Evidence-based Restoration Lab

My research interests include invasive species, seed bank dynamics, critical ecology, ecological theory, plant ecology, and restoration ecology. I am from St. Augustine, Florida with Nigerian and Guatemalan heritage. I received a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.A. in Sustainability Studies with a minor in English at the University of Florida that included numerous extracurricular research and community work that sparked my passion for studying human-driven environmental issues. I have studied grassland ecology abroad in South Africa and Eswatini, agricultural genetic resilience at the Danforth Plant Science Center, as well as environmental toxicology and wetland plant ecology in Florida. 

 

For my master’s degree, I am studying the extent of soil seed banks of invasive legumes in tallgrass prairies. My species of focus, birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), is an invasive legume introduced as a pasture crop to the Midwest region and is currently threatening restoration efforts at Nachusa Grasslands. Through my research, I aim to understand 1) the distribution and density of birdsfoot trefoil’s seed bank, 2) how it correlates to above ground plant density, and 3) the financial toll birdsfoot trefoil removal has taken on Nachusa Grasslands. Another aspect of my project aims to study the agricultural introduction of birdsfoot trefoil through the dynamics of disturbance ecology and pulse events to further understand the way its distinct introduction contributes to its persistence.