Drought, non-native species and post-fire shrub regeneration
Drought, non-native species and post-fire shrub regeneration
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Fire is an important part of historic disturbance cycles in southern California shrub communities (chaparral and sage scrub). Yet the ability of shrub communities to regenerate after fire may be changing because of increasing drought and the invasion of non-native plants. Our lab is studying the effects of non-native competitors and rainfall conditions on post-fire recovery of Artemisia californica, using a combination of experiments, demographic monitoring, and population modeling.
Changes in residential landscaping and pollinator habitat
Changes in residential landscaping and pollinator habitat
As southern California grapples with drought stress due to climate change, many cities are encouraging homeowners to replace lawns with water-wise landscaping. This is also an opportunity to create habitat for native species. Yet most southern Californians may not be aware that this area is a global biodiversity hotspot for native bees. Not all water-wise landscaping is also pollinator friendly. Our lab has been working to quantify changes in residential landscaping practices in Claremont and to understand their effects on pollinators.
Climate change, non-native animals, rare plants: Channel Islands
Climate change, non-native animals, rare plants: Channel Islands
The northern Channel Islands have been called the "Galapagos of California" because they support so many endemic species, especially plants. These islands were devastated by the introduction of many non-native vertebrate grazers and browsers, such as cattle, sheep, pigs, deer and elk. Starting in the 1990s after the National Park Service took over management for most of the islands, ecologists at the USGS and NPS (led by our collaborator Kathryn McEachern) began to study their rare and endemic plants; at that time, almost nothing was known about the abundances and distribution of these unique species. Our lab has been collaborating with McEachern since 2007, contributing to collection and analysis of these long-term data. Our work has shown the strong benefits of non-native animal removal, as well as the threats posed by climate change.
Plant and bumble bee declines in coastal California
Plant and bumble bee declines in coastal California
Stories about pollinator declines seem to be everywhere these days. Many of these stories are about the European honey bee, Apis mellifera; domesticated honey bees have been heavily impacted by diseases and parasites in the last few decades. Yet honey bees are an introduced species in North America, and feral (naturalized) populations seem to be thriving in many areas. All these honey bees potentially compete for resources with native pollinators, at a time when those pollinators are under increasing threat from climate change and other anthropogenic impacts. My lab has been studying native bumble bees and the plants they depend on in coastal California for 25 years. We combine monitoring data with statistical modeling to understand how climate variation (like increasing drought) interacts with competition from honey bees to affect floral resource availability and bumble bee population change. Most recently, we have been studying the effects of another environmental driver that is changing under human influence: fire.
Stories about pollinator declines seem to be everywhere these days. Many of these stories are about the European honey bee, Apis mellifera; domesticated honey bees have been heavily impacted by diseases and parasites in the last few decades. Yet honey bees are an introduced species in North America, and feral (naturalized) populations seem to be thriving in many areas. All these honey bees potentially compete for resources with native pollinators, at a time when those pollinators are under increasing threat from climate change and other anthropogenic impacts. My lab has been studying native bumble bees and the plants they depend on in coastal California for 25 years. We combine monitoring data with statistical modeling to understand how climate variation (like increasing drought) interacts with competition from honey bees to affect floral resource availability and bumble bee population change. Most recently, we have been studying the effects of another environmental driver that is changing under human influence: fire.
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