BotanyAndrea Medina-Ramos

Long-term change and fire effects on vegetation and soil seed banks in western dry forest communities

My project investigates how twenty years of multidecade drought and wildfires have reshaped vegetation and seedbank dynamics in a Mojave Desert sky island forest system outside the city of Las Vegas, NV. By resurveying a network of 37 Forest Service plots (7 affected by wildfires after initial surveys) established in 2005, the study tracks shifts in plant composition, understory richness, seedbank dynamics, and the spread of invasive species. A primary objective is to track the expansion of invasive species, such as Brome, and its impact on native ecological recovery post-wildfire. Using standardized Forest Service protocols, the research provides a comprehensive inventory of species to determine how environmental stressors are reshaping these critical ecosystems.

School: University of Nevada, Las Vegas