Biology graduate research explores plant water use in desert ecosystems

Dave Boak, a Master of Science student in the Department of Biological Sciences, recently conducted field research in the Mojave Desert as part of his graduate work. Boak, a member of the Palmquist Lab, traveled with Dr. Kyle Palmquist to sites in Nevada and California, where they collaborated with researchers from Utah State University.

During the fieldwork, the team carried out hydrologic tracer experiments to study how plants access water in arid environments. The process involved injecting deuterium, a stable isotope, into soil at specific depths and measuring its uptake by plants. By collecting transpired water from plant leaves, researchers can determine how plants draw water from different soil layers.

The data collected will be used by Boak to improve models of plant water use and better understand plant responses to environmental conditions. This work contributes to broader efforts to predict how plant communities may respond to climate change, particularly in water‑limited ecosystems.