|
Stunt Ranch Home
Other
Annual Reports
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Narrative report
Use by instructional groups
Current research
Research reports
Publications
Use data and user’s affiliations
K-12 User
Personnel
Annual Repprt in
PDF Format |

Stunt Ranch Santa
Monica Mountains Reserve
University of California
Los Angeles
Annual Report
2003 - 2004

ANTS
_______________________________________________
Cover Illustration: by siblings Danielle and Andrea Sork
On Thanksgiving 2002, Danielle and Andrea (then 7 and 10 respectively)
created this watercolor marker illustration to accompany an article
that appeared on the Kids Reading Room Page of the Los Angeles Times,
titled, "Scientists dig for answers about army ant habitats". The
article featured the excitement of discovery in field science research,
specifically that of Dr. Peter Nonacs and Dr. Smadar Gilboa-Nonacs who
observed army ants at Stunt Ranch when they were inspecting honey-pot
ants. The species of army ants they discovered was Neivamyrmex leonardi.
UCLA Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve
University of California, Los Angeles
900 Veteran Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: 310 206-3887
Fax: 310 825-9433
Email: cfelixso@ucla.edu
Website: http://nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt.html
UCLA Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve
NARRATIVE OVERVIEW 2003-2004
If there were a theme for the UCLA Stunt Ranch Reserve’s
prior year it would be the age old axiom, “the only constant is change.” How
and why? In most arenas, great and small.
One significant way was in the name change of the Department of Organismic
Biology Ecology and Evolution (OBEE), in which the Reserve has a home, to
the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB). The Stunt Ranch
Santa Monica Mountain Reserve shares the stated mission of EEB, “to provide
new knowledge of the ecological and evolutionary processes that produce and
sustain life on Earth.”
Last year, a major focus of the Reserve was on biodiversity and conservation
in the five Mediterranean-climate regions of the world and particularly in
the Santa Monica Mountains. Dr. Phil Rundel, the Reserve’s faculty
director, has devoted much of his time in helping people to understand that
while the Mediterranean-climate regions comprise only about 2% of the
earth’s land area they account for 16% of the world’s plant species. Twenty
five ecological hotspots, areas of irreplaceable biodiversity whose
protection is of critical global importance, have been identified worldwide.
These designations are based on a large and unique diversity of organisms
occurring nowhere else and on the extreme threat to these regions from human
activities. While most of these hotspots lie in tropical forest regions of
the world, each of the five Mediterranean-climate regions is on this select
list.
Dr. Rundel, the Reserve’s faculty advisors, and the Reserve have initiated
and continued to work with government agencies and international NGOs to
promote a better public understanding of the global significance of
mediterranean-climate ecosystems and their biodiversity. More than a
thousand educational posters designed and published by Stunt Ranch on the
mediterraean-climate regions have now been distributed broadly to
educational groups and schools in Southern California, and all over the
world to a variety of universities, government agencies, and NGO’s
(non-government organizations)
For a brief explanation of the Reserve’s other interests and projects from
the year gone by, please see the notations below.
RECONSTRUCTION OF EDUCATIONAL
FACILITIES:
Because of challenging septic code
issues, the Reserve made the decision this year to delete the residence from
its reconstruction project. Plans are continuing for the reconstruction of a
nature center/classroom and workroom/storage area. With a little bit of
good luck and a lot of behind the scenes work, construction is expected to
move forward this coming year.
EDUCATION AND NATURE CENTER PROTOTYPE DISPLAY:
This past year’s display, Where the Wild Things Are: Plants and
Animals in the Santa Monica Mountains, served as a successful
educational resource for students, faculty, staff, and visitors in the
bustling Life Science Building lobby. Subjects have included photos of a
velvet ant, stink beetle, kingsnake, coyote, deermouse, horned lizard,
kestrel, California newt, California quail, bobcat, Humbolt lily, shooting
star, and manzanita. A custom designed map of the vegetation zones of the
Santa Monica Mountains was produced. Taxidermied specimens of a badger,
sharp-skinned hawk, and great horned owl are on loan from the National Park
Service.
Plans are underway for the next few prototype displays. The
first will feature, Drawing from Nature, the science and art lessons
for kids published regularly in the Los Angeles times Kids Reading Room Page
(see below). The next will focus on the Chumash
Native American’s interaction with their environment
CENTER FOR EMBEDDED NETWORKED SENSING (CENS) AT UCLA AND
NATIONAL ECOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY NETWORK (NEON):
Phil Rundel is a senior faculty researcher with the UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS),
an NSF sponsored Science and Technology Center working to develop cutting edge technologies in environmental
sensor arrays. These technologies offer tremendous possibilities in allowing collaborations between the fields of engineering
and information technology with ecology. CENS is working closely with NSF in developing plans for the proposed National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). This ambitious program is designed to address significant environmental challenges that are regional, continental, or global in their extent: • biodiversity, species composition, and ecosystem functioning • ecological aspects of biogeochemical cycles • ecological implications of climate change • ecology and evolution of infectious disease • invasive species
• land use and habitat alteration
NEON will involve geographically distributed infrastructure connected via cyberinfrastructure into national observatory network.
It will apply emerging technologies (sensor, analytical, communication, and information) to investigate the structure, dynamics,
and evolution of ecosystems in the United States and forecast biological change. Moreover, it will provide for new collaborative
environments (simulation, computation, visualization, and knowledge systems) are needed to facilitate the integration of research,
education, and dialog across a wide range of biological, geophysical, and social sciences. The UC Natural Reserve System,
including Stunt Ranch, will provide an important resource for the NEON program as it develops.
LOS ANGELES TIMES - DRAWING FROM NATURE SERIES:
The Reserve continues to contribute to
the Los Angeles Times Reading by Nine literacy program. The Reserve’s
Director of Education and Community Outreach, Carol Felixson, established
and has had the privilege of writing and photographing the feature, “Drawing
from Nature,” published monthly in the Times Kids’ Reading Room page.
She writes about the plants and animals found at Stunt Ranch and the UCLA
Botanical Garden. Anne Burke wrote in UCLA Magazine’s Summer 2004 issue,
that she “teaches children how to make fun pictures with easy-to-follow
instructions and low-cost materials. She has a kid-friendly writing style
that makes the lessons easy to digest.” Illustrations by children between
the ages of 5-12 are unique to the articles. Plans are underway in 2005-2006
to expand the series to in-class activities and displays in other kid
science/art venues.
The past year’s topics included:
To read the articles, see the art and
photos of the kids please visit the Reserve’s News for Kids website at
http://nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt/newsforkids.html
OTHER:
The Reserve believes in the importance
of the community and the University interacting and collaborating with each
other for a shared greater good. And as part of its mission to contribute
to the understanding and wise management of the earth and its natural
systems, the Reserve regularly reaches out to university, local community,
and broader groups.
Toward that end, over the past year,
Reserve staff and advisors have attended and/or had involvement with
The following committees and
organizations:
 |
California State Parks |
 |
Coalition on the Environment and
Jewish Life – Southern California |
 |
Cold Creek Community Council |
 |
Cold Creek Docents |
 |
Heal the Bay |
 |
International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) |
 |
Las Virgines Municipal Water
District |
 |
Malibu Creek Watershed
Educational Sub-committee |
 |
Mountains Interpretive Council |
 |
Mountains Recreation and
Conservation Authority (MRCA) |
 |
Mountains Restoration Trust |
 |
Organization of Biological Field
Stations (OBFS) |
 |
Resource Conservation District
of the Santa Monica Mountains |
 |
Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy |
 |
Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area |
 |
Skirball Cultural Center |
 |
Tree People |
 |
Topanga Watershed Council |
 |
UC Natural Reserve System |
 |
UCLA Institute of the Environment |
 |
UCLA Environmental Law Center |
 |
UCLA Alumni Association
|
And the following projects and
activities:
 | Department of Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology Research Symposium |
 | Fifth Annual
Environmentalist of the Year Awards Reception: presented by the Coalition on
the Environment and Jewish Life – Southern California |
 | In the Mist of the Rainbow: a celebration of the UCLA Stunt Ranch Past,
Present and its Future Los Angeles Times/UCLA Festival of Books |
 | Opening reception - UCLA Plant Growth Center |
 | The ART in nATuRe: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA
children’s art fair in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the (SMMNRA) |
 | UCLA Alumni Association: Dinner for 12 Strangers |
 | UCLA Institute of the Environment: Campaigning for the Environment:
Influencing Environmental Policy through Opinion Research and Issue Based
Marketing |
 | UCLA Institute of the Environment: The People Speak: A Discussion of
America’s Role in the World |
 | UCLA in LA: Rosenfield Distinguished Community Partnership Prize Reception
|
Back to the top
RESERVE INSTRUCTION:
RESERVE RESEARCH PROJECTS:
The following research projects took place on, or in the
surrounding vicinity, of the Stunt Ranch Reserve during 2003-2004.
 | Assessing daily and seasonal
fluctuations in nutrients and implications for eutrophication in
southern California streams |
 | Bush poppy demography and
productivity |
 | Comparative studies of
mediterranean-climate ecosystems |
 | Evaluation and prediction of
environmental changes along the southern California Coast |
 | Impact of chaparral fires on
riparian ecosystems in the Santa Monica Mountains |
 | Native grassland restoration in the
Malibu Creek watershed |
 | Photographic survey of the Santa
Monica Mountains |
 | Physiological ecology of evergreen
sclerophyll shrubs in chaparral:
long term monitoring of gas exchange and water relations of a chaparral
plant
community |
 | Post-fire successional dynamics |
 | Urban runoff and invasive species
establishment in the Santa Monica Mountains |
K-12 ACTIVITIES:
The reserve is honored to be one of several environmental
programs highlighted in the UCLA in LA: Partnerships for a Greater Los
Angeles 2005 Directory. One of the Reserve’s successful partnerships is
with the Cold Creek Docents, a division of the Mountains Restoration Trust,
who coordinate the K-12 program at the Stunt Ranch Reserve. The Reserve and
the Cold Creek Docents together are dedicated to making contributions to the
education and training of the next generation of scientists and informed
citizens who realize the importance of informed management of biological
systems in sustaining human culture. This awareness is best created at an
early age and continued over a lifetime.
Nancy Helsley, President of the Cold Creek Docents, says, “it
is a beneficial purpose that both the University and the Docents serve, not
only in education, but as stewards of the land and watershed.” The Reserve
and the Cold Creek Docents work together for a wide variety of educational
uses related to the natural history of chaparral and oak woodland ecosystems
and the history of the Chumash people in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Back to the top
2003-2004 USE BY
INSTRUCTIONAL GROUPS
| Course Title |
Institution |
Instructor’s Name |
Astronomy 3
Astronomical Observation
|
UCLA |
Art Huffman |
EEB 154
California Ecosystems
|
UCLA |
Philip W. Rundel |
EEB 122
Ecology
|
UCLA |
Richard Vance |
GE Cluster M1A
Global Environment
|
UCLA |
Keith D. Stolzenbach |
Geography 100
Principles of Geomorphology
|
UCLA |
Antony R. Orme |
Geography 100A
Principles
of Geomorphology
Field and Laboratory
|
UCLA |
Antony R. Orme |
Geography 101
Coastal Geomorphology
|
UCLA |
Antony R. Orme |
Geography 101A
Coastal Geomorphology
Field and Laboratory
|
UCLA |
Antony R. Orme |
History
Environmental Studies
Graduate Seminar
|
UCLA |
Peter S. Alagona |
Biology 513
Entomology
|
CSUN |
David Gray |
ON-SITE RESERVE USE:
The Stunt Ranch Reserve determines use
on the basis of visitor days. During 2003-2004, the reserve had 3602 users
and 5071 user days. These user numbers are broken down by university-level
use from UCLA, other UC campuses, the California State University system,
and others within/outside California. In addition to university use, the
Reserve hosted environmental education programs for K-12 coordinated by the
Cold Creek Docents, and varied public outreach programs.
For more information on the UCLA
Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve, visit
http://nrs.ucop.edu/Reserves/stunt.html, email
cfelixso@ucla.edu, or call 310
206-3887.
Back to the top
K-12 AT STUNT RANCH RESERVE
2003-2004
Coordinated/led by the
Cold Creek Docents of the Mountains Restoration Trust
Alexandria Elementary School,
Los Angeles
Alta Loma Elementary, Los Angeles
Bay Laurel Elementary, Calabasas
Castle Heights Elementary, Los Angeles
Chamilian Armenian School, Glendale
Chase St. Elementary, Panorama City
Coldwater Canyon Elementary, North Hollywood
Community Harvest Charter, Los Angeles
Corinne Seeds University Elementary, UCLA
Curtis School, Los Angeles
Eastman Ave. Elementary, Los Angeles
Euclid Ave Elementary, Los Angeles
Fairbum Elementary, Los Angeles
Gardner St. Elementary, Los Angeles
Hale Middle School, Woodland Hills
Highland Hall School, Northridge
Hudson Elementary, Long Beach
Kennedy Elementary, Los Angeles
Liggett Elementary, Panorama City
Limerick Ave. Elementary, Canoga Park
Loyola Village Elementary, Los Angeles
Lycee Francais De Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Main Street Elementary, Los Angeles
Marvin Ave. Elementary, Los Angeles
Mirman School, Los Angeles
Monlux Math/Sci Elementary, North Hollywood
Mount Washington Elementary, Los Angeles
Nimitz Middle School, Huntington Park
Normont Elementary, Los Angeles
Open Charter School, Los Angeles
Our Lady of the Valley, Canoga Park
Palisades High School, Pacific Palisades
Park Century School, Los Angeles
Round Meadow Elementary, Los Virgenes
Russell Ave Elementary, Los Angeles
Sepulveda Middle School, Sepulveda
Stoner Ave. Elementary, Culver City
Sutter Middle School, Canoga Park
The Oaks School, Hollywood
Toluca Lake Elementary, Los Angeles
Turningpoint School, Culver City
Vintage Magnet, North Hills
Warner Ave. Elementary, Los Angeles
Windsor Hills Elementary, Los Angeles
Back to the top
RESERVE RESEARCH FEATURED IN THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATIONS:
 |
An Introduction to
the Plant Life of Southern California: Coast to Foothills – University
of California Press |
 |
Bulletin of the
Southern California Academy of Sciences |
 |
Ecology, Conservation
and Management of Mediterranean Climate Ecosystems, Balknep Publishers
|
 |
Ecology, Evolution,
and Systematics |
 |
Insectes Sociaux |
 |
Third International
Wildland Fire Conference |
RESEARCH PROJECTS
With 2003-2004 Updates
|
#1 |
|
|
Research User(s): |
Philip W. Rundel |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Comparative studies of Mediterranean-climate
ecosystems |
| Project Duration: |
1993 – on-going |
| |
Continuation of a long-term comparative study of Mediterranean-climate
ecosystems using Stunt Ranch as a basis for studies. |
|
#2 |
|
| Research User(s) |
Philip W. Rundel and Rasoul Sharifi |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Bush poppy demography and productivity
|
| Project Duration: |
1993 – on-going |
| |
This is the tenth year of a study investigating post-fire patterns of
demography and productivity in Dendromecon rigida, the bush poppy, which
became established in dense stands on north-facing slopes of the Santa
Monica Mountains following wildfires in 1993. |
| |
|
|
#3 |
|
| Research User (s): |
Philip W. Rundel, Qinfeng Guo, and Jon Keeley |
| User Affiliation(s):
|
UCLA, USGS |
| Project Title: |
Post-fire successional dynamics |
| Project Duration: |
1993 – on-going |
| Funding Source:
|
National Science Foundation |
| |
A long-term monitoring project of permanent plots established at Stunt Ranch
and in the Santa Monica Mountains after the 1993 wildfire is continuing. |
|
#4 |
|
| Research User (s): |
Lee Katz |
| User Affiliation: |
Pepperdine University |
| Project Title: |
Salamander response to chaparral fire |
| Project Duration: |
1993-1997 |
|
#5 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Karen Esler |
| User Affiliation:
|
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa |
| Project Title: |
Chaparral soil seed pools |
| Project Duration: |
1994 |
|
#6 A |
|
| Research User(s): |
Philip W. Rundel |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title |
Impact of chaparral fires on riparian
ecosystems in the Santa Monica Mountains |
| Project Duration: |
1995- on-going |
| |
A long-term monitoring project of permanent plots established at Stunt Ranch
and in the Santa Monica Mountains after the 1993 wildfire is continuing. |
|
#6 B |
|
| Research User(s): |
Steve Davis |
| User Affiliation: |
Pepperdine University |
| Project Title: |
Physiological ecology of evergreen sclerophyll
shrubs in chaparral |
| Project Duration: |
1995-on-going |
| |
Studies of physiological ecology of evergreen sclerophyll shrubs in
chaparral. And hydraulic architecture in relation to frosts and drought. |
|
#7 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Peter Nonacs |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Ant colony and productivity |
| Project Duration: |
1996 – 1998 |
|
#8 |
|
| Research User(s): |
John Gamon |
| User Affiliation: |
California State University Los Angeles |
| Project Title: |
Multi-spectral remote sensing of plant
productivity |
| Project Duration: |
1996 - 2001 |
|
#9 |
|
| Research User (s): |
Richard F. Ambrose, Antony R. Orme, and others * |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Lower Malibu Creek and Malibu Lagoon resource
enhancement and management project |
| Project Duration: |
1997 – 2000 |
| Funding Source: |
California State Coastal Conservancy |
| Other Investigators: |
Johannes Feddema, Geography
Charles Gerba (University of Arizona)
Philip Rundel, EEB
Mel Suffet, Environmental Science & Engineering Program
M.I. Venkatesan, IGPP |
|
#10 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Robert Wayne and Michael Kohn |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Calibration of molecular techniques for the
genetic analysis of coyote faeces in the Santa Monica Mountains |
| Project Duration: |
1997 – 1998 |
|
#11 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Brian Zutta and John Gamon |
| User Affiliation:
|
California State University, Los Angeles |
| Project Title:
|
Monitoring changing ecosystem productivity and
functional diversity in evergreen-dominated ecosystems using multi-scale
remote sensing.
|
| Project Duration: |
1998 – 2002 |
| Funding Source:
|
NSF-CREST |
|
#12 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Rasoul Sharifi and Philip W. Rundel |
| User Affiliation:
|
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
Long term monitoring of gas exchange and water
relations of a chaparral plant community |
| Project Duration:
|
1998-on-going |
| |
This study is investigating the comparative ecophysiology of evergreen
chaparral shrubs and drought deciduous shrubs of the coastal sage which
occur together at Stunt Ranch. Along with seasonal measurements of
photosynthetic capacity and water use efficiency, the study is looking at
the influence of low humidities associated with Santa Ana winds on gas
exchange characteristics. |
|
#13 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Charles A. Knight (Advisor – David Ackerly) |
| User Affiliation: |
Stanford University |
| Project Title: |
Comparative ecophysiology of heat shock
protein expression in plants |
| Project Duration:
|
1998- 2000 |
| Funding: |
Stanford University
|
|
#14 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Jeff Thomas (Advisor – Peter Nonacs) |
| User Affiliation |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Signal variation and categorization by wrentits (Chamaea fasciata) |
| Project Duration:
|
1998 –2000 |
| Funding Source:
|
UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology Research Grant |
|
#15 |
|
| Research User(s):
|
Aviva Liebert (Advisor – Peter Nonacs) |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Division of labor and reproductive skew among
paper wasp foundresses |
| Project Duration:
|
1998 – 2002
|
| Funding Source: |
Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Grant,
UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Research Grant |
|
#16 |
|
| Research User(s):
|
Maria Diuk (Advisor – Peter Nonacs) |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
Social behavior and learning in the
California scrub jay |
| Project Duration:
|
1998 |
|
#17 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Craig M. Fiehler (Advisor – Peter Nonacs) |
| User Affiliation:
|
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
The effects of resource density on territorial
behavior in wintering
wrentits (Chamaea fasciata) |
| Project Duration: |
1998 - 1999 |
|
#18 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Stewart B. Peck |
| User Affiliation:
|
Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Project Title:
|
Diversity of winter-active leiodid beetles in
southern California |
| Project Duration: |
1999 |
|
#19 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Fritz Hertel |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Small mammal and bird survey at Stunt Ranch |
| Project Duration:
|
1999 - 2000 |
|
#20 |
|
| Research User(s):
|
Antony R. Orme |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Erosion and sediment transfers in the Topanga
Creek watershed |
| Project Duration: |
2000-2001 |
| Funding Source:
|
Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project (ultimately
from the EPA) via the Resource Conservation District of the Santa
Monica Mountains |
|
#21 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Philip W. Rundel and Judith King |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title |
Ecosystem processes and dynamics in the
urban/wildland
interface of Southern California |
| Project Duration: |
2000 – 2001 |
|
#22 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Michael LaPlante (Advisor – Martin Cody) |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
Changes in insect faunal populations in
conjunction with a change in season at the California chaparral |
| Project Duration: |
2000 |
|
#23 |
|
| Research User(s): |
D. Riaño, E. Chuvieco, S. Ustin, R. Zomer, P.
Dennison, and D. Roberts |
| User Affiliation:
|
UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, Univ. of Alcalá,
Madrid, Spain |
| Project Title:
|
Modeling and prediction of wildfire hazard
in Southern California, integration of models with imaging spectrometry |
| Project Duration:
|
2000 |
|
#24 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Don Miller |
| User Affiliation:
|
Trinity University |
| Project Title: |
A preliminary phylogeny of galling aphids
and their congeneric parasites on Arctostaphylos shrubs |
| Project Duration:
|
2001 |
|
#25 |
|
| Research User(s):
|
Nicholas Manoukis |
| User Affiliation:
|
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Effects of quaternary climate change on the
genetic structure of Hyla cadaverina, the California tree frog |
| Project Duration:
|
2001 |
|
#26 |
|
| Research User(s) |
Daniel T. Blumstein and Rina Fernand ez |
| User Affiliation:
|
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
The evolutionary-ecology of fear: comparative
studies of disturbance in birds. Do birds habituate to human
disturbance? |
| Project Duration:
|
2001
|
|
#27 |
|
| Research User (s): |
Richard F. Ambrose |
| User Affiliation:
|
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
Environmental monitoring and bioassessment of
Ventura and Los Angeles County watersheds |
| Project Duration: |
2001 –2003 |
| Funding Source: |
Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
|
| #28 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Philip W. Rundel |
| User Affiliation(s): |
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
Ecophysiology of ferns in chaparral and oak
woodland habitats of the Santa Monica Mountains |
| Project Duration:
|
2001 – on-going
|
| |
Photosynthetic gas exchange studies with four species of native ferns is
continuing.
|
|
#29 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Gretchen C. Coffman, Philip W. Rundel, and Richard
F. Ambrose |
| User Affiliation(s): |
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
Influence of nutrient loading on the invasion of
an alien plant species, giant cane (Arundo donax) in Southern California
riparian communities. |
| Project Duration:
|
2002 – 2003 |
| Funding Source: |
California Water Resources Center |
|
#30
|
|
| Research User (s): |
Ammon Corl
|
| User Affiliation:
|
University of California, Santa Cruz
|
| Project Title: |
The stability of frequency dependent dynamics in
the side-blotched lizard. |
| Project Duration:
|
2002
|
| Funding Source: |
Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Grant |
|
#31
|
|
| Research User(s):
|
Paul Wilson and Elizabeth Jordon |
| User Affiliation:
|
California State University, Northridge |
| Project Title: |
Pollinator preference among two species of Penstemon flowers and their hybrids
|
| Project Duration: |
2002 – on-going |
|
#32
|
|
| Research User (s):
|
Jonathan Levine and Heather Coleman |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title:
|
The impacts of exotic grass invaders on the
growth, species composition and richness of sparse native forbs in Southern
California |
| Project Duration: |
2002 - 2003
|
| Funding Source:
|
UCLA
|
|
#33
|
|
| Research User(s):
|
David Gray |
| User Affiliation: |
California State University, Northridge |
| Project Title:
|
Acoustic communication and phonotactic
predation in crickets. |
| Project Duration: |
2002 – 2003 |
|
#34
|
|
| Research User(s):
|
Daphne Christopher and Hannah Stevens |
| User Affiliation:
|
The New York Botanical Garden Institute of
Economic Botany |
| Project Title:
|
Floristics and Phytochemical Survey Project |
| Project Duration: |
2002
|
|
#35 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Arthur C. Gibson and Barry Prigge |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains, California |
| Project Duration: |
2003 – on-going |
|
#36 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Gary Griggs (UCSC) and Antony R. Orme (UCLA),
Principal Investigators |
| User Affiliations: |
UCSC and UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Coastal Environmental Quality Initiative, State
of California: Evaluation and prediction of coastal changes along
the southern California coast |
| Project Duration: |
2004-2006 |
| |
This project involves 2 principal investigators and 4 Ph.D. students over a
2-year period. It will focus on beach changes and coastal erosion along the
south face of the Santa Monica Mountains. |
|
#37 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Richard F. Ambrose |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Assessing daily and seasonal fluctuations in
nutrients and implications for eutrophication in southern California streams |
| Project Duration: |
7/1/04-6/30/05. |
| Funding Source: |
National Science Foundation. |
| |
Robert Gilbert (M.S. student in Environmental Health Sciences) is working on
a study of nutrient and algal dynamics in Malibu Creek Watershed streams.
This is a collaboration with faculty from the Engineering School (Bill
Kaiser is PI) on an NSF-funding project entitled "Networked Info-Mechanical
Systems (NIMS)" that is developing innovative ways of sensing environmental
parameters. We have been conducting preliminary studies examining
short-term (daily) temporal variation in nutrients, as well as assessing
spatial variation in water quality parameters and macroalgae and diatoms in
Malibu Creek and its tributaries, all related to different land uses in the
watershed. For the future, we will be doing monthly sampling at 5 sites,
including Cold Creek (right at the preserve). |
|
#38 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Judi Tamasi (Advisor Philip W. Rundel, UCLA) |
| User Affiliation: |
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) |
| Project Title: |
Native grassland restoration project |
| Project Duration: |
2003 – on-going |
| |
This is a major field study to explore approaches
to the restoration of native bunch grasses in the former Ahmanson
Ranch area of the Simi Hills. Judi is an employee of the
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority |
|
#39 |
|
| Research User(s): |
James Tomcavage |
| User Affiliation: |
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
Photographic survey of the Santa Monica Mountains |
| Project Duration: |
2003 |
| |
This project involved photographing varied sites in the Santa Monica
Mountains including Topanga Canyon, Temescal Canyon, the Cold Creek
watershed and Stunt Ranch. |
|
#40 |
|
| Research User(s): |
Renate Gebauer, John Tiszler, and Philip W.
Rundel |
| User Affiliation: |
Kenne State College, National Park Service (SMMNRA),
UCLA |
| Project Title: |
| |