CANCELLED. To be rescheduled.
Serpentine soils are often des cribed as harsh, toxic and nutrient-poor, yet they harbor extraordinar y concentrations of rare and endemic plants found nowhere else on Eart h. In this presentation, we will journey through the serpentine l andscapes in California and beyond to discover how these unusual soils shape evolution, biodiversity and ecological specialization. Along th e way, Nishi will share recent discoveries about serpentine plants and other organisms and explore the remarkable adaptations that allow the m to flourish where few others can survive.
Nishi will also disc uss the growing challenges these species face from climate change, atm ospheric nitrogen deposition, mining and urban development. Finally, w e will examine the emerging promise of agromining, a technology that u ses metal-accumulating plants to recover valuable metals such as nickel, showing how these botanical specialists may contribute to a mo re sustainable future.
Nishi Rajakaruna is a profess or of biology at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and has spent more than two decades exploring the remarkable plants and ecosystems associated&nbs p;with serpentine soils in California and around the world. His resear ch focuses on how plants adapt to challenging soil environments, the o rigins of rare and endemic species and the conservation of rock outcro p biota.
He is also interested in metal-accumulating plants and their potential use in emerging technologies such as agromining. Nishi enjoys sharing the stories of serpentine plants and other biota with both scientific and public audiences and helping connect people with t he natural history of the landscapes around them.
DTSTAMP:20261024T205436 DTSTART;TZID=America/Tijuana:20260930T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Tijuana:20260930T203000 SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR