• Of several species within particular habitat guilds;
• Of several species within particular taxonomic groupings;
• Of several species with unusual ecological interactions (hemiparasites, etc.);
• Assessing relative contributions of sexual and asexual reproduction to population growth and stability;
• Model metapopulation dynamics of species in disturbance-prone habitats such as coastal plain ponds, river shores, and natural or man-made forest gaps.

**In-situ and ex-situ seed banking studies:

• Comparing dormancy, percent viability, seed quality, reproductive output, germination cues, early seedling establishment and needs for habitat management in New England and heart-of-range populations;
• Studies of orchid-mycorrhizal relationships in early seedling establishment;
• Studies of seed dormancy among rare species of wetlands.

**Studies that address the advisability of augmentation (mixing lineages from different populations) in terms of objective measures of demography and fitness **Evaluating the role of habitat management in rare species conservation:

• Compare the use of fire with that of canopy thinning in restoring habitat and encouraging plant recovery;
• Quantify the effects of invasive plant species on rare plant populations and the consequences of their removal for the restoration of the target community and the target rare species itself;
• Quantify impacts of nutrient loading (from non-point and point sources as well as atmospheric deposition) on: competition with invasives; viability of symbiotic mutualisms; performance of aquatic plants in eutrophic waters; acidification of fens and rich woods on calcareous substrates;
• Quantify effects of herbivory by mammals and insects and evaluate possible management approaches;
• Document direct and indirect effects of ATV/ORV use on plant mortality;
• Historical frequencies and current uses of fire, especially in oak woodlands and marginal (roadside, power line, etc.) populations of plants (consider also prairie relicts).

Address the common biology of particular plant guilds that co-occur in specific habitats (obtaining basic information on ecology, threats, demography):

• Coastal plain pond species (e.g., Rhexia mariana, Sabatia spp., Eupatorium leucolepis var. novae-angliae, Rhynchospora inundata, Rhynchospora nitens, Hypericum adpressum, Ludwigia sphaerocarpa, Schoenoplectus etuberculatus);
• Species of the upland coastal plain (e.g., Aster concolor, Liatris scariosa var. novae-angliae, Zizia aptera);
• Species of rich woods (e.g., many orchids, Corydalis flavula, Hydrastis canadensis, Hydrophyllum canadense, Cynoglossum virginianum var. boreale);
• Species of dry oak woodlands and glades (e,g., Aristolochia serpentaria, Corydalis flavula, Nabalus serpentarius, Polymnia canadensis, Verbena simplex, Ageratina aromatica);
• Wetland (particularly fen and cedar bog) species (e.g., Goodyera oblongifolia, Listera spp., Ludwigia polycarpa, Rotala ramosior, Scirpus longii, Trollius laxus);
• Aquatic species (e.g., Eriocaulon parkeri, Echinodorus tenellus, Rotala ramosior, Potamogeton spp., Stuckenia filiformis ssp. occidentalis, Sclerolepis uniflora, Potamogeton ogdenii, Neobeckia aquatica);
• Riverside species (e.g., Carex garberi, Triantha glutinosa, Rhynchospora capillacea, Carex davisii);
• Species of serpentine (e.g., Adiantum viridimontanum, Moehringia macrophylla);
• Relict prairie species (e.g., Hackelia deflexa var. americana, Asclepias purpurascens, Zizia aptera, Solidago rigida, Taenidia integerrima, Liatris scariosa var. novae-angliae, Linum sulcatum).

Address ecological interactions that affect particular plant guilds:

• Orchids and associated mycorrhizae (e.g., Goodyera oblongifolia, Amerorchis rotundifolia, Listera spp., Platanthera ciliaris, Triphora trianthophora);
• Fabaceae and associated bacterial symbionts (e.g., Senna hebecarpa, Desmodium cuspidatum, D. sessilifolium)
• Species-specific plant-pollinator syndromes (e.g., orchid species, Corydalis flavula, other species for which pollination syndrome is unknown);
• Host-plants and mycoheterotrophs (e.g., Pedicularis lanceolata, Pterospora andromedea, Castilleja coccinea);
• Mechanisms of seed dispersal in rare species (myrmecochory, wind, water, etc.).

Studies to assess genetic heterogeneity within and among populations and to determine levels of gene flow and inbreeding:

• Any rare plant species with widely-separated populations;
• Putative self-incompatibility in rare members of the Asteraceae (e.g., Doellingeria infirma, Nabalus serpentarius, Aster oncolor, Hasteola suaveolens, Polymnia canadensis).
  

Investigate genetic basis of taxonomic problems to evaluate uniqueness, hybridization, and nativity of New England populations:

• Eupatorium leucolepis var. novae-angliae;
• Polemonium vanbruntiae (origins of disjunct populations);
• Stuckenia filiformis ssp. occidentalis (sterile hybrid);
• Agastache nepetoides and A. scrophulariifolia (disjunct distributions);
• Mimulus moschatus (relationships to western species).

Comparative studies of ecology, life history, physiology, etc. within taxonomic groupings:

• Cyperaceae;
• Orchidaceae;
• Asteraceae;
• Scrophulariaceae (sensu lato).

Follow this link to species-specific questions drawn from the Plans that address individual species.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list of potential research topics. If you are a faculty member or advanced undergraduate/graduate student formulating a research plan, for more information, contact:

Elizabeth Farnsworth
Senior Research Ecologist
New England Wild Flower Society

View the Plans