Rate My Professor Scott Abella

Dr. Abella's research interests include restoration ecology, fire ecology, invasion biology, plant ecology, desert ecosystems, and forest ecology. As Principal Investigator of the UNLV Conservation Ecology Lab, his team focuses on applied conservation science to repair damaged ecosystems, support native species, and restore functions like wildlife habitat. Projects address post-fire recovery, invasive species management, nurse plant facilitation in desert restoration, community responses to disturbances, and minimal-input techniques for habitat rehabilitation. He teaches Plant Ecology (BIOL444/644), Restoration Ecology (BIOL403/603), Forest Ecology (BIOL435/635), and graduate special topics in Community and Dryland Ecology. Key publications feature 'Resilience and alternative stable states after desert wildfires' (Ecological Monographs, 2020), 'Techniques for restoring damaged Mojave and western Sonoran habitats, including those for threatened desert tortoises and Joshua trees' (Desert Plants, 2023), 'Do nurse plant effects strengthen over time? Results from 12 years of desert habitat restoration' (Plant Ecology, 2023), 'Formation and ecology of oak shrubby layers during long-term oak savanna restoration' (Restoration Ecology, 2025), and 'Conserving America's National Parks' (2015).