Chris Gurney

M.Sc. Student

Office: Room 4, Mulford Hall
cgurney09@students.claremontmckenna.edu
Phone/Fax: 510-643-3918
Mailing address: 137 Mulford Hall #3114 University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-3114

B.A. Claremont McKenna College, 2009

Research Interests

My interests are quite broad, but my current research is focused on plant community ecology in altered ecosystems. Specifically, I am investigating how plant-herbivore interactions affect the assembly of native bunchgrasses compared to invasive annual grasses at Carrizo Plains National Monument. My study will consider both the effects of native animals (Giant Kangaroo Rats) and introduced livestock (cattle)-including the effects of herbivory, seed predation, and biotic soil disturbance. With my findings, I hope to develop recommendations for the restoration of California native grasslands. I am also interested in the social, political, and economic factors that affect conservation planning across land ownership boundaries and hope to eventually work for a land conservancy.

Curriculum Vitae Link