Achievement

The first LEAP cohort are publishing their interdisciplinary capstone project involving the invasion of poison hemlock into the Chicago region. Specifically, the students analyzed how soil contamination along roadsides may influence the range expansion of Conium maculatum (poison hemlock) into Cook County. They combined analyses that characterized the soil and measured concentrations of heavy metals and PAHs where Conium is growing. The study also involved an assessment of the genetic structure of individuals within and among nine known populations in Cook County. Finally, they tested for tolerance to heavy metals and local adaptation with greenhouse establishment experiments. They found elevated levels of metals and PAHs in the soil where Conium was growing. This study will be published in the July issue of the journal 'American Midland Naturalist'.