Larios Ecology Lab

A central tent of ecological research is to understand the mechanisms that contribute to species coexistence and maintain the diversity that we observe.   Increasingly, we know that soil biota and herbivores can also influence the recruitment into local plant communities and can be key to dictating the ultimate structure of the resident community. Our work examines how generalist herbivores influence recruitment and the ultimate composition of species and traits within local plant communities. We use both experimental and observational approaches to identify both local scale and regional processes that drive diversity patterns.

A key goal for conservation management is to implement activities that enhance the resilience of native communities and local biodiversity. We are working with land managers to guide implementation of restoration planting practices to enhance native diversity and to optimize other management activities within California's deserts, grasslands and shrublands.

In light of potential synergistic interactions among environmental changes, a more holistic system approach is needed to not only predict how ecological systems may change but to inform management and restoration practices.Our work is aimed at identifying such potential synergistic interactions among environmental change factors to predict future invasions and guide restoration efforts.