seed dispersal, plant ecology, community assembly
I am broadly interested in plant communities, species coexistence, and how seed movement influences what grows across a landscape. I'm exploring how seed dispersal alters community structure and long-term composition in California annual grasslands.
In annual systems like these, plants are (by definition) ephemeral. They must complete an entire life cycle from germination to seed production within only a few months. This condensed period of growth creates intense competition for resources, yet many grasslands are able to host a huge diversity of plant species simultaneously. For plants to coexist, they have to share resources -- to some extent. In coexistence theory, this includes non-overlapping niches (resource needs) and differences in fitness. Previous work in the Kraft Lab in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA has tied coexistence theory to measurable plant functional traits - bridging the gap between coexistence theory and empirical data.
My work investigates another aspect of coexistence - how do spatial patterns of seed dispersal influence coexistence outcomes? Much of the work in coexistence doesn't factor in differences in the landscape, yet plants differ in how they disperse their seeds spatially. I'm focused on finding relationships between dispersal and community assembly, with the hope of applying this knowledge to make seed-based habitat restoration plans more effective. Better knowledge of seed movement is also critical to predicting how plants might be able to track favorable conditions as climate change becomes more extreme, so dispersal studies are also crucial to identifying targets for seed banking and conservation.
I conduct my research in the Kraft Lab at UCLA and at Sedgwick Reserve in Santa Barbara County, CA.
In annual systems like these, plants are (by definition) ephemeral. They must complete an entire life cycle from germination to seed production within only a few months. This condensed period of growth creates intense competition for resources, yet many grasslands are able to host a huge diversity of plant species simultaneously. For plants to coexist, they have to share resources -- to some extent. In coexistence theory, this includes non-overlapping niches (resource needs) and differences in fitness. Previous work in the Kraft Lab in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA has tied coexistence theory to measurable plant functional traits - bridging the gap between coexistence theory and empirical data.
My work investigates another aspect of coexistence - how do spatial patterns of seed dispersal influence coexistence outcomes? Much of the work in coexistence doesn't factor in differences in the landscape, yet plants differ in how they disperse their seeds spatially. I'm focused on finding relationships between dispersal and community assembly, with the hope of applying this knowledge to make seed-based habitat restoration plans more effective. Better knowledge of seed movement is also critical to predicting how plants might be able to track favorable conditions as climate change becomes more extreme, so dispersal studies are also crucial to identifying targets for seed banking and conservation.
I conduct my research in the Kraft Lab at UCLA and at Sedgwick Reserve in Santa Barbara County, CA.
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Dispersal evolution and habitat specialization in California vernal pool species
I worked as a field technician for this project alongside postdoctoral researchers in Dr. Nancy Emery's research group at the University of Colorado-Boulder. This project assessed evolutionary feedback between seed dispersal and habitat specialization. In vernal pool environments, rainfall varies year over year and the pools fill to different depths. What is perfect habitat in one year can become not so great the next, and this variation favors species with the ability to disperse. If a species can diversify where its seeds go, it’s more likely to find something favorable for next year -- but if it keeps seeds clustered in one place, there’s no safety net if that area becomes unfavorable next year. This project looks for relationships between habitat specialization, differences in landscape patches and suitability, and dispersal strategies in three species of Lasthenia (goldfields) that prefer different submergence depths. Many early mornings in the fog at Jepson Prairie Preserve (UC Natural Reserve System) made this research happen! |