Purpose of the Study: The endangered Sonoma County population of the California tiger salamander, Ambystoma californiense, undergoes migrations between breeding pools and upland dry-season refugia. Orientation in this species during breeding migration . . .

The blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is a federally and state-listed endangered species, endemic to the San Joaquin Valley, Carrizo and Elkhorn Plains, and Cuyama Valley of central California. Habitat degradation has had a profound impact on . . .

Rhus ovata is an evergreen shrub species that is common to low elevations in southern California. This species is subdioecious, i.e. some individuals are functionally females and produce fruit while others are functionally male and produce flowers wit . . .

Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & Bigelow var. treleasei (J.M. Coult.) Toumey (OBT), commonly known as Bakersfield cactus, is endemic to parts of Kern County, California. O. b. var. treleasei is one of four varieties of Opuntia basilaris and is state and fe . . .

The phorid fly genus Apocephalus is the largest assemblage of ant-parasitizing Phoridae. Apocephalus is currently organized into two subgenera: A. (Apocephalus) and A. (Mesophora). The species of A. (Mesophora) attack a wide variety of non-ant hosts i . . .

Ecological interactions can vary in strength depending on environmental conditions. The outcomes of these interactions are often dependent on the abiotic environment, but can also depend on the presence of other biotic species, including mutualists, . . .

Transporting water efficiently is one of the chief functions of plant vascular systems. Highly efficient transport is generally beneficial; however, tradeoffs arise because vascular systems have multiple functional roles that interact with one another . . .

Purpose of the Study: The Russian River watershed stretches across a significant portion of Sonoma and Mendocino counties, covering 1,485 square miles, and is home to not only humans, but countless fish and wildlife species as well. The Russian River . . .

Purpose of the Study: Long-lived iteroparous females may suppress reproduction during unfavorable conditions to maximize lifetime reproductive success. Capital breeders must accrue sufficient body reserves to support reproductive effort or they may ex . . .

Purpose of the Study: To understand male and female mate choice patterns affecting species and gender recognition via long distance chemical cues, this study examined the rough skin newt, Taricha granulosa, in both pond and creek habitats. Response to . . .