Xenebeth Lazaro recently graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with an emphasis on Psychology. Xenebeth's research interest involves the intersection of wildlife conservation and local watershed ecosystems. Xenebeth's IRES experience, focused on the capability of bryophyte fragments recovered from the feces of two herbivorous bird species to regenerate. She collected feces from white-bellied seed snipes and upland geese in the field and brought them back to the lab to then extract bryophyte fragments from. Xenebeth then put these fragments into different growing conditions and observed and recorded their growth.

Xenebeth worked with Dr. Bernard Goffinet and Dr. Jaime Jiménez in the U.S. and with Dr. Roy Mackenzie in Chile.

Xenebeth tells us, "My IRES experience was an unforgettable one because I met a handful of people who were influential in my life decisions and my work, and who I stay in contact with till this day. I also met people from around the world who were doing cool research in this pristine area of the planet, and was fortunate enough to not only get a research experience but also a cultural experience by interacting with the indigenous Yaghan people."

Xenebeth will be presenting her research at the 2019 Ecological Society of America and United States Society for Ecological Economics Joint Meeting in Louisville, KY in August.

Her presentation is titled, "Moss Regeneration from Fragments as a Potential Indicator of Endozoochory in Sub-Antarctic Chile," and is co-authored by Roy Mackenzie, Bernard Goffinet, and Jaime Jiménez.