Jayne Jonas

Jayne Jonas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She directs the Jonas Grassland Ecology Lab and holds affiliations with the Society for Ecological Restoration, Ecological Society of America, and Society for Range Management. Her research program investigates restoration ecology and ecosystem dynamics in grassland and forest environments.

Jonas's work focuses on restoration strategies for degraded ecosystems, plant-herbivore interactions, and post-disturbance recovery in rangelands and forests. She employs field experiments and long-term monitoring to evaluate restoration techniques for cheatgrass-invaded rangelands, salt deserts, and post-fire landscapes. Recent projects examine seedling establishment drivers in dryland restoration and translocation techniques for imperiled plant species.

Her publications demonstrate consistent methodological approaches to evaluating restoration outcomes, particularly through long-term vegetation monitoring and experimental field studies. Jonas's work integrates principles of plant ecology, insect-plant interactions, and disturbance ecology to inform restoration practice.

Jonas teaches courses in ecology and mentors students in field research techniques. She maintains active collaborations with government agencies and research institutions to advance restoration science.