Zane Robertson: Rumex orthoneurus
Rumex orthoneurus is an herbaceous riparian perennial within the Polygonaceae or Buckwheat family native to Arizona and is a Forest Service sensitive species. One of the issues regarding the “threatened” status of R. orthoneurus is the taxonomic distinctions between R. orthoneurus and closely related species, such as R. densiflorus, R. pycnanthus, and R. occidentalis. My research focuses on using ribosomal RNA extracted from herbarium specimens, GenBank sequences, and other historic records to provide insight on the identity of R. orthoneurus and better inform conservation efforts.
Zane Robertson is a Plant Biology and Conservation M.S. graduate of Arizona State University. His interest lies in rare plant conservation and molecular biology, and his thesis focuses on combining historic and molecular techniques to clarify the identity of the rare plant Rumex orthoneurus. He is from Mukilteo, Washington State, where he first gained interest in plant biology while volunteering at the community garden. He graduated from Everett Community College within the Ocean Research College Academy program, where he gained an interest in research and the principles of conservation within the natural world. During his time at Montana State University, he studied wheat breeding and tested a quantitative trait loci (QTL) from spring wheat varieties to identify the effect of the QTL on different traits. He is currently working as a Conservation and Land Management Program (CLM) Intern with the U.S. Forest Service at Tonto National Forest and Chicago Botanical Garden.
