After being awarded funds from a national foundation and establishing the only World Wide Web site of its kind, two SIUC researchers say they hope to change contemporary forms of research while studying some of the oldest plants in the world.

The husband-and-wife team of Raymond E. Stotler and Barbara Crandall-Stotler announced Wednesday that they have received a $528,000 grant to study a group of plant species.

The grant, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides funds for a five-year study of bryophytes, a small, green plant that dates back 450 million years, consists of more than 18,000 species and is found in many areas of the world. The plants play a crucial role of rain filtration in fragile ecosystems ranging from tundra to the tropical forests.

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One unusual aspect of the study is that all research findings will be posted on the World Wide Web, a global computer network accessible from virtually anywhere a computer and telephone line is available.

This is the first site of its kind in existence, Stotler said.

Robert Brenstein, SIUC computer information specialist, said developing a first-of-its-kind web site like this will enable instant access for researchers all over the world.

I have been working on the project with the Stotler’s since last spring. We will be able to update material continually as it becomes available, he said. The site will contain up to the minute findings, color pictures, background information and links to related sites.

The Stotlers, both SIUC professors of plant biology, said they applied for the grant for a number of reasons, with students being high on the list.

We wanted this to be a student-oriented grant, one that would allow us to develop the skills of the students working with us, Stotler said. And in the end, we hope they will be capable of independent research.

Crandall-Stotler agreed, saying that it will be important to involve students with the research.

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Using the University as a backdrop, we want to train a new generation of botanist, she said. Each student will participate in all methods of research so they can become independent researchers.

John H. Yopp, associate vice chancellor of Academic Affairs Research and Dean of the Graduate School, said that the Stotlers’ contributions have outstanding possibilities.

There are seven researchers of this type of plant species in the country, and we have two here at SIUC, Yopp said. SIUC is recognized for excellence in environmental sciences and research of natural resources, and this grant awards that and the work being done.

To help illustrate natural implications, Stotler emphasized the importance this research has on environmental studies locally as well as worldwide.

Natural habitat loss is accelerating at an alarming rate, even here in Southern Illinois, Stotler said. The Makanda Bluff area in Giant City State Park was an excellent source of the type of plant life we are studying.

The plants no longer exist there due to all the rappelling activity that people have done in the area. It is a shame.

Yopp, also a plant biology professor, believes that by naming and identifying the many different types of bryophytes, the plants, and those like it, will have a better chance for survival.

Our bio-diversity is disappearing, Yopp said. By doing this type of research, we can intervene and attempt to classify as many species we encounter. Knowing exactly what is being dealt with can possibly slow the decline of species.

Classification may not be the only result of the study, as the bryophytes could have important meaning beyond the research aspect of the project.

These plants have been found to be able to react with many hundreds of chemical products, she said. This could be very important in pharmaceutical and anti-tumor research.