Morris Arboretum (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Daderot | CC0)
Credit: Courtesy of Wikimedia Creative Commons
Morris Arboretum & Gardens has completed construction on their new Plant Science Lab to accelerate research in plant identification, conservation genetics, and species evolution using molecular tools.
The lab, located at Bloomfield Farm on the Chestnut Hill arboretum campus, was completed in June after construction began late last year. The project was funded by a combination of long-term supporters and internal operational funds, bringing modern wet-lab capabilities to Morris.
In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Executive Director William Cullina said the lab fills a critical gap for the Arboretum’s scientific staff, who previously lacked access to facilities for DNA and RNA analysis. Without wet-lab space, researchers were limited to field surveys and herbarium work.
“We haven’t had any modern lab facilities in quite a long time,” Cullina said, adding that the new space is designed specifically to support “the kind of cutting-edge work that we want to do.”
Botanical scientist and lab researcher Cindy Skema added that the new facility will allow the arboretum to further study native plants.
“There were a lot of questions outstanding about the flora of Pennsylvania,” Skema said. “We really needed to get the tools necessary to get the molecular tools in our toolkit so that we could answer more questions.”
The lab is central to Skema’s next projects, which focuses on phylogenomics and population genomics.
“You need as much evidence as possible,” she said. “We go all the way from morphology through to the DNA sequences of the plant to try to figure out how they are related and how they evolved.”
One of the lab’s first research targets is the Virginia mallow — a flowering perennial endangered species in Pennsylvania. Though the plant displays traits typically associated with weeds, such as drought and flood tolerance and easy propagation from seeds and roots, it remains scarce across the state.
“By all those characteristics, you would think it would be everywhere, but it’s actually fairly rare in Pennsylvania,” Skema said.
Through population genomics, using samples she has been collecting for a whole, Skema is analyzing how Virginia mallow populations are genetically related to inform seed banking and restoration work. The research is also exploring how to take care of this plant in day-to-day life — such as analyzing when and how roadside mowing may be harming the species.
“If we’re mowing at the wrong time of year, we could actually be detrimentally affecting this rare plant,” she said.
Using greenhouse propagation, Skema has already made unexpected findings. While the species is scientifically named “sida hermaphrodita,” suggesting both reproductive organs in one flower, Skema’s team discovered the presence of entirely female plants.
“Unexpectedly, it does have sex separation,” she said. “We actually found that there are females in the population.”
Skema’s team has also applied for a grant to study other rare plant species, a project they hope will come to the lab soon. Another project underway focuses on a rare sedge, pairing ecological field studies with population genomics to determine what environmental factors dictate how it reproduces and whether genetics play a role in limiting reproduction.
Penn biology professors expressed positive reactions to the new lab.
Biology professor Brian Gregory emphasized that the lab is “a wonderful addition.”
“This facility will have the potential to provide facilities for a faculty member to run their own research lab directly in the Arboretum space,” Gregory told the DP.
Biology professor Doris Wagner echoed a similar sentiment, adding that the lab will allow for possibilities for collaboration with the broader Penn community.
“This opens up exciting possibilities for collaboration with Penn’s research community including with Evolutionary Biologists, Plant Biologists or folks in Earth and Environmental Sciences,” Wagner said. “We look forward to many fruitful interactions.”
The plant science lab aligns with Penn’s larger climate goals. Under its Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 4.0, the University expanded carbon-neutrality targets.
“A lot of the work that we plan to do on the plant genetic side of things, is that idea of that climate resilience, both looking for native trees that are better adapted to our new climate for urban canopy use, for the city, for municipalities, and climate resistance in general,” Cullina said.
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