Research News

YSU Field Botany Students Contribute to Campus Biodiversity Research

Undergraduate students in Field Botany (Fall 2025) at Youngstown State University collaborated on a manuscript currently in preparation: “Public landscapes favor traits…TBD.” The study, led by Assistant Professor Santosh K. Rana, in collaboration with Professor Ian J Renne, surveyed 112 plant species across campus green spaces, revealing that introduced species dominate highly managed areas due to management-driven ecological filtering, not ecological invasion. This work positions campuses as hybrid ecosystems and highlights opportunities for trait-based landscape design to enhance biodiversity.

Sunburst diagram illustrating the hierarchical organization of plant species by origin (native vs. introduced), habitat type (bed, lawn, flowerbed), taxonomic family, and species across managed campus environments.

Decoding the genomic basis of adaptive capacity and vulnerability in the high-altitude Saussurea obvallata complex (In Press: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2025.12.004)

Highlights

  • Genomic data reveals a speciation continuum in Saussurea obvallata complex.
  • Structure-aware GEA shows climate/topography shape allele-frequency turnover.
  • Genomic offset (RCP4.5, 2070) peaks in southern Himalayas and HDM edges.
  • Central HHM flagged as low-offset refugia; margins prioritized for mitigation.