, 1005 Diamond St., Las 

Vegas, NM, 87701

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PSB 68(2) 2022

152

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PSB 68(2) 2022

153

Botany 

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THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS

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Lost Plants, Future 

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Plant Science Bulletin

The Botanical Society of 

America is a membership soci-

ety whose mission  is to: pro-

mote botany, the field of basic 

science dealing with the study 

& inquiry into the form, func-

tion, development, diversity, 

reproduction, evolution, & uses 

of plants & their interactions 

within the biosphere.

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                                                                                 Summer 2022 Volume 68 Number 2

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