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California Native Grassland Association GRASS Award Speaker Series

Join us for this season's final presentation for the GRASS Speaker Series showcasing the amazing work undertaken in California Grasslands by some of our Grassland Research Awards for Student Scholarship Winners.

Talks are on Tuesdays from 6 PM - 7 PM PST featuring a one 40-minute talk, or one or two 20-minute talks, with time for Q&A. 

Members: Free      Non-Members: $10       Non-Member Students: Free with Student ID

Title: Trait plasticity alters seed dispersal potential in an annual California grassland community

Speaker: Lauren Glevanik, PhD Candidate, UCLA

October 28, 2025 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Abstract: Plants may be rooted in place, but their seeds aren’t. For many plants, seed dispersal is the only chance to move within a lifetime, influencing range shifts, migration rates, and patterns of local biodiversity. Because dispersal depends on traits such as plant height and seed mass – which can shift with local growing conditions – dispersal potential is not fixed. These changes could help plants escape poor sites or improve establishment through larger seeds, but their influence on dispersal has not rigorously been evaluated at the scale of whole communities. Here, I’ll share preliminary findings from Sedgwick Reserve (Santa Barbara County, CA), where we planted a community of eight annual species across a gradient of competitor densities to test how trait plasticity modulates dispersal. We quantified trait changes in the field, then estimated dispersal kernels using the WALD mechanistic long-distance wind-dispersal model. Species showed significant and contrasting responses: in some cases, increased height under competition improved dispersal distances, while in others, reduced height limited dispersal potential. These findings demonstrate that the competitive context of a microsite can either promote or constrain dispersal, with consequences for population persistence and migration through challenging environments. By linking plant performance to dispersal, this work moves toward a more realistic framework for predicting plant movement. This work is critical for conservation and restoration planning, where the ability of seeds to reach and establish in new sites may determine the success of future plant communities under climate change.

Bio: Lauren is a PhD candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA advised by Dr. Nathan Kraft. She conducts her research in an annual serpentine grassland at Sedgwick Reserve in Santa Barbara County to explore how seed dispersal influences biodiversity. Lauren is also an avid nature photographer, native plant enthusiast, and a certified California Naturalist through the UC Environmental Stewards program. You can find her on iNaturalist (@lglevanik) and ask her about plant IDs!

Contact Justin Luong (jluong4@ucsc.edu) with any questions.

CNGA 2024 GRASS Award Speaker Series 2025 Schedule (Tuesdays, 6 - 7 pm)

• September 9 - Katherine Brafford (UCD)
• September 16 - Andrea Nebhut (Stanford); Deborah Ayala (Texas A&M)
• October 7 - Ernesto Chavez-Velasco (Cal Poly Humboldt)
• October 14 - Jessica Solis (SFSU)
• October 21 - Sophie Noda (UCD) 
• October 28 - Lauren Glevanik (UCLA)

Help Support Student Research - Donate to the GRASS Program

CNGA's GRASS Program: 

• Focuses student research on important grassland-related questions. 
• Inspires students to become more involved in California Grassland Conservation and Restoration. 
• Trains future employees for your agency or company.
• Creates advocates for California Grasslands