Miranda K. Melen

I am interested in California ecosystems and how native and non-native plant species interact. I have an M.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from San José State University. My previous research at San José State University focused on the plant mating system of the endangered Santa Cruz wallflower (Erysismum teretifolium) to better understand the role of insect pollinators in the Zayante sandhills. As a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, I study the process of invasion using the stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens) system. My research looks at the role of disturbance in a grassland community, rapid evolution in a novel weed, and seed bank persistence. 

I am grateful for funding provided by the US Department of Agriculture NIFA program; the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz; the UC Santa Cruz Plant Science Fund; the Jean H. Langenheim Graduate Fellowship in Plant Ecology and Evolution from UC Santa Cruz; and the Howard-Kohn Memorial Scholarship from the Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.