Fieldwork in Monahans Sandhills State Park, one of the study sites for our research focused on how local adaptation and hybridization shape genetic variation in shinnery oak—a foundational species that stabilizes sand dunes in the south-central US.

@shockerbotany.bsky.social good advice! 🤣

Curro! For real, that place is something else. We camped at a very remote place and it was incredible. Being way out in the middle of nowhere, the stars were just mind-blowing.

Here are some photos from our fieldwork at Big Bend Ranch State Park! We collected leaf samples from Quercus hinckleyi to investigate epigenetic variation within populations. This research is supported by the International Oak Society.

Antelope Hills, western OK.

Fieldwork in western OK! Today we scouted for shinnery oak populations in Quartz Mountains and surroundings. What a cool place Quartz Mountains State Park! Finally, we found our study population near Blair. Ryan has another piece of information for his assessment of the species’ genomic variation!

Do you want to hear more about the interests of our awarded PBEE senior student, Lainey Kirshberger? Check the new post on the Castilla Lab website. We are proud of Lainey and of contributing to providing research experiences to @okstate.edu undergrad students!

www.arcastilla.com/blognews/int...

Kayleen Sugianto, one of my former General Ecology students, was recognized as the Ideal Graduate! It’s truly rewarding to be on the other side of the room and watch my students achieve such ambitious goals. I’m confident you’ll go on to do great things, Kayleen—congratulations! @okstate.edu

Enjoying some social time with my team! I'm grateful to work with such an enthusiastic and inspiring group. One of the great things about academia is the constant interaction with new generations of scientists—it's energizing to feel their passion for science!

Our colleague Lainey Kirshberger was awarded as PBEE senior outstanding undergraduate student. We cannot be prouder of you Lainey! @okstate.edu

This semester, three outstanding undergraduate students—Lainey Kirshberger, Kirby Wilcox, and Jorin Stockebrand—are taking PBIO 4400: Undergraduate Research in Plant Biology and conducting their research projects at Castilla Lab. Learn more about them on our website! www.arcastilla.com/our-team.html

The calendar with the activities of the OSU Botanical Society for the spring semester is out! If you like plants, join us and have fun!

The OSU Botanical Society in the Involvement Fair!

Some pics of Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve! What a cool place!

Yeah! Let’s get our hands dirty and grab some succulents for the finals. Great time with the OSU Botanical Society team!!

OSU students: Love succulents? Need a stress-reliever as finals approach? Join the OSU Botanical Society this Friday, December 6th, at 2 PM in Physical Science 401 and take home a beautiful succulent plant!

Yeah! No way to start better fall break than doing some hiking in Lake McMurtry! Nice fall vibes!

The last display of our department is about the OSU Herbarium. The OSU Herbarium contains approximately 157,000 vascular plant specimens, about two-thirds of which were collected in Oklahoma and surrounding states. The oldest specimen dates from 1843, and the collection contains 300 type specimens.