|  | | | Biodiversity | | CFANS is dedicated to studying the origin, distribution, economic value, and conservation of biodiversity. This will provide a foundation for understanding the biosphere and for informing the applied life sciences.
Our responses to global climate change, biofuels and renewable resources, and the pursuit of sustainable food, water, and agricultural systems, require knowledge of all forms of life in these systems and the natural variation and interactions found within and among species. Yet less than ten percent of the species alive today have been named by science, and the geographic distributions and characteristics for only a tiny subset of these species are well described. Each
species, whether under cultivation for centuries or still unknown to science, has diverse, undiscovered traits (including novel biomolecules), many of which may be useful to society.
Faculty in CFANS conduct research that is leading to more accurate descriptions of diversity from microscopic to global scales, thereby revealing the historic and genetic interconnections among species throughout the tree of life, and the significant role of species interactions in
shaping biological diversity. The goal is to improve our understanding of the planet's biodiversity – essential knowledge for sustaining and enhancing natural and managed systems – and to communicate our findings for the betterment of society.
News
What's Evolution Got to Do with It?
A basic tenet of science flows through CFANS research.
Understanding the Outdoors
David Fulton studies why hunting, fishing passions are fading.
Building a Better Holstein
Les Hansen advocates crossbreeding despite controversy.
Policy and Progress
Weighing the costs and benefits of regulating science.
Rebirth of the Forest
Teams from Forest Resources document regrowth after the BWCAW fires.
Sickness In the Water
Water Resource Science masters student studies whole-lake treatments for invasive plants.
Digging Up the Dirt on Viruses
Ben Lockhart's diagnoses keep gardeners' plants healthy.
Seeing the Forest for More than the Trees
Mike Kilgore wants Minnesota to maintain its resources.
Teaching
A
number of our undergraduate and graduate programs can prepare you for a
career in the emerging 21st century. Here are some of the
programs you can explore:
Undergraduate
Graduate
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