Among the Academies: Questions for Plants
As the planet warms, how will plants respond? For a clue, evolutionary ecologists like Sharon Strauss can move a plant outside of its comfort zone.
Strauss, a distinguished professor emerita of evolution and ecology, has conducted numerous experiments growing plants under conditions where they aren’t usually found, with the aim of studying how they’ll respond.
“One of the things that I love about working with plants is that they can’t move. So you can force them to grow in areas or under conditions where they don't grow by just planting them there,” Strauss said. “And if they germinate or survive there, then you can say, ‘How do you like living there? And what are the reasons that you don't thrive there?’”
Strauss said her goal is to learn about the ecological niche of a given species — the place where it thrives. For example, the rainfall must be adequate, the soil must contain the right nutrients and the plants can’t all become food for animals.
Strauss’ work has earned her numerous accolades, including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the California Academy of Sciences and more.