The Functional and Restoration Ecology Lab at New Mexico State University uses a variety of approaches rooted in community and trait-based ecology to understand the dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystem change in rangelands and forests. We then seek to apply this understanding to management and  restoration of working lands. Key questions we aim to answer include:

1. How do drivers of global change (e.g., drought, invasive species) alter plant communities and ecosystems?
2. Which functional traits drive plant establishment, survival, and persistence accross diverse environmetal gradients (e.g., climate, soil type)?
3. How can we manage abiotic (e.g., soil microtopogrphy) and biotic (e.g., grazing) conditions to promote biodiversity and ecosystem function in working landscapes?