Jessie Skalisky
Invasive Plant Seedbank Development after Wildfire in Alaska’s Boreal Forest
UAF Sophomore
B.S. Wildlife Biology and Conservation
Hometown: Homer, Alaska
Jessie is a 2023-2024 Climate Change Project Award Recipient.
Wildfire and invasive species are increasing across Alaska as the climate changes. Under the mentorship of Dr. Katie Spellman, Research Assistant Professor, Jessie's project aims to develop an invasive species seedbank in soils from burns in Interior Alaska. What species of seeds are present after a wildfire and what does this mean for the vulnerability of Alaska in the future?
Historically, permafrost and cold winters have prevented invasive species from spreading in Alaska. However, climate warming and an increase in wildfires have both increased vulnerability to the spread of invasive plants. Last summer, Jessie visited burned areas that had previously harbored invasive plants along the Dalton and Parks Highways. She surveyed the vegetation and collected soil samples to quantify and identify seeds present in the top layers of soil- part of the soil seedbank. During the survey, Jessie found two species of concern, bird vetch (Vicia cracca) and white sweetclover (Melilotus albus).
To further examine the seedbank from burned land along the Dalton and Parks Highways, Jessie set up a greenhouse experiment to study germination and to identify seedlings and seed viability in the samples I collected last summer. Jessie hopes that her study will fill a knowledge gap for land managers in the state by investigating the long-term threat of an invasive seedbank after wildfire.
How is your project going so far this year?
My project is going very well! Most of the moss has been clipped and we have taken many seedling samples. I also presented preliminary results at the Alaska Invasive Species Workshop, which was the first scientific conference I had ever attended. Some things took a bit longer than I expected them to, but that’s bound to happen with any project. It’s been a great learning experience about how research projects progress, from taking samples to operating a drying oven, to analyzing and entering data. I’ve enjoyed every task so far and feel very lucky to have the resources to complete my project.
How did you find out about URSA and what encouraged you to submit an application for funding?
I heard about URSA and how undergraduate students could get involved in research briefly during orientation my freshman year. I had also heard about URSA projects through other peers in my major. I completed a traineeship with Dr. Spellman in the summer of 2023 where the initial soil samples were collected and established in the UAF scientific greenhouse. Dr. Spellman and Taylor Seitz encouraged me to apply for an URSA grant if I wanted to continue working on the research throughout the school year. I loved the traineeship experience and decided to go for it! It was incredibly exciting to see my project accepted for URSA funding.
How does your URSA project relate to your career or personal goals?
I plan to pursue a career in ecological research, but I wasn’t sure how to get my foot in the door. This URSA project has given me a chance to learn and put into practice a wide variety of skills that are relevant to my future goals. I now have professional experience writing grants, taking soil samples, and entering and analyzing data, as well as presenting at conferences and designing scientific posters. Beyond building relevant skills, I know that I’m working on research relevant to my local community in the form of gathering information on how invasive plants are affecting Alaskan forests in the face of wildfire and climate change.
If you could share one piece of advice with students interested in pursuing URSA in the future, what would you say?
Send the email! Go up to your professor who is working on something cool you’d like to get involved with! From URSA to summer jobs, every cool opportunity that I’ve gotten has been because I emailed someone I’d never spoken to before or spoke to a professor after class about research the person was involved in that I thought was interesting. Most of the time I wasn’t even planning on getting a job or internship out of it, but I wanted to know more about their work. This doesn’t just apply to STEM fields. If there is any sort of project that you’re interested in, reach out!