As part of receiving the Acorda Scientific Excellence Award, Gayosso-Lucano has been featured on WFAS 1230-AM, where she spoke about her project.
Gayosso-Lucano's research explores whether urbanization contributes to the decrease of genetic diversity of red oaks in the Northeast. This is a significant question because red oaks are a foundation species, which means that if red oaks are affected, other species that depend on them — like humans — will be affected as well.
To answer questions about urbanization and the genetic diversity of red oaks, Gayosso-Lucano has collected leaf samples and DNA from trees in 50 sample locations, and is comparing those samples in the laboratory.
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