Research
I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher working primarily in the lab of Dr. Betsy Bancroft at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. This research, which is in collaboration with researchers at Oregon State University, focuses on the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on species interactions in freshwater communities.
My dissertation research focused on the impacts of global anthropogenic climate change on interactions between plants and pollinators and among other taxa. I used large, manipulative field experiments to identify the patterns driving shifts in plant-pollinator interactions in an alpine ecosystem, and small greenhouse studies to isolate mechanisms behind shifts in interactions.
Focal Research Topics
Impacts of advanced snowmelt on plant-pollinator interactions
Trait-mediated impacts of drought on floral traits and pollinator behavior
Connections between below- and above-ground mutualisms
How does experimentally advanced snowmelt affect the drivers of plant-pollinator interactions?
With this research, we are exploring what drivers influence plant-pollinator interactions and how experimentally advancing snowmelt impacts these drivers. Using structural equation modelling, we compare the biotic and abiotic drivers of plant-pollinator interaction frequency in unmanipulated plots versus plots with advanced snowmelt. Our initial findings indicate that topography, snowmelt timing, and floral phenology and abundance drive insect visitation in control plots; while these patterns no longer occur in plots with experimentally advanced snowmelt. This research was performed at the Niwot Ridge LTER in collaboration with Drs. Chiara Forrester, Marko Spasojevic, William Bowman, and Katherine Suding, as well as Dr. Nicole Rafferty of the University of California, Riverside.
How does the identity of interacting plants and pollinators change under experimentally advanced snowmelt?
With this research, we are exploring what drivers influence turnover in plant-pollinator interactions. We compare the biotic and abiotic drivers of plant-pollinator interaction turnover in unmanipulated plots versus plots with advanced snowmelt. This research was performed at the Niwot Ridge LTER in collaboration with Drs. Chiara Forrester, Marko Spasojevic, William Bowman, and Katherine Suding, as well as Dr. Nicole Rafferty of the University of California, Riverside.
How do traits mediate drought's influence on floral traits and pollinator foraging behavior?
To understand mechanisms driving plant-pollinator interaction turnover, we use a greenhouse study with pollinator choice trials to explore the effects of drought on plant and floral traits as well as pollinator preference. We use three wildflower species native to Southern California and the native, solitary Blue Orchard Bee (Osmia lignaria) for this research. Initial findings indicate that drought significantly impacts floral traits, and leads to a shift in foraging preference of O. lignaria. This work was performed in greenhouses at UC Riverside in collaboration with Drs. Nicole Rafferty and Louis Santiago.
How does climate change influence the connections between belowground and aboveground mutualisms?
Global climate change is influencing not only mutualisms, but how certain mutualisms affect others. In collaboration with Drs. Andrea Keeler and Nicole Rafferty, we explore potential effects of global climate change on belowground mutualisms and how these effects may trickle up to impact aboveground mutualisms (Keeler, Rose-Person, and Rafferty 2021). Link To Article
Drought may shift the abundance and occurrence of microbes in the soil horizon, impacting floral traits. Modified from Keeler, Rose-Person, and Rafferty 2021.
Previous Research
Ongoing Collaborative Research at UCR, 2020
In ongoing research on using inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spores, as well as other restoration techniques, to restore native pollinator communities post-fire by Dr. Mia Maltz, Dr. Sydney Glassman, and others, I examined floral diversity and abundance as well as pollinator visitation to plants.
Research Assistant, Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research Program, Nederland, CO, 2019 & 2020
Assisted with data collection and management in an alpine tundra ecosystem; tasks included plant identification, biomass quantification, and density estimates.
Research Assistant, Plant Ecology Lab, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, 2017- 2018
Managed a group of high school and post-baccalaureate interns; managed data collection and management from three large projects; led and performed all data collection for a project entitled: Fruit production, flowering period, and pollination of Avon Park Harebells, Crotalaria avonensis (Fabaceae), an endangered Central Florida endemic.
Intern, Plant Ecology Lab, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL, 2017
Assisted with data collection, entry, and management of multiple large-scale projects; led and completed a project entitled: Time-since-fire and temporal shifts in flower visitor networks in two central Florida plants
Seeds of Success Intern, Bureau of Land Management, Carson City, NV, 2016
Mapped, counted, and collected seeds from native plants in the Eastern Sierra and Great Basin; worked with ArcMap to delineate critical plant populations; managed data collected in the field.
Senior Thesis Research, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2016
Established, collected and analyzed data for, and wrote up a project titled: Legacy effects of the invasive grass Ehrharta erecta on native plant growth
Lab Assistant, Shennan Soil Ecology Lab, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2015- 2016
Performed data collection in agricultural setting; prepared tools and labels for data collection; performed quantification of soil pH and electric conductivity.
Intern, Anthropological Field Methods Research Course, Pará, Brazil, 2015
Monitored group of underclassmen undergraduate students in an anthropology course that visited the Brazillian Amazon
Volunteer, Rare Plant Monitoring, Mojave Desert, California, 2015 & 2016
Collected demographic data on rare and endangered plants in the Mojave Desert; in 2016, assisted in teaching plant identification techniques to new undergraduate student volunteers.
Intern, Forest Ecology Research Plot, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2014- 2015
Performed data collection of leaf litter traps weekly; trained new interns on leaf litter identification and data management.
Intern, Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes Station, California, 2014
Assisted in invasive plant mapping and removal; re-vamped a database of weed-free forage for use by recreationists; assisted in monitoring populations of three rare dune plant species; assisted in monitoring rangelands and their management.
Volunteer, Research Project, Pepperwood Preserve and Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, 2013- 2014
Assisted in the data collection, management, and analysis of a project entitled: Examining the ecology of Puccinia coronata: An emerging infectious disease on the invasive grass, Phalaris aquatica, in northern California.
Sampling plant composition at the Niwot Ridge LTER
A bee observed visiting a mustard flower in the restoration project at Lake Mathews
Scouting for rare plants at the White Mountain Research Station
Walking to rare plant demography plots with high school interns in at the Archbold Biological Station post-hurricane Irma