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Researches on wetlands are extensive and require the collaborative efforts of federal agencies, non-profits, and universities.
Researches on wetlands are extensive and require the collaborative efforts of federal agencies, non-profits, and universities.
Interact with the pictures to learn more about the researches and how to get involved!
Interact with the pictures to learn more about the researches and how to get involved!
Photo from UCTV
UC Natural Reserve System
UC Natural Reserve System
The Universities of California created a library for researchers and students to learn about the reserves in California. The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve and the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve, for example, are excellent areas to do research. The Natural Reserve System also funds the Field Science Fellowship and provides resources to research-focused conservationists.
Photo by Renee Mazurek
UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
This UCLA campus dedicates itself to educating the communities and tackling environmental challenges with research-based principles to bring forth meaningful changes. Its faculties at the IoES teach a variety of courses from Introduction to Oceanography to Advanced Topics in Geochemistry. Its Marine Center focuses on the environmental impacts on marine habitats, such as managing sea levels in coastal wetlands.
Photo from SWS
Society of Wetland Scientists
Society of Wetland Scientists
The society is a forum for scientists to discuss, share, and participate in wetland researches. It has research grants/fellowships for students, members, and ambassadors. Becoming a member gives access to a plethora of benefits--monthly newsletters, journals, training, certification, webinars, etc.
Photo from Bay Nature
Bay Nature Institute
Bay Nature Institute
Bay Nature is an interdependent non-profit publication and website dedicated to translating academic researches into digestible news articles for the public. The website has articles on conservation, nature, science, and more. It also hosts a list of unique activities on its event calendar.
Researches
Researches
Eric D. Stein, Kristen Cayce, Micha Salomon, Danielle Liza Bram, Danielle De Mello, Robin Grossinger, Shawna Dark
Change in Total Habitat Area by Estuarine Habitat Type and County
Change in Total Habitat Area by Estuarine Habitat Type and County
Changes in Total Estuarine Area by County between ca. 1850 and 2005.
Changes in Total Estuarine Area by County between ca. 1850 and 2005.
In this study, Stein et al (2014) compares historical wetland habitat area to its current area. According to the data, more than half of the wetlands areas in Los Angeles and Orange are lost, most of which are converted to non-wetland land uses such as agriculture or urban development. However, the study suggests that its overall estimation of habitat lost (48%) is significantly lower than previous estimation (90%) due to the overwhelming increase in government regulations and management programs within the past 30 years.
In this study, Stein et al (2014) compares historical wetland habitat area to its current area. According to the data, more than half of the wetlands areas in Los Angeles and Orange are lost, most of which are converted to non-wetland land uses such as agriculture or urban development. However, the study suggests that its overall estimation of habitat lost (48%) is significantly lower than previous estimation (90%) due to the overwhelming increase in government regulations and management programs within the past 30 years.
Left: An overview of contemporary wetlands in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Historical wetlands were twice the size of current habitats.
Graphs and map from studySource: Background photo
Camm C. Swift, Brenton Spies, Ryan A. Ellingson, and David K. Jacobs
Map from study
Named in honor of a late UCLA student, the Southern tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius kristinae) diverged from its northern cousin (E. newberryiI) about 1-2 million years ago. While the Northern tidewater goby (top) roams north of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the Southern tidewater gobies (bottom) are isolated in the south.
One identifiable feature of the Southern tidewater goby is a yellow pigment on its dorsal fin, while the Northern tidewater goby has a red pigment.
Since the population of E. kristinae is endangered by habitat destruction, drought, and predators, immediate conservation efforts are needed to save the gobies from extinction.
John P. LaBonte, Morgan L. Ball, Andrea J. Adams, and Cheryl J. Briggs
B. dendrobatidis (Bd) or chytrid fungus has devastated amphibian populations around the world. Normally, amphibians breathe through their skins. However, infected frogs have Bd growing on their skins, which causes the frogs to suffocate to death. In 2008, scientists have found that the fungus has spread into the populations of California red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii) and American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) along the coast of the Vandenberg Air Force Base, north of Santa Barbara. The fungus is so pervasive; it has also spread into isolated watersheds and wetlands. While the study finds that smaller or younger red-legged frogs are prone to be infected, it also shows that Bd has no overall effect on the health of these frogs. More studies are needed to determine whether a healthy frog population can survive with the chytrid fungus.
Source: Background photo
Want to learn even more?
Want to learn even more?
References:
LaBonte P. J., Ball L. M., Adams J. A., & Briggs J. C. (2008). Occurrence of the Amphibian Pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in California red‐legged frogs and bullfrogs on Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Stein, D. E., Cayce K., Salomon M., Bram L. D., de Mello D., Grossinger R., & Dark S. (2014). Wetlands of the Southern California Coast – Historical Extent and Change Over Time. Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.
Swift, C. C., Spies, B., Ellingson, R. A., & Jacobs, D. K. (2016). A New Species of the Bay Goby Genus Eucyclogobius, Endemic to Southern California: Evolution, Conservation, and Decline. PloS one, 11(7), e0158543. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158543
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