Exploring and characterizing plant diversity and diversification
We combine field collections, herbarium study, morphology, phylogenomics, population genomics, spectral phenomics, and comparative methods to study plant lineages and their evolutionary histories.
Plant systematics
ErythroxylaceaeCoca and its relativesSpecies delimitation, domestication, adaptation, biogeography, and botanical knowledge relevant to policy.
Work in Erythroxylaceae integrates genomics, herbarium specimens, leaf morphology, chemistry, ethnobotany, and fieldwork to understand the origins and diversity of cultivated coca and its wild relatives.
DryasArctic-alpine diversificationSpecies delimitation, phylogeography, hybridization, and Pleistocene climate history.
Work on Dryas as a system for studying how climate oscillations structure geographic, phenotypic, and genomic variation in arctic-alpine plants.
PoaceaeNorth American grassesCollections-based phylogeography, spectral phenomics, traits, climate, soils, and disturbance gradients.
The S.M. Tracy Herbarium's unequaled grass collections create an opportunity to study diversification and adaptation across North American grassland ecoregions.
Collections innovation
Herbaria are not simply archives. They are research infrastructure for synthesizing biodiversity data across time, space, and lineages.
Spectral phenomics Reflectance spectra from herbarium specimens High-throughput, non-destructive information about taxonomy, traits, plant function, and extended-specimen data.
We develop and apply spectral workflows that link preserved plant tissues to functional traits, taxonomic models, and extended-specimen data systems. As a part of IHerbSpec, the lab also contributes to international efforts to standardize spectral measurement and metadata workflows so that herbarium spectra can be shared, compared, and reused.
Herbarium data hub Networks of datasets derived from and anchored to biological collections A collection-level framework for linking specimens with spectra, images, traits, molecules, geography, and conservation data.
We are developing ideas for a herbarium data hub that connects S.M. Tracy Herbarium specimens with the extended datasets generated from them, including spectra, images, traits, genomic data, geographic information, and conservation-relevant observations. The goal is to make specimen-linked data more discoverable, interpretable, and reusable while maintaining compatibility with broader biodiversity data networks such as GBIF and iDigBio.
This work asks what a well-resourced, collection-level public interface can add beyond existing aggregators: richer context for local collections, tighter links among project datasets, clearer data provenance, and new ways for students, collaborators, and data users to move from a specimen record to the biological evidence connected to it.
Floristics and conservation
Conservation begins with knowing what exists, where it occurs, and how it is changing.
CentinelaBotany-based conservation in western EcuadorFloristic inventories, threatened species assessments, restoration, and conservation partnerships.
Ongoing work in western Ecuador uses field surveys, herbarium vouchers, taxonomic synthesis, ex situ collections, and restoration to support conservation of threatened forest fragments.
Texas floraRegional plant diversity and stewardshipFilling collection gaps, refreshing historical records, and connecting collections to conservation and education.
At Texas A&M, the lab will work with the S.M. Tracy Herbarium to document, study, and communicate the diversity of the Texas flora.