Sioux Center, Iowa — A Dordt University Professor of Environmental Studies contributed research to a recent issue of Science, a prestigious publication focused on scientific discovery.
Dr. Robb De Haan and 277 other scientists gathered more than 110,000 samples of white clover from more than 6,160 locations in 160 cities around the world. The samples were analyzed and the results shared in the article “Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover,” a cover story for the March 18th issue of Science. De Haan is listed as one of the co-authors for the article.
The research began several years ago, when De Haan partnered with Dr. Phillips Akinwole, who had come to Dordt to do post-doctoral work in environmental science and biology.
De Haan says Dr. Akinwole had heard about a research project that looked at how a common plant like white clover changes in response to selection pressure in rural and urban areas and approached De Haan to work with him to do some white clover identification and gather some data.
That’s how De Haan and Akinwole ended up on the outskirts of Sioux Falls, collecting white clover samples. They worked their way to downtown Sioux Falls, storing the samples in a cooler.
Now, Akinwole serves as an assistant professor of biology and microbial ecologist at DePauw University. He continued researching white clover and eventually became a lead author for the March 18th cover article in Science.
According to the article’s abstract, the results show that “urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale” for white clover.
