Research Staff

Matthew A. Albrecht, Ph.D.
Conservation Scientist
Director, Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Missouri – St. Louis
Honorary Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Washington University

office phone: + 1 (314) 577-0262
fax: + 1 (314) 577-9596
email: matthew.albrecht@mobot.org
website: https://plantconservation.weebly.com/

Missouri Botanical Garden
4344 Shaw Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63110
USA

Education
Ph.D., Ohio University, 2006
B.S., Southeast Missouri State University, 1999

My research is motivated by the desire to save species and reverse ecological degradation caused by human activities. I work primarily in grasslands and woodlands in the Southeastern United States, a region rich with rare and endemic plant species. Research in my lab combines observational field studies with manipulative experiments to better understand the population dynamics of threatened plants and the abiotic and biotic barriers to restoring biodiversity in degraded ecosystems. We collaborate with students, private partners, state and federal agencies, and university scientists throughout the region to develop science-based solutions to solve conservation problems. Most projects couple basic and applied ecological research with on-the-ground conservation activities (seed-banking, reintroduction, and habitat restoration), typically with the most globally imperiled plant species in the region.

Conservation Biology Endangered Species Recovery Plant Demography Seed Ecology Restoration ecology Reintroduction or Translocation ecology Rare plant conservation Ex situ Conservation Fire Ecology

Available upon request

Selected Publications Doyle, C.A.T., Abeli, T., Albrecht, M.A. [+16 additional authors]. 2023. Achieving conservation outcomes in plant mitigation translocations: the need for global standards. Plant Ecology. Kaul, A.D., Barash, M. and Albrecht, M.A. 2023. Common, showy, and perennial species dominate a restoration species pool. Restoration Ecology: e13969. Kaul, A. D., Dell, N. D., Delfeld, B. M., Engelhardt, M. J., Long, Q. G., Reid, J. L., Saxton, M. L., Trager, J. C., & Albrecht, M. A. 2023. High-diversity seed additions promote herb-layer recovery during restoration of degraded oak woodland. Ecological Solutions and Evidence 4: e12202. Albani Rocchetti, G., Carta, A., Mondoni, A. et al. [including Albrecht, M.A.]. 2022. Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria. Nature Plants 8: 1385–1393. Maschinski, J., & Albrecht, M.A. 2022. Conservation Translocations for Plants. In M. Gaywood, J. Ewen, P. Hollingsworth, & A. Moehrenschlager (Eds.), Conservation Translocations (Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation, pp. 212-240). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Albrecht, M.A. 2022. Applying Adaptive Management to Reintroductions of Pyne’s Ground-Plum Astragalus bibullatus. In M. Gaywood, J. Ewen, P. Hollingsworth, & A. Moehrenschlager (Eds.), Conservation Translocations (Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation, pp. 422-428). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Albrecht, M.A. N. D. Dell, M. J. Engelhardt, M.L. Saxton, J.C. Trager, C. Waldman, Q. G. Long. 2022. Recovery of herb‐layer vegetation and soil properties after pile burning in a Midwestern oak woodland. Restoration Ecology 30: e13547. Herron, S.A., M. J. Rubin, M.A. Albrecht, Q.G. Long, M.C. Sandoval, and A.J. Miller. 2021. The role of genus and life span in predicting seed and vegetative trait variation and correlation in Lathyrus, Phaseolus, and Vicia. American Journal of Botany 108: 2388–240410. Noss, R.F, J.M. Cartwright, D. Estes, T. Witsell, G. Elliott, D. Adams, M.A. Albrecht, R. Boyles, P. Comer, C. Doffitt, J. Hill, W. C. Hunter, W. M. Knapp, M. E. Marshall, J. Singhurst, C. Tracey, J. Walck, and A. Weakley. 2021. Improving species status assessments under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and implications for multispecies conservation challenges worldwide. Conservation Biology 35: 1715-1724 Noss, R.F., Cartwright, J.M., Estes, D., Witsell, T., Elliott, K.G., Adams, D.S., Albrecht, M.A., Boyles, R., Comer, P.J., Doffitt, C., Faber-Langdoen, D., Hill, J.G., Hunter, W.C., Knapp, W.M., Marshall, M., Pyne, M., Singhurst, J.R., Tracey, C., Walck, J.L., and Weakley, A. 2021. Science needs of southeastern grassland species of conservation concern—A framework for species status assessments. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2021–1047, 58 p. Morris, A.B., K. Trostel, C. Scalf, A. Burleyson, G. Call, and M.A. Albrecht 2021. Genetic variation and structure in natural and reintroduced populations of the endangered legume, Pyne’s ground plum (Astragalus bibullatus). Conservation Genetics 22: 443–454. Edwards, C.J., B. Tessler, J.F. Swift, B. Bassüner, A.G. Linan, M. A. Albrecht, G.A. Yatskievych 2021. Conservation genetics of the federally threatened plant species Physaria filiformis (Missouri bladderpod) reveals strong genetic structure and a possible cryptic species. PloS One 16: e0247586. Becknell, R.E., K.G. Showalter, M.A. Albrecht, and S.A. Mangan 2021. Soil mutualisms potentially determine the reintroduction outcomes of an endangered legume. Restoration Ecology 29: e13355. Dell, N.D., M.A. Albrecht, Q.G. Long. 2021. Effects of light and temperature on germination of Eggert's Sunflower (Helianthus eggertii). American Midland Naturalist 185: 49-56. Albrecht, M.A. and C.E. Edwards. 2020. Genetic monitoring to assess the success of restoring rare plant populations with mixed gene pools. Molecular Ecology 29:4037-4039. Albrecht, M.A., N.D. Dell, and Q.G. Long. 2020. Effects of cold stratification, climate warming, and population size on seed germination in the narrow endemic Solidago albopilosa. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 147:172-184. Reid, J.L., N. J. Holmberg, M.A. Albrecht, S. Arango-Caro, O. Hajek, Q. Long, and J. Trager. 2020. Annual understory plant recovery dynamics in a temperate woodland mosaic during a decade of ecological restoration. Natural Areas Journal 40: 23-34. Edwards, C.J., M. A. Albrecht, B. Bassüner, G.A. Yatskievych. 2019. Population genetic analysis reveals a selfing mating system and strong genetic structuring in a naturally fragmented, threatened plant. Conservation Genetics 20: 1437-1448. Dell, N.D., Q. Long, and M.A. Albrecht. 2019. Germination traits in the threatened southeastern grassland endemic, Marshallia mohrii (Asteraceae). Castanea 84:212-223. Albrecht, M. A., Osazuwa-Peters, O. L., Maschinski, J. , Bell, T. J., Bowles, M. L., Brumback, W. E., Duquesnel, J. , Kunz, M. , Lange, J. , McCue, K. A., McEachern, A. K., Murray, S. , Olwell, P. , Pavlovic, N. B., Peterson, C. L., Possley, J. , Randall, J. L. and Wright, S. J. 2019. Effects of life history and reproduction on recruitment time lags in reintroductions of rare plants. Conservation Biology 33: 601-611. Albrecht, M.A. and Q.G. Long. 2019. Habitat suitability and herbivores determine reintroduction success of an endangered legume. Plant Diversity 41: 109-117. Maschinski J. and M.A. Albrecht. 2017. Center for Plant Conservation’s Best Practice Guidelines for the reintroduction of rare plants. Plant Diversity 39: 390-395. Bernardo, H. L., M. A. Albrecht, and T. M. Knight. 2016. Increased drought frequency alters the optimal management strategy of an endangered plant. Biological Conservation 203: 243-251. Smith, A. B., Q. G. Long, and M. A. Albrecht. 2016. Shifting targets: spatial priorities for ex situ plant conservation depend on interactions between current threats, climate change, and uncertainty. Biodiversity and Conservation 25: 905-922. Albrecht, M. A., R. E. Becknell, and Q. Long. 2016. Habitat change in insular grasslands: Woody encroachment alters the population dynamics of a rare ecotonal plant. Biological Conservation 196:93-102.