This week Carolyn Flower defended her masters thesis, titled “Food Plant Biogeography of the Sonoran Desert”. She is the lab’s first ASU student to graduate.

Carolyn’s work focused on human impacts on plant dispersal and biogeography, as seen through the lens of food uses. She has shown that in the Sonoran Desert, many edible species (like this cactus, Echinocereus engelmannii) may be found in places today because of the actions of past human groups who have lived on these landscapes. It is very exciting work and I hope we will have it published soon.

Carolyn is off to a great job with the Arizona Game and Fish Department in a few weeks. We’ll be sad to lose her from the lab, but wish her well on her new adventures!