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Bernard Field Station Use Fall 2004

Research Projects

Request No.: 04815EBCD3
Submitted on: 10/18/04 at 4:17 PM
User: Kristina Michelle Crabtree, Graduate student, Other - Cal Poly Pomona
E-mail: anitsirkshorty@yahoo.com
College phone: 9513181415

Number in research group: 3
Dates: 10/24/2004 to 11/25/2004
Frequency: Several-days/week
Time of day: Dawn, Evening
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS, oak forest
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - looking at rodents and birds in general, no specific species
Will plants or animals be collected? no
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - flags indicating feeding stations

Description of research project: We will be looking at the seed feeding habits of animals at ecotones located between coastal sage scrub and adjacent plant communities. There will be seed feeding stations set out along a transect that includes both communties and the bare zone between them. The amount of seed being taken will be used to determine where most of the feeding occurs along the transect. We will be looking at both nocturnal and diurnal seed predators, with the stations being checked at dawn and dusk for 3 consecutive days.

Request No.: 047D1B87E3
Submitted on: 10/11/04 at 6:45 PM
User: Corrie Vincent, Undergraduate student, Cal Poly Pomona University
E-mail: clvincent_343@yahoo.com
College phone: 626-664-4314
Research Advisor: Dr. Ronald Quinn, Cal Poly Pomona, rdquinn@csupomona.edu, 909-869-4056

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 10/18/2004 to 11/24/2004
Frequency: Weekly
Time of day: Dawn, Evening
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS, north field, south field, lower neck, central neck, upper neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? no
Will plants or animals be collected? no
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - We will be using wooden or metal stakes to mark out belt transects.

Description of research project: This study in being conducted as part of a Chaparral Biology course at Cal Poly Pomona. Our study will look at the feeding patterns of wild rabbits at ecotones. We will set up belt transects and at one week intervals count the number of rabbit pellets in one meter square sections to determine feeding patterns in and between different plant communities.

Request No.: 0476DC7769
Submitted on: 10/1/04 at 4:10 PM
User: Cassie Fairchild, Undergraduate student, HMC
E-mail: cfairchild@hmc.edu
College phone: (909)607-4798
Research advisor: Stephen Adolph, adolph@hmc.edu, 607-1872

Number in research group: 1
Dates: 10/1/04 to 5/15/04
Frequency: Several-days/week
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon, Evening
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, pHake Lake, eastern CSS, oak forest, corner, infirmary, east field, lower neck, central neck, upper neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? Yes - western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)
Will plants or animals be collected? Yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? Yes
Will markings or flags be used? Yes - I'll use surveyor's flagging tape to mark trees where lizards live.

Description of research project: My research project will examine predator-prey relationships and foraging strategies of western fence lizards. The project will have several components. First, I will be measuring arthropod prey abundances using tanglefoot on index cards. Arthropod samples will be collected ten times over the academic year, each time being left in the field for three days. Second, I will be collecting data on foraging behaviors by presenting lizards with meal worms at various distances. Finally, I will be observing perch locations of lizards and their natural foraging behaviors. I will capture the observed lizards for the purposes of identifying the sex, measuring, and tagging with temporary white-out marks. All lizards will be re-released in the field within a few minutes of capture. I plan to observe approximately 100 lizards in the field and conduct the meal worm experiment with 30-50 individuals. I have submitted an animal care protocol, and it is currently under review by the Joint Sciences Animal Care and Use Committee.