Melory Brandao received her BS from University of Massachusetts Amherst in Natural Resource Conservation with a concentration in plant ecology. She has done ecological restoration in coastal sage scrub habitat in southern California, removing invasive species from riparian and oak woodlands, and reintroducing native plants through seeding and propagation. Last year, Melory surveyed high-elevation plants and pollinators across the Madrean Sky Islands as part of a study investigating how specific interaction patterns contribute to both short-term plant and pollinator reproduction and long-term population persistence. She is extremely interested in native plant gardening, seed collection, and do-it-yourself ecological restoration, encouraging citizen-scientist collaboration and stewardship. She is currently working as a seasonal species interaction technician here at the VCE.
