Author ORCID Identifier

0009-0008-2826-9163

Date of Award

5-31-2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Biology/Environmental Biology

First Advisor

Brook T. Moyers

Abstract

Biodiversity conservation is an inherently interdisciplinary goal that requires effective collaboration among academics, ecosystem managers, policymakers, and other stakeholders. Codesigning research with these groups ensures experiments are useful and improves adoption of policy and practice recommendations while advancing our understanding of basic science. This dissertation explores the power of codesigned research in shaping plant conservation strategies using stakeholder engagement, causal inference, demographic modeling, and multi-omic sequencing techniques. In chapter 1 I discuss the history of New England ecosystems and the need for research-driven changes to plant conservation policy and practice in the face of global change. In chapter 2, I use causal modeling on a long-term tree biodiversity dataset to assess the effectiveness of a state forestry conservation law. In chapter 3, I engage with pine barren ecosystem management stakeholders to design and execute a population genomic study of the regionally threatened plant Lupinus perennis in support of new seed translocation policies in the Northeast US. In chapter 4, I assemble and annotate the genome of the salt marsh plant Salicornia depressa and apply the resource to resolve taxonomic questions in the genus raised by salt marsh managers. I again apply the new S. depressa genomic resource to a controlled greenhouse experiment in chapter 5 to conduct a transcriptomic analysis of plant response to nitrogen pollutants that threaten the structural integrity of salt marshes and make them more vulnerable to sea level rise. I then perform genome and methylome sequencing on S. depressa from natural marshes to determine if plants are adapting to nitrogen pressure in managed and unmanaged marshes. I conclude in chapter 6 with a discussion of the benefits of collaborative research and future directions for these lines of inquiry. Taken together, this research details the power of a multidisciplinary approach to translational science and provides an outline for achieving collaborative research that advances conservation policy and practice.

Comments

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