iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 18/06/2026

Selecting coastal California prairie species for climate-smart grassland restoration Published in CNGA Grasslands Journal, PDF: justinluong.com/assets/pdf/L... #restorationecology #grasslands

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 08/06/2026

Local grassland restoration affects insect communities doi.org/10.1111/een.... Local scale grassland in coastal Santa Barbara, CA affects insects communities resulting in less hyper dominance of herbivorous pests like thrips, and higher abundance and possible refuge for native bumblebees

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Reposted by Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾

Jen Willis ✨☄️🌒🎃 @jenwillis.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Gorgeous.

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 04/06/2026

HAPPY PRIDE from California Native Plants and the Luong Lab!!! 🤍🩷🩵🤎🖤❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 This 2026 Flag from our lab features 152 california native plants! Did you know California is a Biodiversity hotspot with over 6000 native plants? How many plants can you name or spot? 🧐 #CaliforniaNativePlants

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 14/10/2025

Join us tonight for our the California Native Grassland Association tonight at 6PM for a talk by Jessica Solis titled "Carbon Flux Dynamics from a Coastal Grassland Disturbed by Wildfire". Free for members and students or $10 for all others! Hope to see you there! cnga.org/event-6278005

cnga.org

California Native Grasslands Association - CNGA GRASS Award Speaker Series: Jessica Solis

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 03/10/2025

Cool talk by Emma King looking at how Irish wind energy installation affects biodiversity!!

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Dr. Holly P Jones @dochpjones.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

🧪 #SER2025 @justinluong.com just gave a really cool and quick talk on the work he and many others are doing to build a network of support for grassland restoration practitioners in California. Check it out! justinluong.com/menu/grassne...

justinluong.com

California Grassland Restoration, Action, Science and Stewardship Network (GRASS-NET)

University of California, Berkeley - Environmental Science, Policy and Management

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 02/10/2025

A great presentation by Julia Briand at #Ser2025 about how we can improve integration of functional traits for ecological restoration across scales and trophic levels!

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 26/09/2025

NSF GRFP Solicitation now live (www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...) Deadlines - Life Sciences: Nov 10, Geosciences: Nov 14, Social Sciences: Nov 12

nsf.gov

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 16/09/2025

Join us tonight for a double feature presentation by Andrea Nebhut (Stanford) and Deborah Ayala (Texas AM)!!! Cnga.org/events at 6 PM pst

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 15/09/2025

Apparently Sept 15 is prospective graduate student inquiry day!

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Reposted by Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾

Jason Stajich @hyphaltip.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Dept of Plant Biology at UIUC hiring in any subdiscipline of Mycology and/or Plant-Fungal Interactions tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor level. Apply by Oct 31, 2025. For complete details including salary and benefit information, visit go.illinois.edu/PlantBiolfac...

go.illinois.edu

Assistant Professor- Department of Plant Biology

Duties & Responsibilities

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 09/09/2025

Join us for the kick off of the 2025 GRASS Student Seminar Series!! Free for students or members tonight at 6 PM PST - register at cnga.org/event-6289388 for $10/talk or become members and see the rest of the series free while supporting California Native Grasslands!

Title: Seed traits may predict species success in habitats dominated by thatch-producing annual grasses

Speaker: Katherine Brafford, PhD Candidate, UC Davis

September 9, 2025 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Abstract: Community assembly frameworks propose that the species at a site are filtered by their traits from the regional species pool. Thatch producing non-native annual grasses, such as medusahead (Elymus caput-medusae), are common in the western United States. They alter environmental conditions and impose filters that have a mixed, but usually negative, effect on native plant, animal, and insect populations. In this study, we explore the abiotic effects of living medusahead, medusahead thatch, native vegetation, and bare ground cover types. We also examine if traits commonly thought to lead to plant success in medusahead-dominated habitats correlate with plant emergence and growth in living medusahead, medusahead thatch, native vegetation, and bare ground cover types. We selected a grassland site with high medusahead cover and created plots of each cover type in a randomized incomplete block design. We installed sensors to measure soil moisture and temperature, relative humidity, light, and air temperature. We selected 27 species native to and/or growing at the site that varied in seed mass, seed shape, native status, growth form, and bloom time. We planted seeds of each species into miniplots within each plot. We measured seed emergence, growth stage, and above-ground biomass. In this talk, I will present our results on seed traits. As hypothesized, greater seed mass, narrower seeds, and longer awns were correlated with a greater number of plants in both living medusahead and thatch cover. This study will shed light on how traits relate to community assembly; clarify mechanisms underlying annual grass invasion and grassland restoration outcomes; and inform future restoration efforts.

Contact Justin Luong (jluong4@ucsc.edu) with any questions.

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 08/09/2025

sun sets at 240am in california tonight - dont miss it! ✨️ ai ✨️

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C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

After several years studying grasses and forbs in Yellowstone National Park in the US, researchers have formally documented the power of bison as nature’s own fertilizing agents. cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪

cen.acs.org

How bison boost the nitrogen cycle—and create healthier plants

The large herbivores stimulate plant growth by cycling carbon and nitrogen in the soils of Yellowstone National Park, showing benefits of free-roaming wildlife

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Reposted by Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾

Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Applications for the 2026 Pivot to Plants Fellows Program at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are now open. Location: St. Louis, MO Application Deadline: October 15, 2025 Dates: Jan. 5, 2026 – Dec. 23, 2026 Estimated Stipend: $37,275 Learn more: www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/edu...

danforthcenter.org

Pivot to Plants: Training Program for Plant and Data Science | Danforth Plant Science Center

The Pivot2Plants Fellows Program is a 1-year training program for people interested in pivoting to a career in plant science or data science but have limited research experience.

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 05/09/2025

Is ecological restoration of grasslands successful? You'll have to read to find out more ;) but a quick preview says yes!! Interviews with managers show there are limitations both creative ways forward! Check out an amazing illustrated summary by LesleyGoren.com doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109956

Illustrated summaries of "Lessons learned from an interdisciplinary evaluation of long-term restoration outcomes on 37 restored coastal grasslands in California" by Lesley Goren (lesleygoren.com). Page 1 of 2

https://justinluong.com/menu/artandscience.html

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 27/08/2025

We know diversity = more ideas, novelty, advancement and desirable outcomes but how do we recruit and retain diversity? In our paper, me and other LGBTQ+ restoration ecologists outline issues and solutions to retaining and supporting queer ecologists onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Inclusive restoration: ten recommendations to support LGBTQ+ researchers in restoration science

Scientists who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or members of other marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+) face serious disparities compared to their n...

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 29/08/2025

We need PEOPLE! in the ecosystems, being in the grassland makes you appreciate it more, but it could be informed by how trails affect plants. We found native and invasive bunchgrasses have different responses to trail disturbance on California coastal prairies! doi.org/10.1007/s11258-022-01284-z

link.springer.com

Native and invasive bunchgrasses have different responses to trail disturbance on California coastal prairies - Plant Ecology

Ecosystems often experience small-scale disturbances through recreational foot and bike traffic. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis predicts that frequent disturbances in grasslands can negativel...

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 02/09/2025

Join us for California Native Grassland Association's 4th Annual Virtual Speaker Series for Student Grant Winners! Register at CNGA.org/events for $10/talk (unlimited access after), or become a member and come to all talks free with membership, and access all previous talks. Hope to see you soon!

A flyer for "California Native Grassland Association 2025 GRASS Award Speaker Series"

Reads: Join us for the CNGA’s 4th annual virtual speaker series that will showcase the amazing work undertaken in California Grasslands by GRASS Award winners from 2022-2024. You can contact Justin Luong (jluong4@ucsc.edu) with any questions. Register at CNGA.org/events

With a schedule of speakers below
9/9 - Katherine Brafford
9/16 - Andrea Nebhut, Deborah Ayala
9/23 - Ernesto Chavez Velasco
10/14 - Jessica Solis
10/21- Sophie Noda
10/28 - Lauren Glevanik

#CaliforniaNativePlants

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Reposted by Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾

Rashmi Sasidharan @rsasidharan.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

🚨Job Alert!! Assistant professor vacancy ‘plant abiotic stress resilience’ in our group @uuplants.bsky.social Come for the science, stay for the amazing colleagues 😀More details here www.uu.nl/en/organisat... Please share!!

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Ginger Allington @gigirose.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

AMAZING opportunity to lead the future of the Macaulay Lab (home of the beloved Merlin App) at the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University. Search is on for a new Director. Please forward along! academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30293

academicjobsonline.org

Cornell University, Lab of Ornithology

Job #AJO30293, WDR-00054259 Associate/Full Professor, Tenure-track. Faculty Director, Macaulay Library Endowed Chair, Robert Engel Professorship, Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New Y...

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 02/09/2025

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 02/09/2025

New paper out!! We found compost increased bulk carbon in some contexts but with trade-offs that resulted in higher invasive species cover but there was more available forage. Native seeding at recommended rates had no effect and may need to be higher for degraded rangelands doi.org/10.1016/j.ra...

doi.org

Redirecting

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Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

🔥🌱 From the upcoming #AJB Special Issue: “Understanding novel #ﬁre regimes using plant trait‐based approaches" 🌱🔥 Testing key tenets of pyro-ecophysiology: Indicators of #drought response in relation to shoot flammability By Niger Sultana et al. doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... # botany #plantscience

Drought tolerant plants have high flammability and pyro-ecophysiological traits, such as minimum seasonal water potential and turgor loss point are related with plant flammability.

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 29/08/2025

link.springer.com

Native and invasive bunchgrasses have different responses to trail disturbance on California coastal prairies - Plant Ecology

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Reposted by Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾

Stephen Murphy (smurph) @smurph.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

This was a very important paper then and even more so now.

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 27/08/2025

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Inclusive restoration: ten recommendations to support LGBTQ+ researchers in restoration science

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 30/05/2025

a few years ago I found that non-periodic restoration activities can promote native woody species encroachment in California coastal prairies, specifically by Baccharis pilularis (coyote brush). This may suggest a need for stewardship of coastal grasslands! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Infographic of Nonperiodic grassland restoration management can promote native woody shrub encroachment - a paper published in Restoration Ecology by Justin Luong and infographic illustrated by Mia Rassam.

PDF accessible version available at justinluong.com

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 29/05/2025

Drought favors key plant functional groups and strategies, especially rhizomatous species; thatch is also related to lower native plant cover! I wrote a small piece for California Native Grasslands Association's on Selecting Coastal California Prairie Species for Climate-Smart Grassland Restoration

Graphic illustration (page 1) of Justin's Dissertation project assessing the role of functional traits in structuring California Native Plants restoration survival outcomes with extreme drought under IDE Drought Net Plots. See full illustration at https://justinluong.com/assets/pdf/Luong%20Grasslands%20Vol%2030%20No%204%20Ch%201%20graphical%20summary%20(1).pdf

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 14/07/2025

Ecological restoration is successful at meeting minimum targets - but is that enough? Our review of eco-restoration found there's preference using 'work-horse' or species that will succeed contributing to a lack of recovery from biotic homogenization ($ limited) doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2022.05.002

sciencedirect.com

Overcoming biotic homogenization in ecological restoration

Extensive evidence shows that regional (gamma) diversity is often lower across restored landscapes than in reference landscapes, in part due to common…

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Reposted by Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾

Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 23/06/2025

Have you ever wondered about developmental tradeoffs of California native plants or if they do better than invasives during drought? Check out our paper: Adjustments in physiological and morphological traits suggest drought-induced competitive release of some CA plants doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

doi.org

Adjustments in physiological and morphological traits suggest drought‐induced competitive release of some California plants

In a glasshouse in Santa Cruz, CA, USA, we exposed five native California C3 grassland species to episodic drought and competition (via five locally invasive species). In summary, morphological trait...

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 13/08/2025

Big news!! I now an Assistant Professor of Working Lands and Restoration in the Environmental Science, Policy and Management Dept at UC Berkeley!! I'll miss my time in Humboldt but excited for my new journey and grateful for all the support from everyone over the years! @natureatcal.bsky.social

Justin at the University of California (Berkeley) sign near the north entrance of campus.

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 12/08/2025

We had a funeral for our beloved lab scanner last week. She shall be missed R.I.P. circa. 2017 - 2025 😭🪦💔

We did not bury the scanner in the ground but instead planted dozens of California native plants in its place

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Christina Toms @christinatoms.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Nice article in @pressdemo.bsky.social about how the Milo Baker chapter of the California Native Plant Society is restoring native coastal dune-wetland ecosystems at Doran Beach and elsewhere by removing invasive iceplant and European dune grass: www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

pressdemocrat.com

Volunteers unite to protect Sonoma Coast from invasive species

A group of volunteers from the California Native Plant Society gathers weekly to remove invasive species like ice plant at Doran Regional Park, promoting the growth of native plants.

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 09/08/2025

I need a reviewer/specialist interested for an insect based functional diversity recovery after restoration study -- any multi-taxa restoration or community ecologists interested???

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Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · 08/08/2025