MARINA LAFORGIA

marinalaforgia.weebly.com • marina.laforgia@gmail.com

EDUCATION
PhD, Ecology (expected 2019) University of California, Davis
Co-Advisors: Andrew Latimer & Susan Harrison
Dissertation: The direct and indirect effects of climate change on native forb persistence
BA, summa cum laude, International Studies (2010) University of California, San Diego
Concentration: Italian Studies, Economics
Minor: Biology
FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
Center for Population Biology Research Award, UC Davis, 2018
Hardman Foundation Award, UC Davis, 2018
Center for Population Biology Collaborative Seed Grant, UC Davis, 2017
Davis Botanical Society Student Research Grant, 2017
Northern California Botanist Travel Scholarship, 2016
California Invasive Plant Council Poster Award, runner up, 2016
Natural Areas Conference Student Poster Award, runner up, 2016
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, 2015
Henry A. Jastro Research Grant, UC Davis, 2015
The Nature Conservancy Oren Pollak Grasslands Research Grant, 2015
Natural Reserve System Grant, UC Davis, 2015
Graduate Student Association Travel Award, UC Davis, 2015
Henry A. Jastro Research Grant, UC Davis, 2014
Department of Plant Sciences Graduate Fellowship (8 quarters), UC Davis, 2013
Graduate Group in Ecology Fellowship (4 quarters), UC Davis, 2013
Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Section, Undergraduate Research Symposium, UCSD, 2010
Thurgood Marshall College Distinguished Senior Service Award, UC San Diego, 2010

PUBLICATIONS
LaForgia, M., M. Spasojevic, E. Case, A. Latimer, S. Harrison. 2018. Seed banks of native forbs, but not
exotic grasses, increase during extreme drought. Ecology. doi:10.1002/ecy.2160
Harrison, S., M. LaForgia, A. Latimer. 2017. Climate-driven diversity change in annual grasslands: drought
plus deluge does not equal normal. Global Change Biology: 00:1–10.
McFarland, E., M. LaForgia, M. Yepsen, D. Whigham, A. Baldwin, M. Lang. 2016. Plant biomass and
nutrients (C, N and P) in natural, restored and prior converted depressional wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic
Coastal Plain, U.S. Folia Geobotanica: 1-17.
Cook-Patton, S., M. LaForgia & J. D. Parker. 2014. Positive feedback between enemies and plant diversity
shape forest regeneration. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281.
Yepsen, M., A. Baldwin, D. Whigham, E. McFarland, M. LaForgia, M. Lang M. 2014. Agricultural wetland
restorations achieve diverse native wetland plant communities but differ from natural wetlands.
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 197:11-20.

SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS & POSTERS

LaForgia. 2017. The indirect effect of exotic grasses on stress avoiding and stress tolerant native forbs.
Davis Botanical Society. (Talk)
LaForgia, Latimer, & Harrison. 2017. The indirect effect of exotic grasses on stress avoiding and stress
tolerant native forbs. Ecological Society of America. (Poster)
LaForgia, Case, Spasojevic, Latimer, & Harrison. 2017. The response of soil seed banks to drought in
California annual grasslands. Northern California Botanists Symposium. (Invited Talk)
LaForgia, Latimer, & Harrison. 2016. The indirect effect of exotic grasses on stress avoiding and stress
tolerant native forbs. California Invasive Plant Council Symposium. (Poster)
LaForgia, Case, Spasojevic, Latimer, & Harrison. 2016. What Lies Beneath: How seed banks respond to
drought. Natural Areas Conference. (Poster)
 MARINA LAFORGIA
marinalaforgia.weebly.com • marina.laforgia@gmail.com

LaForgia, Case, Harrison. 2015. Drought depletes invasive but not native seed bank. California Invasive
Plant Council Symposium. (Poster)
LaForgia, Shue, Parker. 2012. Tree Seedling Diversity Affects Survival and Resistance to Enemies. Mid-
Atlantic Ecological Society of America Conference. (Poster)
LaForgia. 2011. Diversity in Tree Seedlings Affects Resistance to Enemies. Presentation. Smithsonian
Environmental Research Center Intern Seminar. (Talk)
LaForgia, Lane, Goodale and Cleland. 2010. Variation in Water Use Efficiency and Soil Moisture
Conditions of Eight Coastal Sage Scrub and Chaparral Species in Relation to Water and Nitrogen
Treatments. Poster presentation. Undergraduate Research Symposium, UCSD. (Poster)
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Graduate Student Researcher, Latimer and Harrison Labs, UC Davis Sep. 2013 – ongoing
Plant community ecology and population dynamics of native annual forbs in California grasslands
Research Technician, Dr. Peter Adler, Utah State University May 2012 – Jul. 2013
Mechanisms of coexistence in grass and shrub systems using demographic models
NSF REU Intern, Parker Lab, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Jun. 2011 – Apr. 2012
Effects of tree seedling diversity on resistance to insects, deer, and pathogens
NSF REU Intern, Whigham Lab, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Sep. 2011 – Dec. 2011
Restoration effectiveness of freshwater wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain
Undergraduate Researcher, Cleland Lab, UC San Diego Jan. 2010 – Dec. 2010
Effects of climate change on photosynthesis, water use efficiency, and biomass in coastal sage scrub and chaparral plant species

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Student Liaison, California Invasive Plant Council Sep. 2014 – ongoing
Student Member, Graduate Group in Ecology Awards Committee, UC Davis Sep. 2016 – ongoing
Lab Safety Manager, Latimer Lab, UC Davis Dec. 2014 – ongoing
Organizer, Panel on Non-Academic Careers in Conservation, UC Davis Jan. 2016 – Apr. 2016
Teaching Assistant, Ecosystems and Global Change, UC San Diego Sep. 2010 – Dec. 2010
Intern, Institute for International, Comparative, and Area Studies, UC San Diego Sep. 2009 – Dec. 2010
Intern, Verno Systems Incorporated, Seattle, WA Jun. 2010 – Aug. 2010
Chair, Leadership Committee for Cultural Celebration, UC San Diego Sep. 2009 – Jun. 2010

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WORKSHOPS

Undocu-Ally Program for Educators. UC Davis. Nov. 2016.
Graduate Level Seminar on Public Speaking. UC Davis. Fall 2015.
Environmental Data Analytics Workshop. National Center for Atmospheric Research. July 2015.

AFFILIATIONS
Center for Population Biology, UC Davis (Affiliate)
California Invasive Plant Council (Student Liaison, member)
Northern California Botanists Association (member)
California Native Grassland Association (member)
Graduate Women in Science (member)

UNDERGRADUATE MENTORING
Lucia Yu (2018), Angela Carreras (2018), Vyvy Ha (2018), Emily Schoeborn (2017), Hannah Kang (2017),
Amy Tims (2017), Shannon Mcgraw (2017), Nydia Mora (2017), Vivian Connolly (2017), Bethany Beyer
(2017), Rebecca Serata (2017), Xinyu Ma (2017), Greg Hester (2017), Madison Boynton (2016), Lizbeth
Olvera (2016), Mayra Pelagio (2016), Sasha Vafaei (2016), Joshua Quintanilla (2016), Minh Le (2016), Maura
Cardenas (2016), Brenden Mitchum (2016), Michael Bancroft (2016), Taylor Blevins (2015), Noreen Brar
(2015), Rene Walker (2015), Shilpa Iyer (2015), Erin Gawel (2015), Cole Caceres (2015), Lillian McDougall
(2015), Allen Hunyh (2015), Anna Erway (2015), Deanna McNurlan (2014), Evania Robles (2014)