How are plants and animals affected by rapid changes in their environment? Researchers at the University of Vermont's Keller Lab are combining aspects of evolutionary biology and ecology—known as ecological genomics—to find out. Steve Keller is an associate professor in the Department of Plant Biology, and leads the Keller Lab with a group of post-doctoral associates, graduate, and undergraduate students. He realizes that human impacts on the environment can abruptly change the genetic and ecological conditions for species evolution, and the consequences of these changes need to be identified for future conservation efforts and resource management. Keller’s research ranges from the genetics of climate adaptation in forest trees, hybridization in invasive plants, and the influence of wind power plants on bats. 

Keller recently co-authored a research publication on red spruce, a coniferous tree species with a fragmented range in eastern North America. The authors wanted to understand more about the genetic fitness and diversity of local populations of these trees, and how this information can lead to success in restoring red spruce to montane (high altitude) forests. Why study red spruce? Forest fragmentation and climate change have already taken a toll on the overall health of these trees. Red spruce is considered a "foundational species", which means it provides structure and habitats for several plant and animal communities, and many of them are classified as rare and threatened. Keller’s research will give a clearer picture of genetic adaptation within local populations of red spruce, which will aid in the future selection of plants that can adapt more quickly and thrive. 

Brittany Verrico has been a member of the Keller Lab for several years, starting out as a graduate student and advancing to the position of post-doctoral researcher. She received accolades for a graduate research project that used data collected from a 50-year history of long-term forest monitoring, begun by UVM researchers Hub Vogelmann and Tom Siccama on Camel’s Hump in Vermont. Verrico investigated the response by red spruce to stressors caused by human activity such as air pollution and warming temperatures. 

Steve Keller next to a red spruce laden with spruce cones; Brittany Verrico stands next to a red spruce common garden on Mount Mansfield.

Verrico studied plant ecology as an undergraduate student but felt like she was missing the whole story on how or why a population of plants grew in a certain place, and why they would thrive or decline. She decided to study genetics in graduate school, and the Keller Lab was a great match for her interests. Part of her graduate research involved planting three "common gardens" of red spruce seedlings at different elevations on Mount Mansfield with other members of the Keller Lab: at low elevation (420 meters or 1378 feet), mid-elevation (705 m or 2313 ft), and high elevation (1150 m or 3773 ft). A goal for the plantings was to observe how the seedlings responded to climates at these different elevations, and then link growth to their population of origin (where the plants or seeds originally came from) through genetic analysis. Although Verrico had never hiked in a high altitude/alpine zone before moving to Vermont, she realized after many mountain climbs how fragile these ecosystems are to human impacts. 

A red spruce plantation in Colebrook, New Hampshire is the subject of Verrico's current post-doctoral research. This plantation is near the borders of Quebec, Vermont, and Maine, and consists of trees that are at least 60 years old. Using tree ring data, she plans to investigate the connection between genomic and phenotypic data (e.g., height, age, biomass) and how to mitigate the effects of climate change, by choosing a red spruce population that will perform best under variable conditions.  

During her graduate research and post-doctoral work, Verrico has used data that was collected over 50 to 60 years. She appreciates the value of data from long-term ecosystem monitoring projects and said, "it's a legacy to carry on and share that knowledge over 50 years. It is a humbling experience. You become grounded within the place, the work you do has meaning, and the transects you retrace are like being a traveler through space and time."