Randy Long

Research

The focus of Randy's PhD research is based on the physiological ecology of plants, focusing on plant responses to multiple stressors. He is interested in the role of herbivores as a proximal stress that leads to dieback of woody plants, and uses a non native species, Tamarix spp., and it’s associated herbivores as a model system to investigate variation in plant traits under stress in the field and in greenhouse studies. He came to UCSB after obtaining an agricultural plant sciences degree from CalPoly San Luis Obispo, where he developed his interest in plant ecology working as a research assistant for the University of California Extension.