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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

Fouquieria splendens (ocotillo) is a large, basally branching, shallow-rooted, drought deciduous shrub native to the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts. Ocotillos, like all Fouquieriaceae, have gelatinous fibers (g-fibers), which typically occur in tensio . . .

∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana’s principal psychoactive component, is known to suppress resistance to bacterial, viral and protozoan infections. However, the effect of THC on resistance to fungal infections is unclear. Recently, we found tha . . .

In this study, two ways of accumulating Pb were investigated: natural accumulation and chemically enhanced accumulation with the chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Young cattails (Typha latifolia) were removed from the Arcata Comm . . .

Improved understanding of the importance of estuarine wetlands to the function of coastal ecosystems has lead to increased restoration efforts of degraded wetlands. The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (SSNERR) in Coos Bay, Oregon, has . . .

Five species of western gooseberries (Ribes: Grossulariaceae) hybridize to varying degrees in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. Pollinator surveys and hand-pollination experiments were conducted to identify reproductive barriers between . . .

Throughout their global distribution, bats vary in their use of microhabitats along the vertical strata of forests. Ground-based detection techniques typically cannot sample canopy strata in taller forests as it falls beyond detection and netting rang . . .

The movement ecology of the adult northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora aurora) is essentially unknown throughout its range. Systematic studies, particularly those that investigate terrestrial movements of these animals, are urgently needed since this . . .

Long term comparisons are important for understanding intertidal community dynamics and documenting response to environmental pressures. This study compares the historical abundance of high intertidal sessile organisms at two rocky intertidal sites wi . . .

Historically human olfaction has been underestimated. There is considerable recent evidence that olfaction is biologically important in social and emotional contexts, including mate selection and kin recognition. Observations of humans in social conte . . .

I investigated seasonal activity, movement patterns, and habitat use of the wandering salamander, Aneides vagrans, in an old-growth forest canopy. During the fall and winter months from September 2000 to January 2003, a mark—recapture study of salaman . . .

The Early Devonian epoch (419.2 ±3.2-393.3 ±1.2 Ma) (Gradstein 2012) marked the commencement of a rapid evolutionary radiation and increase in the diversity and complexity of basal tracheophytes and other groups of land plants. While the importance of . . .

The development of industry, mining activity, irrigation of waste water, and the application of sewage sludge to agricultural lands have increased the release of metals into our ecosystems causing serious environmental problems and posing threats to h . . .

Seagrass beds are productive, structurally complex ecosystems that support an abundant and diverse assemblage of animals. Although light is clearly important to seagrass productivity, grazers also alter this aspect of plant communities. Grazers may in . . .

A sampling design that can provide estimates of abundance with low variance is very valuable to biologists working with limited budgets and time. Estimates that are precise even with low sampling efforts allow researchers to cheaply and confidently mo . . .

Place-based education is an instructional approach that engages students with their local environment, which can enrich the educational experience and improve scientific literacy. This project is a place-based secondary-level life science curriculum i . . .

In this study I tested the ability of the pollination syndrome model to predict the most effective pollinator of a tropical forest tree, Hibiscus elatus (Malvaceae), at three sites in Jamaica, West Indies. The floral characteristics of this species su . . .

Bacterial endosymbionts often contribute to the nutritional fitness of their host, as seen with Buchnera endosymbionts in aphids and Wolbachia endosymbionts in Cimex lectularius. Conventionally, amino acids and vitamins provided by bacterial endosymbi . . .

Spartina densiflora, a non-indigenous, invasive, perennial cordgrass has colonized and modified roughly 90% of the remaining salt marsh habitat in Humboldt Bay, California. As part of a region wide effort to ameliorate the effects of this invasion, tw . . .

The marine copepod, Tigriopus californicus (Baker), is commonly found in high rocky splash-pools between Alaska and Lower California. In this habitat the animal has the ability of withstanding a great range of temperature and salinity. The body of thi . . .

Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) are ‘living islands’ to a diverse assemblage of crustacean ectoparasites that includes at least three species of highly specialized whale lice (Cyamus spp.). These lice are obligate parasites that undergo direct dev . . .

The utility of nocturnal flight calls as an indicator for monitoring bird migration has been demonstrated and its usage continues to grow. However few studies have addressed how and if nocturnal flight calls can be used as a measure of migrating bird . . .

The abundance, distribution, prey availability, and prey consumed by gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in northern California were investigated during 1999 and 2000. Systematic shore-based observations from four sites occurred year-round but were co . . .

The Caenorhabditis elegans SPE-26 protein is involved in the formation of viable spermatids. Two-hybrid interaction analysis was performed in order to determine with which proteins SPE-26 physically interacts. Fusing the carboxy terminal 471 amino aci . . .

The identification of organisms present in an environment is a crucial prerequisite for understanding the role of organisms in the environment and the processes influencing the diversity of those organisms. In general, the basic ecology of acidic ther . . .

The science of immunology, for much of its history, has focused on the ability to induce the biological acquisition of specific immunity or on the ability to produce specific immune agents. Examples are, respectively, vaccinations that enable vertebra . . .

Pinus balfouriana Grev. and Balf., foxtail pine, is endemic to California, occurring as two subspecies: P. balfouriana ssp. austrina in the southern High Sierra and P. balfouriana ssp. balfouriana 500 km to the north in the Klamath Mountains. Previous . . .

Baseline information is needed to protect pollinators in at-risk ecosystems. One such system, Tolowa Dunes (Crescent City, California), in northern California, is undergoing habitat fragmentation caused by an introduced, invasive plant, Ammophila aren . . .

Natural riparian habitats are among the most diverse, productive, and structurally complex of terrestrial habitats. Although litter-decomposing fungi are integral components of riparian habitats, they are often omitted in studies of riparian ecology a . . .

This study examined wrack-associated macrofaunal communities in northern California, providing base line data and documenting potential prey for federally threatened Western Snowy Plovers. I investigated three hypotheses regarding beach wrack macrofau . . .

The morphology and proportions of the limb skeletons of thirteen species of North American mustelids are examined. A series of forty-nine ratios is generated for each species. Ratios are analyzed using standard descriptive statistics; mean, standard d . . .

Phytoplankton community descriptions are becoming an increasingly important component in studies of oceanographic and nearshore marine ecosystems. These primary producers play a major role in the global carbon cycle and are the foundation of nutrition . . .