Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
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UCSC Arboretum to conduct vegetation surveys under $2.6M state contract
A team of UCSC botanists will carry out surveys for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in support of a statewide vegetation classification and mapping program.
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Study identifies boat strikes as a growing cause of manatee deaths in Belize
Belize is a stronghold of the Antillean manatee population, but increasing boat traffic poses a growing threat to this endangered relative of the Florida manatee
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Salmon documentary produced by UCSC team to air on KQED
‘Southern Range’ was directed by Soc Doc alumnus Kyle Baker and produced by the Seymour Center and the Fisheries Collaborative Program at UCSC.
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Genome of famed sled dog Balto reveals genetic adaptations of working dogs
Still a good boy nearly 100 years after historic sled run, Balto has now helped scientists explore the genetics of working dogs and demonstrate the power of comparative genomics.
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As the California sea lion population got bigger, so did male sea lions
Unlike other marine mammals, male California sea lions have gotten bigger over the past 50 years as their population has grown.
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Elephant seals drift off to sleep while diving far below the ocean surface
Brainwave patterns show elephant seals take short naps while holding their breath on deep dives, averaging just 2 hours of sleep per day while at sea.
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Biologist Beth Shapiro elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Beth Shapiro, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
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Collaboration with NASA uses eDNA technology to monitor biodiversity
UCSC scientists collected environmental DNA samples in South Africa as part of the BioSCape project.
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Winning Grad Slam presentation highlights disease threat to Hawaiian birds
Ecology and evolutionary biology graduate student Christa Seidl will compete in the UC systemwide Grad Slam in May, presenting her research on avian malaria.
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Marine mammal reproduction rests on a precarious tipping point of ocean resources
A study of northern elephant seals reveals a threshold at which a small decrease in the amount of prey females can find during foraging migrations could lead to a sudden drop in reproductive success.
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Shrinking age distribution of spawning salmon raises climate resilience concerns
Study suggests changes in hatchery practices could help increase population stability for Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon, the backbone of California’s salmon fishery.
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Two new species of rare succulents found in Mexico named by UCSC botanist
A retired staff botanist at the UCSC Arboretum & Botanic Garden studied the rare plants found on an island off the coast of Baja California and identified two new species of dudleya.