Soreng's principal interest is in grasses (fam. Poaceae), and he specializes in the taxonomy of cool season grasses (Pooideae), particularly the genus Poa (ca. 500 species world-wide). Having spent 8 years conducting molecular research on relationships among grasses at family, subfamily, tribal and genus levels, he now devotes time to the study these plants in the herbarium and the field, while continuing to collaborate with colleagues on molecular studies. Poa possibly has the most variation in breeding systems of any genus of plants, and he studies this variation to better assess the nature of species in this genus. Soreng also specializes in grass nomenclature and helps to maintain and update the grass data in TROPICOS (Missouri Bot. Gards. taxonomic database).
Peterson, Paul M., Wiersema, John H., Soreng, Robert J., Romaschenko, Konstantin, and Herrera Arrieta, Yolanda. 2022. "(2881) Proposal to conserve the name Triraphis (Poaceae: Chloridoideae: Triraphideae) with a conserved type." Taxon, 71, (2), 474–475. Hoboken; New Jersey: Wiley, https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12701.
2022
Soreng, Robert J., Gillespie, Lynn J., Boudko, Ekaterina A., and Cabi, Evren. 2022. "Biogeography, timing, and life-history traits in the PPAM clade: Coleanthinae (syn. Puccinelliinae), Poinae, Alopecurinae superclade, Miliinae, and Avenulinae and Phleinae (Poaceae, Pooideae, Poeae)." Journal of Systematics and Evolution, Hoboken; New Jersey: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12811.
2022
Gillespie, Lynn J., Soreng, Robert J., Bull, Roger D., de Lange, Peter J., and Smissen, Rob D. 2022. "Morphological and phylogenetic evidence for subtribe Cinninae and two new subtribes, Hookerochloinae and Dupontiinae (Poaceae tribe Poeae PPAM clade)." Taxon, Hoboken; New Jersey: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12654.
2022
Peterson, Paul M. and Soreng, Robert J. 2022. "The biogeography of grasses (Poaceae)." Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 60, (3) 473–475. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12895.
2022
Nobis, Marcin, Marciniuk, Jolanta, Marciniuk, Pawel, Wolanin, Mateusz, Kiraly, Gergely, Nowak, Arkadiusz, Paszko, Beata, Klichowska, Ewelina, Moreno-Moral, Gonzalo, Piwowarczyk, Renata, Sanchez-Pedraja, Oscar, Wrobel, Anna, Egorova, Irina N., Jun, Pavol Elias, Krivenko, Denis A., Kuzmin, Igor V., Lazkov, Georgy A., Mei, Giacomo, Nobis, Agnieszka, Olonova, Marina V., Soreng, Robert J., Stinca, Adriano, Vasjukov, Vladimir M., and Vershinin, Nikita A. 2020. "Contribution to the flora of Asian and European countries: new national and regional vascular plant records, 9." Turkish Journal of Botany 44 (4):455-480. https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1908-412020
Sylvester, Steven P., Soreng, Robert J., Sylvester, Mitsy D. P., V., and Clark, Vincent Ralph. 2020. "Festuca drakensbergensis (Poaceae): A common new species in the F. caprina complex from the Drakensberg Mountain Centre of Floristic Endemism, southern Africa, with key and notes on taxa in the complex including the overlooked F. exaristata." Phytokeys (162): 45-69. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.162.555502020
Sylvester, Steven P., Soreng, Robert J., and Giraldo-Canas, Diego. 2019. "Podagrostis colombiana sp. nov. (Poaceae): a new genus record and species for Colombia." Kew Bulletin 74 (2):25-25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-019-9814-52019
Saarela, Jeffery M., Burke, Sean V., Wysocki, William P., Barrett, Matthew D., Clark, Lynn G., Craine, Joseph M., Peterson, Paul M., Soreng, Robert J., Vorontsova, Maria S., and Duvall, Melvin R. 2018. "A 250 plastome phylogeny of the grass family (Poaceae): topological support under different data partitions." Peerj 6:e4299-e4299. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.42992018
Soreng, Robert J., Gillespie, L. J., and Consaul, L. L. 2017. "Taxonomy of the Poa laxa group, including two new taxa from Arctic Canada and Greenland, and Oregon, and a re-examination of P . sect. Oreinos (Poaceae)." Nordic Journal of Botany 35 (5):513-538. https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.015072017
Cabi, Evren, Soreng, Robert J., Gillespie, Lynn, and Amiri, Neda. 2016. "Poa densa (Poaceae), an overlooked Turkish steppe grass, and the evolution of bulbs in Poa." Willdenowia 46 (2):201-211. https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.46.462012016
Giussani, Liliana M., Gillespie, Lynn J., Scataglini, M. A., Negritto, María A., Anton, Ana M., and Soreng, Robert J. 2016. "Breeding system diversification and evolution in American Poa supersect. Homalopoa (Poaceae: Poeae: Poinae)." Annals of Botany 118 (2):281-303. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcw1082016
Cabi, Evren and Soreng, Robert J. 2016. "Two new records and one confirmation of the genus Poa L. (Poaceae) for the Flora of Turkey." Turkish Journal of Botany 40 (4):439-445. https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1509-272016
Cabi, Evren, Soreng, Robert J., Çıngay, Burçin, and Karabacak, Ersin. 2015. "A new species of Bellardiochloa , B. doganiana (Poaceae), from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey." Phytotaxa 205 (2):123-128. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.205.2.62015
Saarela, Jeffery M., Wysocki, William P., Barrett, Craig F., Soreng, Robert J., Davis, Jerrold I., Clark, Lynn G., Kelchner, Scot A., Pires, J. C., Edger, Patrick P., Mayfield, Dustin R., and Duvall, Melvin R. 2015. "Plastid phylogenomics of the cool-season grass subfamily: Clarification of relationships among early-diverging tribes." AoB Plants 7:1-72. https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plv0462015
Romaschenko, Konstantin, Garcia-Jacas, Nuria, Peterson, Paul M., Soreng, Robert J., Vilatersana, Roser, and Susanna, Alfonso. 2014. "Miocene–Pliocene speciation, introgression, and migration of Patis and Ptilagrostis (Poaceae: Stipeae)." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 70:244-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2013.09.0182014
Paszko, Beata and Soreng, Robert J. 2013. "Species delimitation and name application in Deyeuxia abnormis, Agrostis zenkeri, A. pleiophylla and related taxa (Poaceae: Agrostidinae)." Phytotaxa 111 (1):1-26. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.111.1.12013
Soreng, Robert J. and Gillespie, L. J. 2012. "Nicoraepoa." in Monocotyledoneae. Poaceae: Pooideae, edited by Zuloaga, Fernando O., Rúgolo de Agrasar, Zulma E., and Anton, Ana M., 270-277. Graficamenta Ediciones.
2012
Soreng, Robert J. 2010. "Coleataenia Griseb. (1879): The correct name for Sorengia Zuloaga & Morrone (2010) (Poaceae: Paniceae)." Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 4 (2):691-692.
2010
Soreng, Robert J. 2009. "8.10 Poa L." in Grasses of the Intermountain Region, edited by Anderton, L. K. and Barkworth, Mary E., 108-135. Intermountain Herbarium.
2009
Jacobs, Surrey W. L., Gillespie, Lynn J., and Soreng, Robert J. 2008. "New combinations in Hookerochloa and Poa (Gramineae)." Telopea 12 (2):273-278.
2008
Peterson, Paul M., Soreng, Robert J., and Smith, S. F. 2012. "Poaceae." in Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies, edited by Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro and Strong, Mark T., 714-766. Smithsonian Institution.
2012
Soreng, Robert J. 2012. "Clave de los Generos de Pooideae." in Monocotyledoneae. Poaceae: Pooideae, edited by Zuloaga, Fernando O., Rúgolo de Agrasar, Zulma E., and Anton, Ana M., 25-31. Graficamenta Ediciones.
2012
Giussani, L. M., Anton, Ana M., Negritto, M. A., Romanutti, A. A., and Soreng, Robert J. 2012. "Poa L." in Monocotyledoneae. Poaceae: Aristiodoideae a Pharoideae, edited by Zuloaga, Fernando O., Rúgolo de Agrasar, Zulma E., and Anton, Ana M., 284-339. Graficamenta Ediciones.
2012
Soreng, Robert J. 2012. "Tribu Poeae R. Br." in Monocotyledoneae. Poaceae: Pooideae, edited by Zuloaga, Fernando O., Rúgolo de Agrasar, Zulma E., and Anton, Ana M., 97-102. Graficamenta Ediciones.
2012
Romaschenko, Konstantin, Peterson, Paul M., Soreng, Robert J., Garcia-Jacas, N., and Susanna, A. 2010. "Phylogenetics of Stipeae (Poaceae: Pooideae) based on plastid and nuclear DNA sequences." in Diversity, phylogeny, and evolution in the Monocotyledons, edited by Seberg, O., Petersen, G., Barfod, A. S., and Davis, J. I., 511-537. Aarhus University Press.
2010
Soreng, Robert J. 2007. "Poa L." in Flora of North America, Poaceae, part 1, vol. 24., edited by Barkworth, Mary E., Capels, K. M., Long, S. L., and Piep, M. B., 486-601. Oxford University Press.
2007
Soreng, Robert J. 2007. "Poa L." in Manual of Grasses for North America, edited by Barkworth, Mary E., Anderton, L. K., Capels, K. M., Long, S., and Piep, M. B., 112-141, 396-405, 521-523. Intermountain Herbarium and Utah State University Press.
2007
Peterson, Paul M. and Soreng, Robert J. 2007. "Systematics of California grasses (Poaceae)." in California grasslands: ecology and management, edited by Stromberg, M. R., Corbin, J. D., and D'Antonio, C. M., 7-20. University of California Press.
2007