Ecology and Conservation
As an ecologist and conservationist my work has pertained to maintaining healthy native plant communities and pollinator habitat. As a member of the Jha Lab, I investigated the plant-pollinator interactions in rainforests and urban ecosystems. As the Conservation Research Botanist at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, I helped developed a conservation program to safeguard the future of Texas’s native plant diversity.
Tropical Plant-Pollinator Interactions
Tropical plant communities are highly dependent on animal-mediated pollination services and these forests are rapidly changing in response to global change. Understanding how these important species interactions will repond to a changing climate and landscapes will help determine the future health of tropical forests.
Urban Ecosystems and Pollination Services
Urbanization is one of the fastest growing threats to biodiversity, but native species can exist in urban spaces when accounted for. Understanding how ecological dynamics change in urban systems can fascilitate coexistence and improve quality of life for urban-dwelling flora, fauna, and humans alike.
Native Plant Conservation in Texas
Native plant communities facilitate sustainability and resilience to global change, but many native ecosystems are understudied and threatened by habitat destruction. At BRIT we are developing a plant conservation program focused on safeguarding threatened species while developing predictive measures to mitigate future threats and develop a more sustainable future for Texas’s flora.