Inca-redible Discovery
Wake Forest biology graduate student, William Farfan-Rios, and Smithsonian botanist, Kenneth Wurdack, published their findings in PhytoKeys. Like many species in the tropical forests of the Andes, Incandron esseri is vulnerable to climate change. The trees are also susceptible to the deforestation taking place in Peru, largely attributed to illegal gold mining. Farfan-Rios, who is a native of Peru, says that while more studies are needed, their research in the Andes “highlights the imperative role of parks and protected areas” in the region and throughout the world.
