Phys.org publishes UMaine release on loss of native plants in MDI
Phys.org published a University of Maine news release about research by Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie, a UMaine postdoctoral researcher, showing that areas across the Northeast have lost an average of one-fourth of their local plant biodiversity in the last 50 to 150 years. McDonough MacKenzie and her research team compared 19th century botanical records from Mount Desert Island to a recent survey and found 16 percent of plants originally documented are now extinct, including 43 percent of orchids and 43 percent of lilies. Causes likely include habitat loss, climate change, damage from deer, and pollution, according to the release.