Kim O’Keefe, PhD, is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences atSaint Edward’s University. Originally from New Jersey, she completed her BS inBiology at The College of New Jersey (2010), her MS in plant ecophysiology at SaintJoseph’s University (2012), and her PhD in plant ecophysiology at Kansas StateUniversity (2016). After completing her PhD, she spent 4.5 years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and theUniversity of Wyoming. Kim is primarily interested in using plant ecophysiology to understand herbaceous-woody community processes in grasslands and savannas.Her research takes her to amazing locations such as the Konza Prairie in Kansas and Kruger National Park in South Africa. When not teaching or traveling for field work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Aaron, and her (very opinionated) cat, Clove.
In this project, we designed a case study aimed at improving rangeland literacy and teaching mechanisms of land cover change in herbaceous systems. We specifically developed a multi-lecture activity based on data from an actual example of woody encroachment occurring within a private ranch in Central Texas, USA. Our student learning objectives were to (1) assess changes in rangeland vegetation associated with different management approaches using geospatial data, (2) graphically present changes in biomass and land cover data over time, and (3) discuss impacts of woody encroachment on rangeland structure, functioning, and ecosystem services. The case study was implemented in one section of an undergraduate plant ecology course during the Spring 2023 semester at St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. Students used the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP), an open-source web application used to analyze rangeland vegetation data from satellite imagery, to evaluate differences in biomass and woody / herbaceous cover within a Central Texas ranch with areas of varying fire history. Students then created graphs to interpret their spatial data and develop hypotheses regarding the effects of fire frequency on woody encroachment in rangelands. Additional learning activities were implemented before and after the geospatial investigation to introduce students to rangelands and to discuss the ecological impacts of woody encroachment in herbaceous systems.
