Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Offshore wind farms may harm seabirds, but scientists see potential for net positive impact

A new study presents a framework for assessing and mitigating the impacts of offshore wind energy development on marine birds.

Global analysis shows where fishing vessels turn off their identification devices

A new dataset of intentional disabling of Automatic Identification System devices by fishing vessels provides insights into illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activity.

Biologist Daniel Costa receives Outstanding Faculty Award

Daniel Costa, distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of the Institute of Marine Sciences, has received the 2021-22 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences.

Research to identify biological hotspots in the oceans will help reduce human impacts

A grant from the Office of Naval Research funds research using elephant seals to find marine hotspots while providing support for undergraduate researchers, an assessment of ethical considerations, and training to create inclusive environments for field research.

Two UCSC alumni win awards for excellence in science communication

Jessica Kendall-Bar and Rodrigo Pérez Ortega were winners in the National Academies’ inaugural Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communication.

UCSC welcomes 41 outstanding new faculty members

With the start of the 2022-23 academic year, UC Santa Cruz welcomes 41 new senate faculty members. The research and creative scholarship and expertise brought to our campus by these new faculty colleagues will strengthen existing areas of work and open discovery opportunities.

Preserving Earth’s future: Frontier Fellows program funds undergraduate research

The Earth Futures Institute’s Frontier Fellows program offers undergraduate research opportunities and funding at UC Santa Cruz. The 2022-2023 academic year fellows include fourth years Peter Nguyen, Hayley Coyle, and Aja Bond, each working on their own project to sustain Earth’s future.

Frontier Fellows: Peter Nguyen

The Earth Futures Institute’s Frontier Fellows program offers undergraduate research opportunities and funding at UC Santa Cruz. UCSC student Peter Nguyen studies a federally listed endangered flowering plant—Lupinus nipomensis.

Innovative climate resilience projects supported by 2022 CITRIS Campus Seed Funding awards

Four winning projects have been funded through the The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute at UC Santa Cruz’s Campus Seed Funding program to pursue research relating to climate resilience.

NOAA scholarship supports graduate student’s seabird conservation research

Aspen Ellis, a Ph.D. student in ecology and evolutionary biology, is one of seven students nationwide selected by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to receive a 2022 Nancy Foster Scholarship.

Data from elephant seals reveal new features of marine heatwave ‘the Blob’

Instruments carried by migrating elephant seals measured deep warm-water anomalies that lasted much longer than the surface warming.

Eric Palkovacs appointed Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives

Researchers track juvenile elephant seals for insights into mortality rates

An outreach program to bring science and scientists into K-12 classrooms is part of a study investigating the differences between male and female elephant seals.

ASPIRE program launches to aid conservation in a changing climate

A new program out of the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute involves students in an effort to measure changes in biodiversity and ultimately prevent them.

Narwhals show physiological disruption in response to seismic survey ship noise

Scientists deployed monitoring devices on narwhals to record heart rates, breathing, and diving behavior during seismic air gun pulses from a ship in the fjords of Greenland.

UCSC scholars join researchers statewide on a massive genomic study of California’s biodiversity

The California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP) is a state-funded initiative with a single goal: to produce the most comprehensive, multispecies genomic dataset ever assembled to help manage regional biodiversity.

Destruction and recovery of kelp forests driven by changes in sea urchin behavior

A long-term study of kelp forest dynamics on California’s Central Coast highlights the critical role of sea urchin behavior, not just the size of the urchin population.

Study finds chaos is more common in ecological systems than previously thought

The idea that chaos is rare in natural populations may be due to methodological and data limitations, rather than the inherent stability of ecosystems.

Polar bears in Southeast Greenland shed light on the species’ future in a warming Arctic

The most genetically isolated population of polar bears on the planet, they have limited access to sea ice and use ice from Greenland’s glaciers to survive.

100,000-year-old polar bear genome reveals ancient hybridization with brown bears

Scientists found that all brown bears today have some polar bear ancestry due to genetic admixture that occurred during a warm interglacial period more than 100,000 years ago.

Hunting in darkness, elephant seals use sensitive whiskers to find prey

Researchers used miniature video cameras to study how free-ranging elephant seals use their whiskers to track down prey in the darkness of the deep ocean.

Biologist Bruce Lyon honored by American Ornithological Society

Bruce Lyon, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, has been chosen to receive the 2022 Elliott Coues Award from the American Ornithological Society.

Nearly 30 years of conservation in Santa Cruz, alumna stays connected to the university and invests in students

UCSC alumna Jodi McGraw (Rachel Carson ’94, Environmental Studies and Biology) founded her conservation consulting firm in 2001 and has since hired upwards of 15 UCSC graduates and has sponsored almost 50 UCSC interns.

As climate shifts, species will need to relocate, and people may have to help them

A new survey summarizes scientific recommendations for conservationists and land managers tasked with managing biodiversity in a changing climate.

UCSC joins multi-institutional effort to advance equity and inclusion in science

The HHMI Inclusive Excellence Learning Community initiative is supporting efforts to redesign the introductory science curriculum.

New global forecasts of marine heatwaves foretell ecological and economic impacts

The forecasts could help fishing fleets, ocean managers, and coastal communities anticipate the effects of marine heatwaves.

Kelp restoration project is finalist in LaunchPad pitch competition

Andrea Paz-Lacavex, a graduate student in UCSC’s Coastal Science & Policy Program, leads SPORA, a kelp restoration project in Baja California.

Physical and Biological Sciences Division honors three prominent alumni

The PBSci Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize contributions to society by graduate and undergraduate alums.

Seed funding grants for early-stage research, creative projects given to 19 awardees

The UCSC Office of Research has awarded funds this month to 19 projects through its inaugural Seed Funding for Early Stage Initiatives program

California Sea Grant funds graduate research fellows at UCSC

California Sea Grant has awarded funding to four UC Santa Cruz graduate students for marine science research projects that address the agency’s priority themes of resilient coastal communities and economies, sustainable fisheries, and healthy coastal ecosystems.

Younger Lagoon study tells a tale of two fishes

Research at UCSC's Younger Lagoon shows that the state of estuary waters, not competition from another fish species, is the most important predictor of populations of an endangered fish.

Elephant seals’ map sense tells them when to head ‘home’

Researchers found that female elephant seals know their distance from the breeding beach and allocate extra time to get back if they have farther to travel.

Genome of extinct Steller’s sea cow reveals surprising link to human skin disease

Analysis of ancient DNA from sea cow bones finds genes that may have played a role in adaptation to cold marine environment and yields evidence of a long population decline.

UCSC researchers study effects of wildfire runoff on steelhead sense of smell

The 2020 wildfires offered UCSC researchers a chance to study how the runoff after wildfire affects one of the region’s most iconic fish: steelhead trout.

Two UCSC professors elected 2021 AAAS Fellows

Biologist Suzanne Alonzo and Earth scientist James Zachos have been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.