Fall 2024 - UC Nature

A student researcher holds up a blueband hermit crab (Pagurus samuelis) to assess the size and quality of its shell. Hermit crabs are abundant omnivores in the tide pools of the Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve, where the California Ecology and Conservation class conducted six research projects in fall 2024. These crabs aggressively compete over resources using a variety of behaviors to interact. The study tested if shell size and quality affected the type and outcome of these interactions. Image credit: Rhea Jaiin

Rotational grazing impacts on terrestrial invertebrates in a coastal prairie [PDF, 658.98 KB]
J’Hrenara Rios, Meya Saenz Zagar, Rachel Jang, Olivia Lane

Evasive responses of Tegula funebralis vary by predator species according to perceived risk [PDF, 790.87 KB]
Andrew Condrell, Cory Lee, Aldo Vorkapich

With age comes wisdom: Foraging behavior differs between juvenile and adult western gulls [PDF, 465.42 KB]
Aziza Carrillo, Ivy Kwok, Emma McCluskey

Shell characteristics impact assertive and aggressive behavior in blueband hermit crabs (Pagurus samuelis) [PDF, 1.52 MB]
Atriya Beisigl, Darcy Qian, Elyssa Angelo, Rhea Jain

Spread of pitch canker infections of Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) in Cambria, California [PDF, 4.67 MB]
Chloe Millar, Julia Buckey, Ross Hagino, Sarah Arcaris

The effect of wave action and rockweed host species on intertidal epifaunal distribution [PDF, 2.31 MB]
Marco Brunyer, Sophia Pfitzmann, Meg Scudder, Kyrillos Wahba