Every summer, around 1,000 botanists congregate for the Botanical Society of America’s Annual Meeting. During the week-long conference, these botanists share their most recent research through oral and poster presentations, as well as attend numerous workshops and field trips. This year’s conference was held in Tucson, Arizona, near the Tucson Mountain Park, a 20,000-acre desert preserve. Through the funding I received from the FLMNH travel grant this summer, I was able to attend this year’s meeting.
At the conference, I presented my research titled ”Do Traits Structure Extinction Risk Across Florida’s Flora?” This research explores how the extinction risk of native seed plants in Florida is influenced by morphological traits such as plant height and fruit size, as well as different human-induced threats which result in habitat loss and change. From this research, we found that species’ individual responses to extinction risk depend on their overall morphology and the threats present. Aside from presenting my research to fellow scientists, I was also able to attend several talks across a variety of topics, including biogeography, conservation biology, and population genetics. The conference also allowed me to network with fellow researchers from different backgrounds and interests and form potential future collaborations, both of which are highly valuable as an early career researcher.
One of my favourite parts of the conference was being able to explore the surrounding Tucson Mountain Park in the early mornings. This was my first time seeing Saguaro cactus forests, and only a handful of times being in a hot desert ecosystem. Exploring these ecosystems enabled me to learn more about native desert flora and fauna. I am thankful for the funding received from the FLMNH travel award and the opportunity to attend this year’s annual meeting, allowing me to present my postdoctoral research at an international conference.
Zoë Dennehy-Carr is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Robert Guralnick, Pamela Soltis and Doug Soltis.
The 2026 Summer Student Travel Awards are supported by the FLMNH Department of Natural History, including funds from the Natural Science Special Projects and Awards. If you would like to help support this fund for future student awards, please go to: