THE DRI

CONSERVATION

ECOLOGY LAB

Yellow flower with a bee gathering pollen.

MISSION: The DRI Conservation Ecology Lab conducts basic and applied ecological research informing conservation actions and natural resource management in the Southwest. By working in direct collaboration with agency managers and other scientists, our goal is to develop and implement research to broaden our understanding of native species and anthropogenic factors that affect our natural resources.

Desert tortoises with rocks and desert shrubs.

ABOUT US: We are located within the DRI’s southern campus in Las Vegas, NV. With a centralized location we can conduct our research anywhere. We focus on arid and semi-arid ecosystems of the Southwestern United States. However, our research has taken us to high elevation shrubland and riparian desert systems of the Great Basin, coastal oak savannahs of California, and towering anticline of the San Rafael Swell.

OUR RESEARCH CAPABILITIES: We specialize in seed and germination ecology, rare plant ecology, soil seed banks, invasive species ecology, restoration ecology and scientific Illustration. We provide science-based expertise and guidance to management agencies across multiple states and on a National level such as the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Nevada Division of Forestry.

Our Team

Tiffany Pereira

Associate Research Scientist, Ecologist
Principal Investigator

Ms. Pereira has over a decade of experience in natural resource management, including the development and implementation of resource management guidelines for multiple federal agencies. She has published numerous technical reports and journal articles, and her basic research focuses on seed ecology, germination, soil seed banks, gypsum communities, and rare plant habitat restoration in the Desert Southwest. Ms. Pereira is both a researcher and an artist, and she provides graphic design and illustration services for scientific communication efforts to clients at a wide range of public and private organizations, as well as to colleagues at DRI.

Tsvetelina Stefanova

Staff Research Scientist, Field Biologist and STEAM Education Specialist

Ms. Stefanova is an early career scientist specializing in plant and conservation ecology in the Desert Southwest. Her work includes rare plant surveys, sensitive species monitoring, micro- and macrophotography, and both greenhouse and laboratory research. She collaborates with the DRI STEM Education team to develop free resources and professional development sessions for preK–12 educators, as well as hands-on activities, workshops, and camps that inspire students to explore careers in STEAM. A Congressionally recognized arts community organizer and award-winning musician and artist, she has established a unique role at DRI—bridging science and art to advance science literacy through creative STEAM education and community outreach.

Four people in a field of yellow flowers smiling at the camera with blue sky in the background.

Technicians!

The DRI Conservation Ecology Lab would be nothing without a team of dedicated technicians who have helped collect data in wind, rain, dust, and dirt. Many old and new faces have worked tireless hours in California, Nevada and even Utah and have flown on to do marvelous things. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts!

Our current technicians are Brianna Kramer, Roxanna Nielsen and Amelia Porter!