Although Dot Helm, SNRAS research professor of vegetation ecology, retired from those duties in June 2005, she noted during the preparation of these articles that she seems to be busier than ever. She has a twenty-year history of work on revegetationin Alaska. "My main research focuses on ecology of disturbed lands, both natural (predominantly glacial, floodplain, and burned systems) and anthropogenic, predominantly mining," She said. "In this work, we try to understand the natural processes and mimic those during revegetation. Much of my current research focuses on mycorrhizae—the symbioses among plant roots and certain fungi in which the fungi help the plant absorb nutrients and moisture from the soil, and the plant provides the fungi with an energy source." Helm also works on matching plant materials and growth media on mined sites to achieve desired post-mining land-use goals.
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