With the predicted acceleration of sea level rise in the mid-21st century, salt marsh restoration efforts are faced with the challenge of building and maintaining sufficient sediment to elevations that support vegetation. The highly subsided Sears Poi . . .

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Cdc24 is required for the completion of S-phase. Many studies implicate Cdc24 in lagging strand DNA replication and in DNA repair. Interestingly, the DNA replication checkpoint kinase, Cdsl (hChk2), and the kinase-dead al . . .

Prior to this monographic treatment, limited research on the genus Marasmius (Basidiomycota, Agaricales) had been conducted in Madagascar. Based on field work in January 2013 and January-February 2014, which generated 45 specimens of Marasmius sensu s . . .

Substratum geology is fundamental in shaping rocky shore morphology. Specific lithologies have various responses to wave action, tectonic features (e.g. fractures, faults) and sedimentary structures (e.g. bedding), creating distinctive multi-scale wea . . .

A two-part study was carried out examining population genetics and fusion behavior of an invasive colonial ascidian, Didemnum vexillum. A barcoding mitochondrial gene, COI, was used in previous studies at global and regional levels to assess the nativ . . .

There is an atypical distribution of the non-native crab Carcinus maenas, rarely found at high elevations in the intertidal zone elsewhere but mainly located in high elevation habitats in San Francisco Bay. Perceived threat from subtidal predators at . . .

This research takes an innovative approach to modeling distribution of a marine predator explicitly in the temporal domain. Harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) are a small cetacean seen in San Francisco Bay year round. Porpoise presence at the entranc . . .

The Astronieae represent one of the earliest diverging clades of the pantropical family Melastomataceae and are endemic to the rainforests of southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. They comprise about 150 species of trees and shrubs in four currently . . .

A northern California strain of Pseudo-nitzschia australis was examined using nonaxenic, batch cultures to examine the effects of more acidic conditions (reduced pH due to increased pCO2) on the growth, photosynthesis, and domoic acid production of th . . .

Sea urchins (Echinoidea) comprise a group exhibiting enormous diversity in shape and size. At the lowest end of the size scale is Echinocyamus, a poorly known genus of highly miniaturized relatives of the sand dollars sometimes called “sea peas.” Ther . . .

Pelagic ecosystem links are typically studied separately with predator response often invoked from climate change, while intermediary alteration in nutrients and plankton production are inferred as the root cause. More specifically, we explored how Pa . . .

The alphaproteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti colonizes the roots of host plants, such as Medicago species, and induces the formation of nodules, where it fixes molecular nitrogen in exchange for carbon compounds. A previous suppressor analysis had . . .

Phyllaplysia taylori, a sea hare found in eelgrass beds along the Pacific coast, is an integral part of eelgrass ecosystems. Temperatures and salinities in San Francisco Bay are highly variable and expected to shift with continued climate change. Phyl . . .

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the day-to-day and week-to-week reliability of body fat (BF%) measurements using three different methods [air displacement plethysmography (Bod Pod), bioelectrical impedance analysis (Fitbit Aria®), and . . .

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient that is inaccessible to many organisms in its abundant atmospheric form. Rhizobia, a group of bacteria capable of fixing molecular dinitrogen into more useful forms, symbiotically colonize the root nodules of legumino . . .

Introduced species often disrupt established food webs, but some native predators can come to rely on introduced prey. Understanding the net effects of the non-natives on imperiled predators is crucial for planning conservation measures. The invasive . . .

The family Tritoniidae (Nudibranchia, Cladobranchia, Dendronotidae) is a cryptic group of nudibranchs known to feed on a variety of octocorals (Mcdonald and Nybakken, 1999). The family has a muddled evolutionary history and previously has had limited . . .

Selective feeding by copepods has important ecological implications such as food web length, nutrient limitation, and control of algal blooms. Traditional methods for investigating copepod feeding in natural waters (e.g. stable isotope and fatty acid . . .

Salmonella, consisting of more than 2000 serovars, is the second most common cause of foodborne illness in the US that can survival intracellularly and lead to gastrointestinal illness. Phosphorothioation (PT) is a post-replicative modification that r . . .

The geographical history of the Gulf of Guinea Islands has played a significant role in shaping the diversity and distributional patterns of the Hemidactylus geckos in the African- Atlantic clade. This study elucidates the phylogenetic relationships b . . .

Microbial mats are found globally in dynamic aquatic environments. Visually different morphotypes (orange-red and black-green) also show different rates of nitrogen fixation and biogeochemical activity. Glacial meltwater communities in the McMurdo Dry . . .

Chemical contaminants in estuaries may interfere with an organism’s ability to ward against parasites and disease which can shape patterns of genetic diversity in populations, including at the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) which helps recogni . . .

Phytoplankton form the base of the global marine carbon cycle. Measurements of primary production are integral to understanding fluxes between the atmosphere and both organic and inorganic carbon pools in the ocean. Virtually all measurements today ar . . .

Increases in water temperature and salinity that are predicted to occur with climate change are hypothesized to alter phytoplankton communities, expand cyanobacteria blooms, and alter food web structure in estuaries. For example, since 1999 blooms of . . .

Echinoids comprise a diverse group of Echinoderms composed of around 1000 extant species. The sea urchin family, Trigonocidaridae exemplifies echinoid diversity, being found in almost every marine ecoregion from the intertidal zone to depths over 3,00 . . .

This study demonstrated that Delta Microcystis can utilize different forms o f inorganic and organic N, with the greatest capacity for NH4+ uptake and the least for glutamic acid uptake, though N uptake did not always follow the classic Michaelis-Ment . . .

The 2009 Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 323 (Exp 323) to the Bering Sea recovered the first continuous sediment cores of the Pleistocene glacial cycles from sites throughout the marginal sea. Sediments in this region are dominated by dia . . .

Increasing use of ecosystem-based management strategies, which are often applied to broad geographic areas and preclude extractive activities, are creating a need for rapid, cost-effective monitoring of large areas. Visual surveys are increasingly bei . . .

Multiple paternity is widespread across many taxa including birds, insects and marine species. Despite multiple paternity being rare among studied crustaceans, a study found that -93% of female porcelain crabs, Petrolisthes cinctipes, mate with more t . . .

This research was conducted to monitor the response of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities to the restoration of intertidal habitat, including eelgrass (Zostera marina) and native oyster reefs (Ostrea lurida) in the San Francisco Estuary. Plots of e . . .

Population bottlenecks, and subsequent loss of genetic diversity, are a common occurrence for introduced species. The MHC Class IIDB locus must constantly adapt to detect shifting pathogen communities and is used in this study to assess functional div . . .

A two-year study of nutrient and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) dynamics within and proximal to a 28 ha restored wetland was evaluated. The net mass flux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and chl-a at the restored site, Blacklock Tidal Marsh (BTM) was also . . .

For efficient plant growth, legumes form symbiosis with a group of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, Rhizobia. Recent results in Sinorhizobium meliloti Rml 021 have shown that jspA, IppA, and podJ are involved in the production of succinoglycan (EPS-I), an es . . .

Giant sengis (genus Rhynchocyon), also known as giant elephant-shrews, are approximately 500 g forest floor mammals that range from Central to East Africa. Previous work on giant sengi taxonomy has focused primarily on pelage color, pelage pattern, an . . .

Species redistribution is a well-documented response to global change. Understanding the resulting physiological responses of organisms is critical for predicting community composition changes that may occur under future conditions. The porcelain crab . . .

Octocorals are among the most abundant and diverse organisms in the ocean. These animals are present in every ocean and can be found from the intertidal zone (0 m) to abyssal depths (over 6000 m). Gorgonians are octocorals with a solid, internal axis. . . .

Temporal genetic studies of direct developing organisms are rare. Marine invertebrates lacking a planktonic larval stage are expected to have lower dispersal, low gene flow, and a higher potential for local adaptation than organisms with planktonic di . . .

This research examined the effects of temperature (20, 25, and 30°C) and salinity (0, 6, and 12) on the plant traits of the aquatic macrophyte, Stuckenia pectinata, and how changes in these traits influence herbivory by invertebrate grazers. The highe . . .

Delineation of Acartia spp. is essential to assess the biodiversity of copepods in marine ecosystems. Previous phylogenetic analyses show lack of monophyly for A.tonsa and A.hudsonica. Reported average DNA sequence divergence among some Acartia spp. i . . .

Field surveys and empirical predation assays (i.e., tethering experiments) were conducted inside and outside of three no-take marine reserves, one established in 2007, and two 30+ years old in central California kelp forests. Densities of micro-invert . . .

Sea surface pH is projected to decline 0.3 - 0.4 units by the year 2100. In the same time span, global surface temperature is expected to increase up to 4°C. Many studies have recently focused on the interactive effects of multiple stressors on the ph . . .

The earliest, newly settled juvenile stages are a critical phase in the life cycles of sessile marine invertebrates. Individuals must grow quickly to avoid lethal predation, yet they may be stuck in low flow boundary layers where obtaining food for ra . . .

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological and physiological characteristics of marathon and ultramarathon runners. Fourteen marathon and 14 ultramarathon recreational runners were assessed for, body height, body mass, BMI, body fa . . .

Controlled experiments testing effects of temperature, salinity, and aerial exposure were paired with field observations to investigate symbiont expulsion in the abundant intertidal anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima. In the study region, A. elegantis . . .

Despite the amount of attention it has received, attempts to explain the distribution of genetic diversity have not been fully successful. Competing theories claim that neutral or selective processes have a greater influence on the genetic variation w . . .

Restoration of eelgrass (Zostera marina) is underway in a number of regions, yet transplant success remains inconsistent. Eelgrass bed sediments and the microbial communities therein are not well understood, though they may hold the key to improving r . . .

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds are highly valued in temperate estuaries worldwide, and decades of declines have led to conservations and restoration programs in many regions. Understanding variation in factors that determine eelgrass success is an imp . . .

The purpose of this project was to examine and compare the mechanisms for growth and reproduction of Gracilariopsis andersonii found along an exposed rocky coast and within an estuarine sand flat. Biomass and reproductive capacity were measured within . . .

Massive precipitation experienced in California during the 2016-17 winter brought the salinity of surface waters in San Francisco Bay Estuary (SFBE) down to values not seen in years. Bay-dwelling organisms such as intertidal invertebrates are at risk . . .