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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

November 22, 2021
Researchers recover ancient mammoth tusk during deep-sea expedition
A team of researchers from UC Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and University of Michigan are studying the tusk retrieved from deep waters off the California coast.
November 09, 2021
New book chronicles more than 50 years of elephant seal research at Año Nuevo Reserve
Professor Emeritus Burney Le Boeuf summarizes the findings of the UC Santa Cruz elephant seal research program, one of the longest running studies of any animal
October 28, 2021
Ecologist Erika Zavaleta named ESA Excellence in Ecology Scholar
Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been selected by the Ecological Society of America (ESA) as one of four ESA Excellence in Ecology (EEE) Scholars in the first cohort of this new initiative.
October 27, 2021
Data-driven animations of marine mammals combine biology, art, and computation
New tools for data visualization can transform data from animal-borne tags into cinematic and informative animations of marine mammal behavior.
October 25, 2021
Seagrass restoration study shows rapid recovery of ecosystem functions
Restored plots of eelgrass in Elkhorn Slough expanded rapidly, providing improved habitat for fish and invertebrates and other benefits of a healthy ecosystem.
October 20, 2021
Long-term study of elephant seal reproduction shows population’s resilience
Researchers found that a female elephant seal’s age and experience were more important than ocean conditions in determining the condition of her pup at weaning.
October 18, 2021
Biologist Beth Shapiro’s new book explores how humans have shaped life on Earth
‘Life as We Made It’ explains how our species has been manipulating nature for the past 50,000 years and what the future may hold, depending on how we use new technologies.
October 14, 2021
Biologist Roxanne Beltran wins prestigious Packard Fellowship
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering to Roxanne Beltran, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz.
September 28, 2021
Wild, wild life
Alumnus Sebastian Kennerknecht cares so deeply about animals that he built a career in wildlife conservation photography to help fight for their survival.
September 24, 2021
Natural Reserve System was instrumental in biologist’s ascent to grad school
UCSC graduate student Tim Brown works atop eastern California’s highest ranges, seeking to understand why a sparrow-sized mountain bird is riding the 'escalator to extinction.'
September 03, 2021
Long Marine Lab seawater intake repair wins environmental engineering award
The seawater intake repair project at the UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab was named the 2021 Environmental Engineering Project of the Year for the American Society of Civil Engineers, San Francisco Section.
September 02, 2021
UCSC signs $3M state contract to deliver a public health data platform for pathogen genomics
The one-year, $3 million contract with the California Department of Public Health will galvanize pandemic-related genomic data analysis efforts for the public good.
September 01, 2021
Enhanced wetland on UCSC’s Coastal Science Campus will benefit threatened frogs
Construction of a seasonal pond within an existing wetland area in the Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve will create potential aquatic breeding habitat for the California red-legged frog.
August 26, 2021
When humans disturb marine mammals, it’s hard to know the long-term impact
Scientists are developing new tools to determine when short-term changes in behavior caused by human activities have biological significance for protected populations.
August 12, 2021
Study takes unprecedented peek into life of 17,000-year-old mammoth
An international research team has retraced the astonishing lifetime journey of an Arctic woolly mammoth that roamed the Alaska landscape 17,000 years ago.
August 09, 2021
Fostering anti-racism in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology
A UCSC team has assembled a toolkit of resources for academic departments to use in addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
August 09, 2021
Salt marsh resilience compromised by crabs along tidal creek edges
A long-term study in Elkhorn Slough revealed the impact of superabundant crabs on salt marsh vegetation and the vulnerability of tidal creek banks to erosion.
June 21, 2021
New study shows how loss of drought-sensitive species could affect health of California grasslands
At a grassland site near San Jose, scientists studied experimental research plots to determine what might happen if the plants that ecologists expect to be hit hardest by drought actually disappeared.
June 15, 2021
Dialogues, collaborations, and the success of 'slow science'
With funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, the new Southeast Asian Coastal Interactions Initiative takes a methodical approach to worldwide social and environmental challenges
June 07, 2021
Snowflake morays can feed on land, swallow prey without water
While most fish need water to feed, the unique anatomy of moray eels gives snowflake morays the ability to grab and swallow prey on land.
June 03, 2021
Biologist Roxanne Beltran wins funding from Beckman Young Investigator Program
New project aims to provide the first large-scale recordings of sound in the open ocean, using elephant seals as a platform for a novel acoustic recorder.
May 20, 2021
Found in translation
Marine scientist Stacy Jupiter, the 2020 Alumni Achievement Award winner, translates science and analysis in ways that inspire people to change behaviors.
May 19, 2021
Missing the middle: the importance of regional-scale field research
Regional-scale research networks such as the UC Natural Reserve System are ideal for documenting the impact of climate change on plants and animals.
May 18, 2021
Ancient horse DNA reveals gene flow between Eurasian and North American horses
New findings show connections between the ancient horse populations in North America, where horses evolved, and Eurasia, where they were domesticated.
May 06, 2021
'The only way society gets to reopen safely is if we are all vaccinated'
UC Santa Cruz COVID experts Rebecca DuBois, A. Marm Kilpatrick, and Susan Carpenter are urging all unvaccinated people to book an appointment to get their shots immediately, and follow CDC safety guidelines even after the vaccinations take effect.
May 04, 2021
Long-term monitoring shows successful restoration of mining-polluted streams
Despite differences in aquatic life and toxic metals in streams across a broad region of the western United States, scientists found common responses to cleanup of acid mine drainage.
April 29, 2021
Project to read genomes of all 70,000 vertebrate species reports first discoveries
A bold project to read the complete genetic sequences of every known vertebrate species has reached its first milestone, publishing new methods and the first 25 high-quality genomes.
April 28, 2021
William Doyle, founding director of UCSC’s Institute of Marine Sciences, dies at 91
William T. Doyle, professor emeritus of biology and founding director of the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) at UC Santa Cruz, died peacefully at his home in Santa Cruz on April 21. He was 91.
April 28, 2021
Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni
PBSci Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize contributions to society by graduate and undergraduate alums.
April 23, 2021
Three UCSC professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Angela Davis, distinguished professor emerita of history of consciousness and feminist studies; James Estes, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology; and Barbara Rogoff, distinguished professor of psychology, are among the newly elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
April 23, 2021
Researchers rescue endangered black abalone buried by debris flows
Massive quantities of sediment washed onto the Big Sur coast from the Dolan Fire burn scar, burying black abalone in their rocky intertidal habitat.
April 16, 2021
IMS Director Dan Costa named a fellow of the Society for Marine Mammalogy
Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, has been honored by the Society of Marine Mammalogy (SMM) in its inaugural class of SMM Fellows.
April 06, 2021
Erika Zavaleta honored for diversity efforts by Ecological Society of America
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has chosen Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to receive its 2021 Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award.
April 01, 2021
Pioneering plant scientist Jean Langenheim dies at 95
Jean Langenheim, an eminent plant ecologist and leading authority on amber and plant resins, died on Sunday, March 28, in Santa Cruz. She was 95.
March 25, 2021
UC Santa Cruz faculty recognized for excellence in ecology
The Ecological Society of America announced its 2021 Fellow and Early Career Fellow awards, and UC Santa Cruz’s faculty were the most decorated of any university on this year’s list.
March 25, 2021
UCSC ecologist Erika Zavaleta appointed to California Fish and Game Commission
Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to the California Fish and Game Commission.
March 22, 2021
Influential evolutionary biologist Barry Sinervo dies at age 60
Sinervo made landmark contributions ranging from evolutionary biology and game theory to the effects of climate change on animals and ecosystems.
March 22, 2021
Two UCSC research teams recognized for outstanding papers in PNAS
The Cozzarelli Prize recognizes selected papers as outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences.
March 17, 2021
For migrating elephant seals, ‘lightscapes of fear’ shape feeding, resting strategies
A new tracking study shows how elephant seals balance predator avoidance and the need to feed, shifting strategies as their body condition improves during a 7-month foraging migration.
March 08, 2021
Sea otters maintain remnants of healthy kelp forest amid sea urchin barrens
While kelp forests have declined dramatically along the California coast, sea otters in Monterey Bay are maintaining patches of healthy kelp forest, according to a new study.
March 08, 2021
Return to Rat Island: Conservation strategy leads to ecosystem rebound
Hawadax Island's birds and seashore ecosystem have returned to a natural balance after the removal of invasive rodents.
March 05, 2021
The collapse of Northern California kelp forests will be hard to reverse
Most of Northern California’s kelp forest ecosystem is gone, replaced by widespread ‘urchin barrens’ that may persist long into the future, according to a new study.
March 01, 2021
Scientists describe ‘hidden biodiversity crisis’ as variation within species is lost
Many of the benefits people receive from nature depend on diversity within species, but this intraspecific variation is poorly understood and declining rapidly.
February 26, 2021
Massive debris flow swamps Big Creek Reserve as heavy rains follow summer wildfire
Boulders the size of vehicles and decades-old redwoods were ripped from the banks of the Big Creek drainage when an atmospheric river inundated the Landels-Hill Big Creek Natural Reserve on the Big Sur coast in late January.
February 23, 2021
COVID and the road ahead
UC Santa Cruz infectious disease expert A. Marm Kilpatrick looked toward the future during his immersive Kraw Lecture about COVID vaccines, variants and the road ahead.
February 17, 2021
Oldest DNA sequences reveal how mammoths evolved
Analysis of ancient DNA sequences recovered from mammoth teeth reveal North American mammoths were descended from two earlier mammoth lineages.
February 04, 2021
Healthy oceans need healthy soundscapes, say marine scientists
A global team of researchers has documented the pervasive impacts of noise on marine animals and ecosystems and identified actions to return to the soundtrack of the healthy ocean.
January 27, 2021
Fellowship program gives UCSC grad policy experience in Sacramento
After earning his Ph.D. in 2020, Jason John will work at the California Natural Resources Agency as a CCST Science Fellow.
January 25, 2021
Seymour Marine Discovery Center offers new marine science virtual expeditions
“Scientists Saving the Oceans” program begins with a behind-the-scenes look at how marine mammal researchers are working to protect dolphins and whales from ocean noise.
January 12, 2021
Study of flowers with two types of anthers solves mystery that baffled Darwin
Some flowers use a clever strategy to ensure effective pollination by bees, doling out pollen gradually from two different sets of anthers.
January 11, 2021
UC Santa Cruz offers virtual tours of Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve
Prompted by the temporary suspension of in-person tours due to COVID-19, the new virtual tours are available in English and Spanish.