Editor's Picks
Plant Focus
A Request to IOS Members to Participate in an Oak Research Project
Alex Kirsch, a master's candidate at Minnesota State University, Mankato, is conducting a study with Dr. Matthew Kaproth on ecological specialization in oaks. Alex would greatly appreciate it if IOS members could participate in a survey designed to provide a dataset for the comparison of specialization between different Quercus species.
If you choose to participate, the links (organized by geographic region) below will take you through many Quercus species. Simply select an answer from 1-5, based on how specialized you believe the corresponding species is, with 5 being the most specialized, while 1 is for those that aren't much specialized at all. Below each name is a link that will provide information on that species, so that you may remind yourself of it, and to ensure everyone is thinking of the same species. Don't feel obligated to speak for every species; questions can be left blank, or checked as "no familiarity".
Feel free to contact Alex at alex.kirsch@mnsu.edu with any questions!
Survey Links by Biogeographic Region
Oaks of Mexico, Central America, Arizona, and New Mexico (76 Species):
https://mnsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6MxK71oRdLvMKgu
Oaks of eastern North America (59 Species):
https://mnsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5iIgLUviQ26HYhM
Oaks of California Floristic Province and the Pacific Northwest (25 Species):
https://mnsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0P65TJqyY4i0ZD0
Oaks of Eurasia (21 Species):
https://mnsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6GnI6geO5AD6rj0
Note: If you're not familiar with the concepts of specialization, don't feel pressured to participate or to define the terms! You can also refer to this paper for more information on these concepts:
