Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
