Current Events
Dr. Jesse Bellemare
Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Smith College
Northampton, MA
"Horticultural Escape and Naturalization of Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala) in the Northeastern U.S.: Implications of Climate Change for Plant Conservation"
Mark your calendar for the next NEBC Meeting on Saturday, December 4, 2021, at 7:00 PM EST via Zoom.
Non-members may register for the meeting access link here.
Abstract: Climate change is predicted to be a top threat to biodiversity in coming decades as climatic conditions shift faster than most species can adapt or migrate. Plants in particular appear to be lagging behind changing climate, or not shifting their distributions at all. However, in the eastern U.S., many native plant species are already grown horticulturally beyond their range boundaries, often 100s of kilometers to the north, and a subset of these species now appear to be escaping from horticulture and naturalizing in the northeastern U.S, potentially associated with recent climate change. Umbrella Magnolia (
Magnolia tripetala) appears to be a prime example of this phenomenon: its historical native range extends north from the southeastern U.S. into Maryland and southern Pennsylvania, but numerous naturalized populations, often associated with horticultural specimens, have now established 200-300 km to the north in parts of eastern PA, NJ, NY, and southern and central New England. This phenomenon provides empirical evidence that human introductions, even if unplanned and unintentional, can facilitate the types of rapid, large-scale range shifts that are expected to be necessary for many plants in coming decades, but appear unlikely to occur with natural dispersal alone. Whether by natural dispersal or human intervention, the flora of the northeastern U.S. will likely see increasing numbers of southern plant species establishing in coming decades as climate continues to warm. Managing this dynamic may require a reappraisal of our static concepts around "native" species and how we view the establishment and spread of some "exotic" plant species, particularly if these species are declining in their historical native ranges to the south.
Congratulations to the 2021 Junior Faculty Award on the Flora of New England Winner
Dr. Kristin K. Coe, Assistant Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, for her project entitled "Quantifying moss-associated nitrogen fixation in New England peatlands."
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Congratulations to our 2021 Graduate Student Research Award Winners
Michael LaScaleia
Madeleine Meadows-McDonnell
Amber Stanley
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Congratulations to the 2021 Les Mehrhoff Botanical Research Award Winners
Peter P. Grima
Emily T. Magleby
Matt Peters
Amanda Weise
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