Resume

• 2008

  French

• 2001

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

  Biology

  General

  Lewis and Clark College

  Species Distribution Models -- graduate seminar

  Remote Sensing and the Environment

  Plant Physiological Ecology

• Lifesciences

  Matlab

  Ecology

  Remote Sensing

  Science

  Teaching

  Research

  Dissertation Research

  \nMy dissertation research has tackled the following topics:\n\n1) I have used remote sensing and a decision tree approach to understand the effect of drought-stress on mortality of a coastal pine species

  Bishop pine. How important is the frequency of summertime cloud cover in explaining the spatial pattern of tree mortality relative to environmental factors

  such as geomorphic attributes that control the distribution of water over the landscape?\n\n2) To understand the effects of fog water inputs on the water status & stress of Bishop pines

  I conducted a field-based study to quantify the response of trees to fog events over the summertime dry-down period. To do this

  I took hundreds of predawn xylem pressure potential measurements!\n\n3) I found that fog was important in improving the water status of trees

  so I wanted to understand the mechanisms by which fog water was being used by these trees. I conducted a greenhouse study to measure the relative contribution of fog immersion and fog-drip to the physiological function of this species. Fog water is intercepted by plants

  and then drips to the ground increasing shallow soil moisture. Trees are also immersed in fog

  which could support foliar absorption of fog water. I am working on analyzing these data.\n

  Baguskas

  Sara

  Baguskas

  U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

  UCSB Department of Geography

  Channel Islands National Park

  Island Oak habitat restoration on Santa Rosa Island

  Fennel eradication on Santa Cruz Island

  Biological soil crust surveys on Santa Rosa Island

  Channel Islands National Park

  Biological Soil Crust Lab

  Moab UT

  Process soil samples for chemical and nutrient analyses as well as analyze them for living organisms (cyanobacteria

  lichen communities). A mixture of field and lab work.

  U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

  Graduate Student

  Study the relationship between fog water inputs and plant function in a coastal California pine forest

  UCSB Department of Geography