grassland + drought + traits
Here I propose that California grassland plants follow a novel functional trait framework in order to cope with drought. To do this, I have subjected 60 populations (5 communities) of grassland plants to a 50% rainfall reduction treatment in a common garden experiment in Davis, CA. I’m collecting a large suite of traits to determine drought tolerant strategies. The goal is to provide agencies and managers with a novel trait framework that can aid in mitigating the negative effects of drought.
seed bank + rainfall variability + serpentine + invasion
Seed bank dynamics remain an illusive cog in the machine of aboveground plant communities, especially in grasslands under global change. Together with Marina LaForgia I investigate how seed bank density and diversity changed over a 5 year rainfall manipulation experiment, and how those metrics are affected by aboveground communities.
Hands on the Land + community + restoration + knowledge-action gap
Hands on the Land is a UC Davis student organization founded in 2021 in an effort to increase access, familiarity, and understanding of surrounding landscapes for the Davis community. Our goal is to empower all people with knowledge of their local landscape. This knowledge is a key step in appreciating, and then protecting the natural world. We believe restoration is an all-hands and all-minds on deck effort and it should be long-term, frequent, and inclusive. To do this we lead monthly free trips to UC Reserves where we assist with land management activities, build community, and engage in place based learning.
ecotone dynamics + seedlings + climate change
At the Sevilleta LTER, under advisement of Scott Collins and Jennifer Rudgers, I investigated how a changing climate mean and variance effects ecotone dynamics at the recruitment level. To do this I added over 20,000 seeds of local foundation and neighbor foundation species to three different ecosystems in central New Mexico over three years. I added seeds to the Mean-Variance Experiment, which is a field based experiment explicitly testing the interacting effects of a changing climate mean and variance.
seed bank + desert grassland + climate change
In 2020, I collected seed bank samples from two experiments in Plains Grassland at the Sevilleta LTER. First, I collected baseline seed bank samples from the first year of the Mean-Variance Experiment in the Plains Grassland. Second, I collected seed bank samples from the Extreme Drought in Grasslands Experiment (EDGE) after seven years of drought and late-season precipitation treatments. These samples also serve as a baseline as this experiment has ceased drought treatments and is now used a recovery from drought study.