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Carla M Roybal

Carla Roybal is a plant ecologist with the Southwest Biological Science Center. Carla studies plants in the context of ecological restoration in western dryland ecosystems.

Carla is interested in basic and applied ecological research within the context of land stewardship, conservation, and restoration. Presently, her research is focused on testing the suitability of native plant materials commonly used in restoration projects across the western U.S. Carla also has a background in education, and seeks to incorporate this skillset into outreach efforts. Carla is a lifelong resident of the Four Corners states, with heritage tied to land stewardship in northern New Mexico reaching back many generations, and is honored to work on behalf of land conservation and restoration in the western U.S.

Professional Experience

  • 2023 - present: Ecologist, USGS, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ

  • 2022 - 2023: Physical Science Technician, Rocky Mountain Research Center, Flagstaff, AZ

  • 2018 - 2022: Science Teacher, Basis Flagstaff, AZ

  • 2015 - 2018: Research Assistant, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

  • 2012 - 2015: Biological Science Technician, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT

  • 2011: Forest Guild Community Forest Intern, Santa Fe, NM

Education and Certifications

  • 2018: M.S. in Biology with Distinction, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff

  • 2012: B.A. in Environmental Studies, Prescott College, AZ

Honors and Awards

  • Dr. James Rominger Scholarship for Plant Sciences - Northern Arizona University, 2015

  • Award for exceptional research and service - Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Canyonlands Research Station, 2015

  • Star Award - For work performance, Department of the Interior, 2012

  • John Wesley Powell Scholarship, 2008

  • Gifford Pinchot Scholarship, 2008

Science and Products

Biogeochemical and ecosystem properties in three adjacent semiarid grasslands are resistant to nitrogen deposition but sensitive to edaphic variability

Drylands have low nitrogen stocks and are predicted to be sensitive to modest increases in reactive nitrogen availability, but direct evidence that atmospheric nitrogen deposition will have sustained effects on dryland ecosystems is sparse and conflicting.We used three long-running in situ nitrogen deposition simulation experiments and a complementary laboratory incubation experiment to address fu
Authors
Brooke Bossert Osborne, Carla M Roybal, Robin H. Reibold, Christopher D Collier, Erika L. Geiger, Michala Lee Phillips, Michael N Weintraub, Sasha C. Reed
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Southwest Biological Science Center

Prestoration: Using species in restoration that will persist now and into the future

Climate change presents new challenges for selecting species for restoration. If migration fails to keep pace with climate change, as models predict, the most suitable sources for restoration may not occur locally at all. To address this issue we propose a strategy of “prestoration”: utilizing species in restoration for which a site represents suitable habitat now and into the future. Using the Co
Authors
B.J. Butterfield, Stella M. Copeland, Seth M. Munson, C.M. Roybal, Troy E. Wood
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Roybal, C.M., and Butterfield, B., 2019, Species-specific trait-environment relationships among populations of widespread grass species: Oecologia, v. 189, p. 1017-1026, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04372-6.
Roybal, C.M., and Butterfield, B.J., 2018, Functional trait heritability and local climatic adaptation among grasses—A meta-analysis: Plant Ecology, v. 219, p. 369-379, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-018-0801-y.
Rubin, R.L., and Roybal, C.M., 2018, Plant community responses to mastication and mulching of one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma): Journal of Rangeland Ecology and Management, v. 71. no., 6, p. 753-756, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2018.04.008.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

link
Yellow bee plant (Cleome lutea) visited by a monarch butterfly

Genetics for Western Restoration and Conservation (GWRC)

Research using genetic principles, methods, and data provides critical information for restoration and conservation science. Genetic research may rely only upon genomic sequencing techniques, which generate abundant, genome-wide DNA sequences that can provide a glimpse into a species’ evolutionary history and adaptations. Genetic research may also look at an organism’s physical traits to...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center
link

Genetics for Western Restoration and Conservation (GWRC)

Research using genetic principles, methods, and data provides critical information for restoration and conservation science. Genetic research may rely only upon genomic sequencing techniques, which generate abundant, genome-wide DNA sequences that can provide a glimpse into a species’ evolutionary history and adaptations. Genetic research may also look at an organism’s physical traits to...
Learn More

Science and Products

Biogeochemical and ecosystem properties in three adjacent semiarid grasslands are resistant to nitrogen deposition but sensitive to edaphic variability

Drylands have low nitrogen stocks and are predicted to be sensitive to modest increases in reactive nitrogen availability, but direct evidence that atmospheric nitrogen deposition will have sustained effects on dryland ecosystems is sparse and conflicting.We used three long-running in situ nitrogen deposition simulation experiments and a complementary laboratory incubation experiment to address fu
Authors
Brooke Bossert Osborne, Carla M Roybal, Robin H. Reibold, Christopher D Collier, Erika L. Geiger, Michala Lee Phillips, Michael N Weintraub, Sasha C. Reed
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Southwest Biological Science Center

Prestoration: Using species in restoration that will persist now and into the future

Climate change presents new challenges for selecting species for restoration. If migration fails to keep pace with climate change, as models predict, the most suitable sources for restoration may not occur locally at all. To address this issue we propose a strategy of “prestoration”: utilizing species in restoration for which a site represents suitable habitat now and into the future. Using the Co
Authors
B.J. Butterfield, Stella M. Copeland, Seth M. Munson, C.M. Roybal, Troy E. Wood
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Roybal, C.M., and Butterfield, B., 2019, Species-specific trait-environment relationships among populations of widespread grass species: Oecologia, v. 189, p. 1017-1026, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04372-6.
Roybal, C.M., and Butterfield, B.J., 2018, Functional trait heritability and local climatic adaptation among grasses—A meta-analysis: Plant Ecology, v. 219, p. 369-379, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-018-0801-y.
Rubin, R.L., and Roybal, C.M., 2018, Plant community responses to mastication and mulching of one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma): Journal of Rangeland Ecology and Management, v. 71. no., 6, p. 753-756, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2018.04.008.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

link
Yellow bee plant (Cleome lutea) visited by a monarch butterfly

Genetics for Western Restoration and Conservation (GWRC)

Research using genetic principles, methods, and data provides critical information for restoration and conservation science. Genetic research may rely only upon genomic sequencing techniques, which generate abundant, genome-wide DNA sequences that can provide a glimpse into a species’ evolutionary history and adaptations. Genetic research may also look at an organism’s physical traits to...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center
link

Genetics for Western Restoration and Conservation (GWRC)

Research using genetic principles, methods, and data provides critical information for restoration and conservation science. Genetic research may rely only upon genomic sequencing techniques, which generate abundant, genome-wide DNA sequences that can provide a glimpse into a species’ evolutionary history and adaptations. Genetic research may also look at an organism’s physical traits to...
Learn More
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