Helen Holmlund

Ferns on Lizard Island

Last summer (winter?) in Australia, I traveled to Lizard Island to study the ferns there. Lizard Island is located off the coast of northeastern Australia in the Great Barrier Reef. Lizard Island was named by Captain Cook because of the large goannas that roam the island. As far as field work goes, it was a … Read more Ferns on Lizard Island

MicroCT Paper in New Phytologist

Our study of how water moves through resurrection ferns was recently published in New Phytologist! This study was a collaboration with Drs. Anna Jacobsen and Brandon Pratt at California State University, Bakersfield. We used high resolution micro-CT scans to visualize the dynamics of water movement in resurrection ferns while they were drying out and resurrecting. … Read more MicroCT Paper in New Phytologist

Santa Cruz Island, January 2018

Earlier this month, several of us took a field trip to Santa Cruz Island to continue our research project on foliar water uptake in island ferns. This time, we were transplanting island ferns to the mainland for further experiments. As always, the boat ride was fantastic! Dolphins followed us part of the way, and the … Read more Santa Cruz Island, January 2018

Superbloom in Anza Borrego Desert

Last week, my friend Sabrina and I went to the Anza Borrego desert to check out the superbloom! Many of the flowers grew close to the roadside. We found some beautiful Cheilanthes parryi! This small fuzzy white fern grows primarily in the shade of large rocks on the shady side of the hill.

Paper published in American Journal of Botany

Our lab at Pepperdine recently published our first fern paper in the American Journal of Botany! The abstract is available here, and requests for full-text may be sent to helenireneholmlund@gmail.com.

About Me

I am a PhD candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I study plant physiological ecology, which means that I look at a plant’s function (physiology) in the context of its environment (ecology). Specifically, my research interests include fern physiological ecology and adaptations to low water availability, such as desiccation tolerance and salt tolerance. As … Read more About Me

Research

Ferns are fascinating! Although we generally associate ferns with the rainforest or other places with lots of water, ferns also thrive in arid ecosystems, such as the desert and the chaparral. I study how ferns can thrive in these dry areas. What adaptations allow them to survive? What strategies make them successful in places where … Read more Research

The Botanists Abroad (blog)

Check out my recent adventures in the field! Ferns grow in some of the places that you’d least expect, including the desert and treetops.

Home

Welcome to my personal website! I am a PhD candidate working with Dr. Jarmila Pittermann at the University of California, Santa Cruz. To learn more about my lab’s research, please visit my advisor’s page here.

Contact me:

Helen Holmlund

University of California, Santa Cruz
Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
130 McAllister Way
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
helenireneholmlund at gmail dot com

Photo credits: Dr. Steve Davis (except where noted otherwise)

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