Helen Holmlund

Natalie’s paper accepted to Plant Disease

Our lab recently had a short paper (a disease “note”) accepted to the journal Plant Disease! The paper is titled “First Report of Botryosphaeria dothidea Causing Stem Canker and Plant Death in Malosma laurina in Southern California.” Pepperdine graduate (class of 2017) Natalie Aguirre is the lead author on the paper. Over the last couple … Read more Natalie’s paper accepted to Plant Disease

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.

Ferns in Olympic National Park

This summer I visited the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park in Washington State. Here in the temperate rainforest, the plants receive more than 100 inches of rain each year! The trees are covered with moss, and the ferns thrive in the understory. The Hoh Rainforest is next to a river fed by melted glaciers. I … Read more Ferns in Olympic National Park

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 student 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 dehydration tolerance, especially during California’s drought. As an undergraduate, I spent several summers … 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 student 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.