I am a Research Scientist in Aquatic Ecology at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, and an occasional lecturer in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology. I am interested in the ecology of food webs and fish in estuarine environments, and the restoration of transitional zones across the terrestrial-aquatic interface. I mentor a team of scientists and students on various projects in the California Estuary. 

In addition to research, I teach intermittently on topics ranging from fish conservation to estuarine ecosystem processes, as well as a graduate-level class in Marine Ecology. 

Center for Watershed Sciences

Office 2111

425 LaRue Road

University of California, Davis

Davis, CA 95616

jrdurand@ucdavis.edu

https://watershed.ucdavis.edu/people/john-r-durand

My research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms (novel ecosystems); use of floodplains by fish; and reconciliation ecology.

I am author or co-author of more than 275 peer-reviewed publications, including Inland Fishes of California (2002). My most recent book is Environmental Flow Assessment: Methods and Applications ( 2019 Wiley Blackwell) with co-authors John Williams (lead author), Angus Webb, and Mathias Kondolf.  I have served on numerous advisory bodies, including the Ecosystem Restoration Program Science Board of the California Bay-Delta Authority and the National Research Council Panel on the Klamath River, as well as serving as an expert witness in trials and hearings dealing with fish.

I have had long-term research projects in Suisun Marsh and Putah Creek with shorter-term projects in the north Delta and other localities around northern California. 

https://watershed.ucdavis.edu/people/peter-b-moyle

Lab and Field Manager

I am the lab supervisor for the ARC, providing general oversight and support for all projects with field components. My primary project is the long-term Suisun Marsh Fish Study. I'm especially interested in a reconciliation-ecology approach to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Watershed, with a particular focus on marginal habitats (e.g., managed wetlands, water-supply reservoirs, agricultural ditches, and dead-end sloughs) that may benefit both native and desirable non-native species - including people. I focus on lesser known species that, while garnering little political interest, are likely important components of the ecosystem, such as catfishes, sunfishes, large native minnows, and non-native invertebrates (e.g., red swamp crayfish). 

If you would like a copy of the Suisun Marsh Fish Study database, please email me with "Database Request" in the header, and I will send you the database within a day or two.

taorear@ucdavis.edu

Assistant Specialist, Lab Manager

I lead the North Delta ARC Project where we carry out monthly sampling in the Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex area.  I started in this lab as an undergraduate student assistant, then junior specialist, then Master's student, and now I'm an assistant specialist.  My master's work is on the spatial and temporal response of zooplankton to climate shifts in the North Delta.  Aside from my interest in aquatic ecology and research, I'm also very interested in the intersection of dance and science. I'm currently collaborating with the UC Davis dance department to bring scientists and dancers together to create pieces.

kaluke@ucdavis.edu

I am a PhD student investigating water quality and phytoplankton production in Suisun Marsh managed wetlands. My interest in phytoplankton began as an undergraduate at U.C. San Diego, where I interned at the Center for Algae Biotechnology and Scripps Institute of Oceanography as a glorified algae farmer. My interests brought me to Northern California at the CA Dept of Water Resources where I assisted in monitoring toxic algal blooms in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta. Starting in 2015, I maintained real-time water quality monitoring equipment in the South Delta as an environmental scientist. I joined the Aquatic Research Collective in 2017, where my work as a PhD student entails monitoring water quality and phytoplankton biomass throughout flood cycles in several managed wetlands. I am also interested in quantifying production rates of phytoplankton  given varying wetland management scenarios.

amatung@ucdavis.edu

I am a PhD student in the Ecology Graduate Group. My graduate research focuses on characterizing zooplankton production in the managed wetlands of Suisun Marsh. My background experience is in aquatic entomology (mostly in streams and estuaries).

kapphillips@ucdavis.edu

I am a PhD student in the Ecology Graduate Group, and co-departmental Safety Coordinator for the Center for Watershed Sciences. My research is primarily focused on how human activities affect the aquatic ecosystems of the upper San Francisco Estuary. My first academic passion was fish, but as I've learned more of how estuarine ecosystems function, I have become fascinated by organisms that make up the base of the food web and the physical factors that determine their growth. Specifically, I am interested in how nutrients from agricultural runoff and wastewater influence primary production in the North Delta. Additionally, I focus on the role that managed waterfowl hunting ponds play in shaping fish and invertebrate communities in Suisun Marsh.

bowilliamson@ucdavis.edu 

I am a PhD student in the Graduate Group of Ecology. My research focuses on the life-history of the broadnose sevengill shark, Notorynchus cepedianus. Sevengill sharks are large apex predators for which the San Francisco Bay is a known pupping ground. Anecdotal evidence shows that pups remain in San Francisco Bay until they are sexually mature, and then swim along the coast from Alaska to Mexico. I study how each size class partitions resources in San Francisco Bay, and what threats they may face that would prevent their success to adulthood. I also study their migratory behavior within San Francisco Bay and along the Eastern Pacific coastline to develop a deeper understanding of their migration dynamics and life-history needs.

mholst@ucdavis.edu

I am a Master's student at the Center for Watershed Sciences. My research interests include ecological restoration, tidal marsh/wetland ecology, and environmental justice.

eplatzer@ucdavis.edu

I am a graduate student in Ecology, and have helped lead the Suisun Marsh Field Study, investigated food webs using stable isotopes, and researched mammalian coloration, among other projects.  In addition to my research, I am interested in outreach and democratization of scientific opportunities to all communities. 

clsnewell@ucdavis.edu

Lynette is a first-year Ecology graduate student in the Durand Lab studying the aquatic community composition of a recently restored tidal wetland in the confluence zone between the Delta and Suisun Marsh. She is broadly interested in restoration efficacy for native species and novel ecosystems. She also is interested in Sacramento Perch conservation and population expansion in historic ranges and how bird conservation and aquatic conservation can be mutually beneficial. In her spare time Lynette loves to birdwatch, particularly in the Sacramento Valley, and knit sweaters!  

lbwilliams@ucdavis.edu 

I am an undergraduate assistant finishing my BS in Animal Biology. I have a lot of fun in the field as well as the lab. Under the guidance of Meghan Holst I have been conducting my senior thesis relating to juvenile broadnose sevengill sharks in San Francisco bay. I also help out with other projects in the field by catching fish and taking water quality samples. When in the lab, I help with zooplankton processing, water quality samples, and preparing tissue samples for stable isotope analysis. Outside of research, you might find me hiking, snowboarding, climbing, or baking. Following graduation I look forward to continuing in the environmental field and seeing cool stuff! 

I am a fourth year undergraduate majoring in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation biology with an emphasis in Fish Biology. I am an intern with the ARC, mainly assisting with zooplankton samples and field work. I’ve really enjoyed learning different fish sampling techniques as well as bird identification from bird surveys. I’m really passionate about freshwater fishes and wetland ecology, hoping to obtain a Ph.D. one day and work on conservation and restoration research.   

I am a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology with a Fish Biology Emphasis. I am an intern with the ARC, I assist mainly with the research of Brian Williamshen, counting and identifying benthic macroinvertebrates. I love freshwater fish, and am a strong proponent of cherishing the ecology that exists in one's own backyard. As such I am very interested in the fishes of Putah Creek, especially the Sacramento Pikeminnow.  

Dylan graduated with his PhD in Ecology in 2022 after submitting his dissertation titled "The Distribution and Abundance of Striped Bass and Other Estuarine Fishes in the San Francisco and Umpqua River Estuaries." He is now employed at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife where he monitors white sturgeon, striped bass, and the general San Francisco Estuary large fish assemblage. 

Chris began working at CWS in 2013, as an undergraduate in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology.  After completing his Bachelor's degree, he worked as a technical specialist on north Delta fish and water quality studies. He graduated with a Master's degree in Ecology in 2020 by submitting his thesis "Watershed Management Drives Ecological Dynamics in California Estuarine Wetlands".