Flowering Plants There are a number of botanists at The Field Museum that study flowering plants. Their research interests cover such topics as the diversity of neotropical plants, taxonomic revisions of the Asteraceae, Solanaceae, and other diverse plant families, forest ecology, especially as it relates to conservation biology, the restoration of paries and oak-savannas in the Chicago area, and the search for new anti-AIDS and anticancer compounds in plants. Current Research Fungi/Lichens Field Museum mycologists are interested in documenting and understanding the diversity and biogeography of fungi, the effect of human activity on this diversity, the evolutionary relationships among the fungi, and the mutually beneficial symbioses (mutualisms) such as lichens and mycorrhizae that some fungi form with plants. To do this they travel the world collecting new species, documenting diversity, and studying fungal ecology. Back at the museum they study the museum's collections using computer assisted microscopy, high speed computers, and molecular biology techniques to further investigate these questions. They also are actively involved with developing the next generation of mycologists by training undergraduate and graduate students. Current Research Mosses/Liverworts Field Museum scientists study the two main groups of bryophytes, mosses and liverworts. Taxonomic revisions, biogeographic studies, and studies investigating the usefulness of mosses in understanding the quality of the forest and grassland communities in the Midwest are principle research interests. Current Research Economic Botany Economic botany is broadly defined as the study of the relationship between people and plants. This interdisciplinary study encompasses the fields of anthropology and botany as it explores the countless ways humans employ plants for food, medicine, textiles, shelter and more. Today economic botany continues to make significant contributions to anthropology, botany and environmental conservation. Current Research

Agaricales of Costa Rican Quercus Forests Andean Botanical Information System (ABIS) Flora Mesoamericana Project Electronic Image Management Macrofungi of China and Eastern North America Mushroom Genus Laccaria in North America Natural Products Initiative Northern Illinois and Indiana Fungi NSF-PEET Lasiosphaeriaceae Phylogeny, Character Evolution, and Diversification of Extant Ferns Rapid Color Guides Singer Index Tree of Life (Filicopsida)