Pictured here, faculty member Michael Sundue (right) and Ph.D. student Weston Testo collect Pleopeltis fern specimens in Colombia. Michael and Wes are researchers in the Barrington lab, which investigates the diversity and evolution of spore-dispersed plants, especially ferns and clubmosses.

At the molecular level, faculty explore the biochemistry, molecular physiology, and development of plants. At the cell and organ levels, we are engaged in understanding the physiology of plant processes with special attention to their chemistry and biophysics. At the organismal, community, and landscape levels, department members develop insights into plant diversity and interactions between plants, other members of their biotic communities, and their abiotic environment.