Research

Seed dispersal in annual grassland community assembly

My dissertation investigates the role of species-specific seed dispersal in community assembly using a model annual grassland in southern California. The mild winters and hot, dry summers in this system require annual plants to 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.

Seed dispersal allows plants to travel in both space and time; dispersal alters patterns of spatial aggregation, and seed persistence delays growth until conditions are tolerable. Both of these aspects influence how species interact with each other as communities assemble annually.

Better knowledge of seed movement is critical to understanding how and why biodiverse communities persist. This work informs further research into the mechanisms of biodiversity maintenance, but can also be applied in range expansion modeling, seed-based restoration designs, and identifying target plants for seed banking conservation.

I conduct my research at UCLA and at Sedgwick Reserve (UC Natural Reserve System) in Santa Barbara County, CA. UCLA acknowledges our institution’s presence on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples, who are the traditional caretakers of Tovaangar (encompassing areas of the Los Angeles basin & Southern Channel Islands). Additionally, the Chumash peoples are the traditional caretakers of the land where my field research takes place at Sedgwick Reserve.

Dispersal evolution and habitat specialization in California vernal pools

Prior to my PhD, I worked as a field technician 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 on impermeable hardpan soils. What is perfect habitat in one year can become not so great the next. If a species can diversify where its seeds land, 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 investigates the relationships between habitat specialization, differences in landscape patches and suitability, and dispersal strategies in three species of Lasthenia (goldfields) that prefer different submergence depths.

For thousands of years, the land where Jepson Prairie exists today has been the home of Patwin people, including the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation currently. The Patwin people have remained committed to the stewardship of this land over many centuries. It has been cherished and protected as elders have instructed younger generations. I am honored and grateful to have participated in research here, and to continue to share my enthusiasm for the land’s natural beauty through the docent program.

Genetics & plant breeding in tomatoes

My early research experience focused on genetics and plant breeding, specifically in tomatoes. 

​Research I presented at the UC Davis Undergraduate Research Conference focused on genetic controls of leaf shape and complexity in heirloom tomatoes.  Plants with simple, wide leaves (a characteristic called potato leaf morph) were expected to have higher fruit sugar content than plants with highly dissected leaflets, thought to be driven by a difference in overall  photosynthetic capacity of these leaves. We used CRISPR-Cas9 to mutate the gene controlling potato leaf morph and analyzed the resulting leaf phenotypes and fruit sugar content. Depending on the type and size of the mutation, leaf phenotypes and sugar content varied widely. Ongoing research investigates how leaf shape contributes to sugar content, with the goal of identifying a simple trait to select in plant breeding that contributes to high fruit sugar content.

Following my time at UC Davis, I worked in a tomato breeding research group at a vegetable seed company. I conducted independent research projects for both the fresh market and processing market tomato teams in addition to working with the ongoing seed, greenhouse, and field projects both on-site and in field trials across California’s central valley.