Morris Arboretum is aiming to unlock the genetic keys to sustaining native trees and ferns with a new plant science lab.
The facility, which will sit on the Chestnut Hill arboretum's Bloomfield Farm, is in the early phases of construction. But when it opens, it will dramatically boost the staff's research capacity in molecular biology. Through DNA science, these botanists hope to develop strategies to save native flora impacted by climate change.
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Cindy Skema, one of the public garden's botanical scientists, said via email that the team would likely continue its research on the slender rock-brake fern and the Virginia mallow, a flowering perennial. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has classified both plants as endangered. The arboretum also plans to investigate whether any pure native red mulberry remain in Pennsylvania since, as Skema explained, "they have a habit of hybridizing and back crossing with white mulberry," an invasive species.
Harmful interlopers like the white mulberry aren't the only threat to native species. Hotter temperatures and longer droughts exacerbated by climate change are also significant factors. More frequent rain can also negatively impact certain trees native to Pennsylvania, which suffer in persistently soggy soil.
Morris Arboretum said understanding the genetics of these plants is key to conserving them and, by extension, local ecosystems. Native species provide food for birds and bees, help prevent erosion and lower air pollution, among other benefits.
The public garden's new lab will feature a wet lab, where botanists can analyze chemicals and plant matter, as well as a dry lab for data analysis. Morris Arboretum hopes to complete construction by early 2025.
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