Master's Thesis

Floristics

Floristics is the study of the plant species present in a specific area. To do a floristic study, physical specimens are collected, pressed, identified, and desposited at herbaria. These specimens provide physical proof that a plant species occurred in a specific area, on a specific date. They are also vital for many other types of botanical research, often used for DNA extractions, phenological research, and so much more. As technology continues to advance, we don't even know all the ways that herbarium specimens will continue to be useful in the future! 

Manter and Salmon Creek Watersheds

My master's thesis was a floristic inventory of the vascular flora of the Manter and Salmon Creek watersheds in the southern Sierra Nevada, Tulare County, CA.

The Manter and Salmon Creek watersheds encompass a 51 sq. mi. section of the Kern Plateau, ranging in elevation from 3,400 to 9,800 ft and containing a diversity of habitat types, including large montane meadows, coniferous forests, granite rock outcrops, and perennial streams. This region is known to host numerous endemic plant species (e.g. Frasera tubulosa and Horkeliella purpurascens) and species of conservation concern (e.g. Eriogonum breedlovei var. shevockii and Carlquistia muirii). The Domeland Wilderness, which makes up 25 sq. mi. of the study site, has few herbarium specimen records documenting plant diversity. Conducting a systematic floristic inventory of this under-documented region provides an opportunity to record rare plant locations, species at the edge of their range, and disjunct plant populations. Documenting this diversity is vital, as there are several ongoing impacts from land use and climate change. Cattle grazing, off-highway vehicular use, logging, severe drought, and an altered fire regime were all documented during the study. These disturbances will have lasting impacts on the flora.