IDAHO: Molly Garrett and Lukas Grossfurthner

NSF EPSCoR – GEM3 Project

Molly Garrett and Lukas Grossfurthner, doctoral students at the University of Idaho, were recently featured in the 2021 Research Report "Inspired Discoveries" highlighting their GEM3 work in Sagebrush.

Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a landscape dominating plant species in the intermountain region in the western U.S. linking genetic information with chemistry, physiology and biotic communities allows for the understanding of how genetic differences in sagebrush influence the entire ecosystem. Together, as part of the EPSCoR GEM3 effort, researchers, Molly Garrett and Lukas Grossfurthner, at the University of Idaho are among the first to be exploring these types of processes and functions in the sagebrush system. Their research will fill large gaps in our understanding of these processes in distinct and intermediate sagebrush plant-types, identify how they influence their environment and predict potential variation under changing environmental conditions. Ultimately, they hope to advance ecological and evolutionary theory, improve understanding of a unique ecosystem and inform restoration efforts.