Evolutionary and Plastic Changes in a California Native Annual Plant After Historic Drought
As an undergraduate at San Jose State University, I worked under the guidance of Susan Lambrecht. Through a greenhouse resurrection study, we tested for evolution in drought-coping traits, including flowering time, flower size, and water-use efficiency in the California native annual Leptosiphon bicolor (Polemoniaceae), in response to the historic drought occurring from 2012-2017. Our study found that L. bicolor rapidly evolved earlier flowering in more moist populations at Henry W. Coe State Park.
Population Genetics, Ecology, and Reproductive Biology of a Rare Redwood Forest Specialist
With support from the Save the Redwoods League, I am working closely with Benjamin Carter in studying the life history demography and reproductive biology of a rare redwood forest specialist, Dudley's Lousewort (Pedicularis dudleyi). We are assessing seedling recruitment after litter removal, classifying the vulnerability of life history stages, and building the foundation for long-term demographic monitoring in one of two remaining populations. We hope to provide information to land managers at Portola Redwoods State Park on how to conserve this species that is in steep decline.
Global Research in Alpine Environments (GLORIA)
As a volunteer surveyor with GLORIA Great Basin, I am participating in a global effort to document shifts in alpine species distribution ranges. Working with a team of researchers, we conduct downslope surveys across the White Mountains in California, resurveying long-term sites for species presence and abundance data in order to track changes in alpine plant community assembly.