Environment & Ecology

December 1, 2020

At Valentine Camp, a Plan is Hatched to Fix California’s Drought-stressed, Overstuffed Forests

By Sean Crommelin

In one 155-acre plot of land in Mammoth Lakes, researchers are trying to better understand how California’s overgrown forests can be rehabilitated through both selective burning and thinning.

November 18, 2020

The Future of Forests in the Warming, Drying American West

By Sean Crommelin

"Physiology is very important in understanding forest mortality, but we are still missing some key mechanisms in being able to predict it at large spatial scales,” Trugman said.

November 13, 2020

The Scientists’ Declassified Guide to Talking About Climate Change

By Michelle J. Lee

Through these conversations you — better than any scientist — have the opportunity to find and address misinformation, misunderstanding and fear.

November 13, 2020

In Search of Effective Conservation Strategies, Researchers Studying Amphibian Disease Look to Natural Resistance

By Katherine Sheng

“When management supports these natural mechanisms, it will lead to more successful management outcomes and fewer failures,” Brannelly said.

November 8, 2020

Mosquitoes in Santa Barbara Test Positive for West Nile Virus

By Devanshi Tomar

Carrier mosquitoes have the potential to pass the virus on to humans — but it isn’t a reason for panic.

November 2, 2020

A Closer Look At California’s Iconic Oaks in Sedgwick Reserve

By Sean Crommelin

At Sedgwick, Davis and his collaborators have been studying oak regeneration on the decadal scale.

October 21, 2020

UCSB Researchers Investigate Mortality Among Amphibians Besieged by Endemic Parasites

By Sean Crommelin

The researchers had earlier developed a flexible statistical model, specifically looking at patterns of aggregation in parasite abundance. These patterns informed host mortality.

October 18, 2020

Rivers in Madagascar Offer a Window Into the Inner Workings of Abrupt Channel Shifts

By Sean Crommelin

Brooke and his collaborators are among the first attempting to map out where avulsions occur in order to test existing hypotheses regarding the factors and conditions leading to these events.

October 13, 2020

Invasive Mosquito Species, Aedes aegypti, Detected in Santa Barbara County

By Devanshi Tomar

The mosquito was first spotted at a home in Santa Barbara near the intersection of North La Cumbre Road and Foothill Road, and was later identified as Aedes aegypti.

September 28, 2020

Over Land and Sea, UCSB Researchers Put a Number on Fast-Growing Microfiber Emissions

By Sean Crommelin

The amount of microfibers currently being released into the natural environment has drawn alarm from scientists, environmentalists and policymakers across the world.

September 16, 2020

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! How the “Ecology of Fear” Can Be Instrumental To Achieving Wildlife Conservation Goals

By Joshua Pham

“Research on the ecology of fear tries to understand the role that risk perception plays in driving not just animal behavior, but broader species interactions,” Gaynor said.

August 30, 2020

“I really do believe that we owe it to future generations to protect these areas”: UCSB Lecturer Creates Website to Spread Awareness of Public Lands

By Sean Crommelin

The compendium provides information about 50 public land destinations within a 300-mile radius of Santa Barbara, specifically using Campbell Hall as the epicenter.

August 14, 2020

Building Wheat to Take the Heat

By Sean Crommelin

There is much interest in making wheat resilient to drought and better cope with its varietal stressors, such as heat.

July 23, 2020

Bright Ideas: UCSB Researchers Establish a Laboratory Culture of Bioluminescent Ostracods

By Sean Crommelin

Establishing a laboratory culture of V. tsujii allowed the team to make observations regarding the ostracod's development.

July 19, 2020

Friends of the Island Fox Bolsters Research and Conservation Initiatives With Much-Needed Funds

By Sean Crommelin

Friends of the Island Fox works alongside the patchwork of organizations governing the Channel Islands in their “efforts to preserve and protect the island fox."