Researchers from Acadia University tramp the marshy bogs of the Bay of Fundy shore, gathering seeds of the eastern mountain avens (Geum peckii) and freezing them for long-term safekeeping.
The short, yellow-flowered plant, which grows only in Nova Scotia and New Hampshire, is critically endangered. Acadia's small-but-growing seed bank helps protect such native species from "catastrophic" loss of habitat, says propagation specialist Robin Browne. "The long-term goal is the preservation of biodiversity and the conservation of species."
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