People

Email: sgrove <at> ucsc.edu
My research broadly addresses the ecology of plants and the application of science to improve natural resource management and restoration success, so that we can increase ecosystem resilience to global change. I am currently testing whether Douglas-fir ecotypes from drought prone areas demonstrate greater tolerance to stress than the genetically improved seedlings that are typically used in reforestation--and whether mycorrhizae play a role.  I also study how a widespread invasive plant  with large floral displays affects the pollination success and reproduction of remnant native forbs in California grasslands. Finally, I am investigating how direct and soil-mediated effects of Scotch broom influence riparian plant establishment along the Hoh River in northwestern Washington.

Email: nlustenh <at> ucsc.edu
I am fascinated by how populations grow and evolve in the spatially and temporally varying environments emerging under global change. My main research focus is on spreading plant populations, in the context of both invasions by exotic species introduced to a new continent, and range shifts by native species in response to climate change. I study these processes in Dittrichia graveolens (stinkwort), an annual plant species that is rapidly expanding its native range in Europe and invading large areas of California. Together with Miranda Melen, I study these range expansion gradients to better understand how spreading plant populations evolve in response to novel abiotic conditions (phenology, climate niche shifts), novel biotic interactions (the soil microbial community), and the spread process itself (dispersal, life history). 

See Nicky's recent work featured by the Journal of Biogeography!

Email: ketanner <at> ucsc.edu
How do abiotic conditions and species interactions influence population dynamics and structure of plant communities?  My work attempts to bridge the gap between conceptual and applied research, with the goal of informing habitat management and conservation practice. I am particularly interested in effects of human disturbance, including biological invasions, on California’s native flora; an understanding of how and why perturbations influence population dynamics is essential for effective conservation strategies. My continuing research takes me all the way from the Mojave desert to the coastal marsh!

Karen's work on the ecological impacts of solar development has been highlighted by a number of outlets, including Botany One , the Revelator, ENN, and Vox!

Email: mkmelen <at> ucsc.edu
Pronouns: she/her
I am interested in California ecosystems and how native and non-native plant species interact. I received my MS in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University where I studied the plant mating system of the endangered Santa Cruz wallflower (Erysismum teretifolium). At UCSC I study the role of disturbance, competition, rapid evolution, and seed dormancy in stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens) and how each impacts Dittrichia's ability to invade rangelands. My research is funded by USDA NIFA. For more information, visit the Stinkwort page or my research site.

Email: edylai <at> ucsc.edu
My research is on plant-microbe interactions that shape ecosystems. Both beneficial and parasitic symbionts can have profound impacts on plants that scale up to community level changes. I hope to understand these relationships within the context of local conservation issues. In addition, I am passionate about making science more inclusive and accessible through K-12 education. For more information, visit my research site.

Email: sbarasi <at> ucsc.edu
I am an ecologist and conservationist. My Ph.D. research in the Parker Lab investigates the impacts of non-native tree introduction in Guåhan, utilizing greenhouse and field experiment approaches. For this work, I am committed to working closely with local agencies and community members in Guåhan to develop evidence-based restoration management solutions and related policies. Additionally, I am interested in community science initiatives, specifically incorporating local relevance in STEM education.  

Email: eyockman <at> ucsc.edu
I am interested in community ecology in estuaries, specifically plant perspectives. I work at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) exploring interspecific plant interactions on salt marshes for restoration purposes. I am co-advised by Kerstin Wasson, who is the Research Coordinator of ESNERR.

For more information, visit my research website and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation website!

I am studying how germination success in Dittrichia graveolens is affected by seed planting depth. I am also interested in using gibberellic acid to break dormancy in D. graveolens and optimizing these methods for future seed bank experiments on this species.

I am studying potential plant-soil feedbacks in invasive plant species Dittrichia graveolens. I investigated early seed biology and Dittrichia’s response to different soil types during my CAMINO summer internship (2022), and I am exploring Dittrichia’s response to potential plant-soil feedback in my senior thesis by conditioning field soil with Dittrichia and Avena and then measuring the growth of plants (biomass) in these soils to test the effect of Dittrichia on other species (Avena sp.) and itself. Thesis: Exploring the role of plant-soil interactions in an invasive species: a two-phase greenhouse experiment on Dittrichia graveolens

Email: eaiello <at> ucsc.edu
I’m interested in plant-fungal interactions, especially mycorrhizae. I study the relationships between plants and soil microbes including mycorrhizal fungi, rhizobial bacteria and soil pathogens and how these relationships affect success of invading plants. When I’m not writing or analyzing data, I spend most of my time in the greenhouse, at a microscope or in the field. My dream is to communicate science via animation and to have my own channel on YouTube teaching biology to a young audience in an engaging and fun way. I’m currently developing basic skills using the Adobe programs available to me through UCSC.

PhD candidate at Universidad de Cádiz (Cádiz, Spain). In my stay I studied how neighborhoods of phylogenetically close plant species could determine the pathogens and herbivores in an annual community.

My work focused on various drivers of plant community dynamics including plant-soil feedbacks, plant-pollinator interactions, and plant disease ecology. I am interested in how knowledge of these dynamics can be used to inform management of California ecosystems.

My passion in ecology is driven by my love for tropical Pacific island communities and the opportunities for intergenerational collaboration and knowledge sharing. This summer as an undergraduate integrative biology major at the University of Guam and a 2021 Doris Duke Conservation Scholar. I experimented with a plant-soil feedback interaction on the invasive Dittrichia graveolens with the Parker Lab.

I study competition and the role of disturbance in the ability of Dittrichia graveolens to survive away from roadside edges. I conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate the response of Dittrichia to competition with non-native grasses in varying soil conditions. Thesis: Response of Dittrichia graveolens to competition with non-native grasses in varying soil conditions.

Plant pathogens play a critical role in plant community structure and diversity. In my Masters thesis, co-advised by Ingrid Parker and Greg Gilbert, I studied how infection and disease severity on one host are affected by the ecological and phylogenetic structure of the community. 

I am interested in the ecology and evolution of plants, especially in tropical Pacific island ecosystems and the drivers and threats to biodiversity. During my time in the Parker Lab, I was an undergraduate at the University of Guam and a 2020 Doris Duke Conservation Scholar. I studied the competitive ability of invasive Dittrichia graveolens.

I performed metabarcode sequencing of foliar fungi to investigate how plant phylogeny shapes endophyte communities. I am interested in how interactions with microbes shape plant fitness and ecology. 

I study the community ecology associated with Dittrichia graveolens, a roadside weed that is invasive in California. I have focused my research on roadside and off-road populations of Dittrichia, with the assumption that roadside populations are the source of invasion into off-road habitat. I aim to better understand the evolutionary differences between population types and factors that influence Dittrichia invasion away from roadsides. My interests include restoration, conservation, disease ecology, and agriculture, and I hope to continue pursuing these interests through either graduate work or in a career. Thesis: Characteristics of plant communities invaded by Dittrichia graveolens (Asteraceae).

Application of phylogenetic ecology and joint species distribution modeling to networks of plants and their fungal pathogens.

I studied the effects of anthropogenic change on annual plant demography and community composition in California’s Mojave Desert, currently undergoing a renewable energy boom. This region is home to many rare and special-status species – how can we detect these species, avoid impacting them, and mitigate impacts when they can’t be avoided?  I used matrix models to compare performance of closely related rare and common annuals (Eriophyllum mohavense and Eriophyllum wallacei) in different microsites and in an experimental shade treatment mimicking the effects of a photovoltaic array. For more information, visit my research site!

The role of plant-soil interactions in the invasion process of a European plant introduced in California (Dittrichia Graveolens).

 The Effect of Microbially-Mediated Competition on Plant Success in Pseudotsga menziesii and Cytisus scoparius

How global change affects ecosystem functioning and the delivery of ecosystem services. Funded by the Ikerbasque Foundation and a BBVA Leonardo Fellowship.

Now a faculty member at the Basque Center for Climate Change. Find Ainhoa here.

PhD candidate at EBD-CSIC (Seville, Spain) in the group of Montse Vilà. Functional traits and community assembly: invasive species in Mediterranean grasslands.

Using environmental DNA to understand the legacy effects of cover crops on fungal communities.

Biochar: A Tool for Salt Marsh Restoration?

Halophyte Response to Drought and Salinity Stress and Implications for Restoration

Effects of simulated solar arrays on seed dynamics in California desert plant species

A widespread nitrogen-fixing invader experiences negative soil feedbacks despite enhancing the abundance of beneficial soil microbes.

Impacts and Best Management Practices for erect veldtgrass (Ehrharta erecta).

Currently a PhD student at UC Berkeley, studying community assembly and functional traits. 

Allelopathic alkaloids of an invasive shrub and their effect on the growth of ectomycorrhizal fungi.

Ecotone dynamics and structure: Identifying the biotic and abiotic processes that determine the boundaries and composition of the high marsh-upland ecotone.

Now designing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) seminars as the Student Engagement Program Manager at University of California, Davis. Find Carla here.

Ehrharta erecta: Competitive impacts on four California native understory species and comparison of two removal methods of an invasive exotic grass.

Exploring the evolutionary ecology of fungal endophytes: using functional traits to reveal mechanisms in community processes. 

Now a professional singer-songwriter in Chattanooga, TN. For more information, visit her music at Reverbnation.

Evolution of life history in invasive plants. 

Now an Investigatora Juan de la Cierva, Universidad de Alcalá. For more information, visit her research page.

Above- and below-ground factors mediating the suppression of an invasive grass in tropical reforestation. 

Founding Director of the UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program and former Mayor of Santa Cruz. Now with the California Heartbeat Initiative, UC Natural Reserve System.

Effect of site, propagation type, and clearing on the reintroduction of an endangered wetland herb, Arenaria paludicola.

Restoration of an Endangered Plant Species, Arenaria paludicola: Effect of Propagation Type, Competition, and Soil Moisture on Plant Success.

Functional traits and the ecosystem impacts of invasive species. 

Now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research -Biodiversité, Gènes et Communautés (BioGeCo). Bordeaux.

Ectomycorrhizal colonization of Douglas fir seedlings in Cytisus-invaded clearcuts: Variation across sites and with distance from adult trees.

Seed bank recruitment across four populations of the endangered Santa Cruz wallflower, Erysimum teretifolium (Brassicaceae).

Effects of desiccation and soil characteristics on Arenaria paludicola, an endangered herb.

Abiotic limitations of the distributions of Pinus longaeva and Pinus flexilis in the White Mountains, California.

Elevation dependent population growth rates of Pinus longaeva in the White Mountains, CA

Multispecies interactions and demography of the invasive thistle Centaurea solstitialis in California. 

Now a faculty member at Mills College. For more information, visit her research page.

Genetics of colonization in Hypericum canariense. 

Now a faculty member at the University of Arizona. For more information, visit her research page.

Evolution of mating systems. 

Now a faculty member at Universidad Tecnológica de Morelia.

Ecology of infectious disease. 

Completed her PhD with Cherie Briggs at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Click here for more information about Andrea's research.

The coexistence of polyploids in Arnica cordifolia (Asteraceae). 

PRIME Postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University. Now Manager of Conservation Programs, Denver Botanic Garden.

Ecological consequences of dispersal and gene flow in an intertidal alga. 

Now a faculty member at Keene State College. Find Cynthia here.

Pollination success in the invasive shrub Hypericum canariense (Hypericaceae).

Restoration of Danthonia californica, Elymus glaucus, and Nassella pulchra at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Maternal investment in and fitness of chasmogamous and cleistogamous progeny of the native perennial grass Danthonia californica.

Timing of gamete release in an intertidal alga, Silvetia compressa.

HPLC profiling of the invasive plant species Hypericum canariense to assess rapid evolutionary changes in defensive chemistry.

Dispersal in space and time and its importance to plant population dynamics. 

Postdoctoral fellow, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service. Now a Staff Biologist with the Fisheries Ecology Division (Salmon Assessment Team) at NOAA-NMFS.

The Effects of Inbreeding on Pathogen Susceptibility in Clarkia concinna.

Recovery potential for vegetation on Guadalupe Island (Mexico) following the proposed eradication of exotic goats

Pathogenicity and host range of soilborne fungi associated with Ammophila arenaria

The effect of below-ground pathogens on invasion of Ammophila arenaria. 

Now a faculty member at Gonzaga University. Find Julie here.

Nutrient input effects from fire retardant on exotic species, species richness, and species diversity in a coastal California grassland

The colonization by Verbascum thapsus of an altitudinal ecocline in the Sierra Nevada: an experimental test of local adaptation through increased frost tolerance

Plasticity in cyanogenesis of Trifolium repens L: Inducibility, fitness costs and variable expression

Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
Joint projects: Plant disease ecology, novel plant-pathogen interactions, biological invasions, tropical ecology, forest dynamics, phyloecology, inquiry-based learning, graduate training, salsa dancing, F1.

Department of Forestry, Northern Arizona University
Joint projects: Plant invasion, forest regeneration, soil legacy effects of invasion, allelopathy, plant-microbe interactions, saving the world from Scotch broom.

Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology
Ohio State University
Joint projects: Response of native plant-pollinator interactions to invasive plants, policy and management of the impacts of invasive species, meta-analysis of invasion impacts.