Achievement

Trainees Paul Gulezian, Jennifer Ison and Kelly Granberg are nearing completion of their interdisciplinary capstone project on the invasion of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) into the Chicago area. They completed a regional survey of poison hemlock and found nine populations, all growing within 0.5 km of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District property. Soils were collected from all sites and soil characterization determined that these sites had elevated levels of Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead. Genetic studies and a seedling establishment experiment will determine if invasive genotypes are adapted to contaminated soils. This work was presented at the UIC Research Forum in April 2009.