HOME > Projects > Spring ’06 Research Projects

Bernard Field Station Use Spring 2006

Research Projects

Request No.: 0626EA5650
Submitted on: 4/5/06 at 2:28 PM
User: Susan Schenk, Staff member, JSD
E-mail: sschenk@jsd.claremont.edu
College phone: 74018

Number in research group: 1
Dates: 01/01/2006 to 12/31/2006
Frequency: Other - It will vary depending on the study
Time of day: Varies - It will vary depending on the study
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS, infirmary, lower neck, central neck, upper neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Ribes aureum, Golden Currant
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - Flagging tape will be used, and each plant will have an aluminum identification tag placed inconspicuously

Description of research project: Research Project Description: This is a long-term study on different aspects of the biology of Ribes aureum (Golden Currant). Data will be collected on distribution, morphology, pollination biology, fruit production, asexual reproduction, and interactions with other plants and with animals. The importance of Ribes aureum to the functioning of the coastal sage scrub ecosystem will be investigated.

Request No.: 0626E90C66
Submitted on: 4/5/06 at 2:16 PM
User: Susan Schenk, Staff member, JSD
E-mail: sschenk@jsd.claremont.edu
College phone: 74018

Number in research group: 1
Dates: 01/01/2006 to 12/31/2006
Frequency: Other - Monthly data collection is planned
Time of day: Morning, Afternoon - will vary depending on the study
Areas to be used: central CSS, eastern CSS
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - insects
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - Sites will have flagging tape on the boundaries.

Description of research project: Research Project Description: This is the beginning of a long-term project designed to begin identifying the insect fauna present at the field station, and to investigate how taxa and numbers vary from site to site, over the year, and between years. Initially, four square sites in coastal sage scrub, 5 m on a side, will be identified with flagging tape and located with GPS. Data will be collected the first weekend of each month using pitfall traps, sweep nets, and inspection of the foliage. The insects will be identified as far as possible and preserved to provide a reference collection. Pictures of the insects will be posted on the web.

Request No.: 0626DD886C
Submitted on: 4/5/06 at 12:31 PM
User: Susan Schenk, Staff member, JSD
E-mail: sschenk@jsd.claremont.edu
College phone: 74018

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 04/01/2006 to 12/01/2009
Frequency: Other - Monthly
Time of day: Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: central CSS, eastern CSS
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - insects
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - flagging tape to mark sites

Description of research project: This is the beginning of a long-term project designed to begin identifying the insect fauna present at the field station, and to investigate how taxa and numbers vary from site to site, over the year, and between years. Initially, four square sites in coastal sage scrub, 5m on a side, will be identified with flagging tape and located with GPS. Data will be collected the first weekend of each month using pitfall traps, sweep nets, and inspection of the foliage. The insects will be identified as far as possible and preserved to provide a reference collection. Pictures of the insects will be posted on the web. This project may be expanded if more students become interested in it.

Request No.: 0626DCE0E7
Submitted on: 4/5/06 at 12:25 PM
User: Marguerite Kissel, Undergraduate student, Scripps
E-mail: mkissel@scrippscol.edu
College phone: 805 441 3070
Instructor/Advisor: Susan Schenk, 74018, sschenk@jsd.claremont.edu

Number in research group: 1
Dates: 04/01/2006 to 03/01/2009
Frequency: Other - Monthly data collection is planned
Time of day: Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: central CSS, eastern CSS
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - insects
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - The limits of the data collection sites will be marked with tape.

Description of research project: This is the beginning of a long-term project designed to begin identifying the insect fauna present in coastal sage scrub at the field station, and to investigate how taxa and numbers vary from site to site, over the year, and between years. Four square sites, 5m on a side, will be identified with flagging tape and located with GPS. Data will be collected the first weekend of each month using pitfall traps, sweep nets, and inspection of the foliage. The insects will be identified as far as possible and preserved to provide a reference collection. Pictures of the insects will be posted on the web.

Request No.: 0625A167B2
Submitted on: 4/3/06 at 12:34 PM
User: John A. Gamon, Faculty member, California State University, Los Angeles
E-mail: jgamon@calstatela.edu
College phone: 323-343-2066, Other phone: 626-862-8200

Number in research group: 6
Dates: 04/10/2006 to 09/30/2009
Frequency: Several-days/week - Frequency varies with need
Time of day: Varies - varies with project phase
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS, lower neck
Facilities or equipment needed: Outdoor classroom, Line power, if available; otherwise we can set up solar panels
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Entire ecosystem
Will plants or animals be collected? no
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - The project entails installation of an eddy covariance tower (for surface-atmosphere CO2 and water vapor flux measurements) and a 100-m tram (track on raised rail) for remote sensing measurements with a robotic cart (like the Mars Rover, but on a track here on Earth).

Description of research project: The purpose of the project is to develop and validate optical and thermal samplng methods for estimating surface-atmosphere fluxes of biologically and radiatively active gases (CO₂ and water vapor, in this case) - the "breathing of the planet." To do this, we would install an eddy covariance tower (large tripod with meteorological instruments to measure surface-atmosphere gas fluxes) and a tram system (robotic cart on a 100-m track) to measure ecosystem optical and thermal properties. The project is part of SpecNet (http://specnet.info/) and FLUXNET (http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/FLUXNET/) networks, and is funded by National Science Foundation (Ecosystems and CREST) grants to John Gamon. Our initial goal would be to setup and test the instruments at this site for possible deployment elsewhere. Depending upon the quality of the site and measurements, we may choose to ask for indefinite access (a more-or-less permanent site).

Request No.: 0612797D5F
Submitted on: 3/3/06 at 12:08 PM
User: Melinda Herrold-Menzies, Faculty member, Pitzer
E-mail: mmenzies@pitzer.edu
College phone: 909-607-7960

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 03/10/2006 to 06/30/2006
Frequency: Weekly
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, pHake Lake, vernal pools, eastern CSS, oak forest, corner, infirmary, 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? no

Description of research project: We will be working on native plant ID while researching Tongva Native American uses of the plants. We will also do some simple mapping of where plants are located.

Request No.: 0648A674E
Submitted on: 2/8/06 at 11:01 PM
User: Sarah Cusser, Undergraduate student, Pomona
E-mail: sarah.cusser@pomona.edu
College phone: 913-488-1595
Instructor/Advisor: Prof. Hanzawa, 621-8601, frances.hanzawa@pomona.edu

Number in research group: 3
Dates: 02/07/2006 to 04/07/2006
Frequency: Several-days/week
Time of day: Varies - need to determine best time for observation
Areas to be used: eastern CSS, oak forest, infirmary, south field, lower neck, central neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Marah macrocarpus
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - marking a few focal plants with flags

Description of research project: For my senior thesis exercise I was hoping to study the pollination of Marah macrocarpus. From the study I will identify the major pollinators as well as their importance in pollinating the monoecious vine. I plan to do this by observing pollinator visitation, determining sex ratios among the various plants, and trying to measure the effectiveness of individual pollinator groups. Effectiveness will be measured in terms of visitation rates, deposition volumes, and pollinator sex preference. To identify pollinators I will collect some insects for identification. I will also collect some of both the male and female Marah flowers for weighing and dissection.

Request No.: 051E69951D
Submitted on: 12/30/05 at 8:37 PM
User: Catherine McFadden, Faculty member, HMC
E-mail: mcfadden@hmc.edu
College phone: 74107

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 01/01/2006 to 12/30/2006
Frequency: Other - once a month
Time of day: Dawn, Morning
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, pHake Lake, eastern CSS, oak forest, corner, infirmary, south field, lower neck, central neck, upper neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - all birds
Will plants or animals be collected? no
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? no

Description of research project: Monthly bird census for purpose of compiling and maintaining a bird checklist for the BFS.

Request No.: 0517552E8E
Submitted on: 12/19/05 at 9:41 AM
User: Melinda Herrold-Menzies, Faculty member, Pitzer
E-mail: mmenzies@pitzer.edu
College phone: 77960

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 12/26/2005 to 05/10/2006
Frequency: Weekly
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, pHake Lake, vernal pools, eastern CSS, oak forest, corner, infirmary, 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? no

Description of research project: Mark Acuna, a representative of the Tongva Nation, and I will be doing some plant ID work at the BFS. Mark is teaching me about Tongva uses of coastal sage scrub species. We will not be collecting any specimens.

Request No.: 05F38C3BE9
Submitted on: 10/22/05 at 12:27 PM
User: Diane Thomson, Faculty member, JSD
E-mail: dthomson@jsd.claremont.edu
College phone: 607-0029

Number in research group: 3
Dates: 10/23/2005 to 05/14/2006
Frequency: Weekly
Time of day: Varies - daytime use, depending on schedule of thesis students
Areas to be used: north field, south field
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Amsinckia mensiezii, Phacelia distans, Camissonia bistorta
Will plants or animals be collected? no
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - Blocks will be flagged (see description) and plots delineated with colored plastic stakes.

Description of research project: The projects will examine the role of seed limitation, competition, herbivory and non-native plant diversity in limiting the reinvasion of native forbs into disturbed non-native grassland communities at the BFS. A series of native forb seed addition experiments will be carried out in plots that have either been cleared of non-native grasses or selectively thinned to reduce non-native diversity, as well as in unmanipulated controls. We will also test for the effects of competition from a non-native forb (Brassica nigra) on a native forb (Amsinckia mensiezii) in the presence and absence of insect herbivores.

Request No.: 05D5D4AD9C
Submitted on: 9/4/05 at 10:23 AM
User: Marius van der Merwe, Faculty member, JSD
E-mail: duisendpoot@yahoo.com
College phone: 909 607 0715

Number in research group: 3
Dates: 09/01/2005 to 05/15/2006
Frequency: Several-days/week
Time of day: Dawn, Afternoon, Evening
Areas to be used: eastern CSS, oak forest, infirmary, north field, south field
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Spermophilus beechyi (California ground squirrel)
Will plants or animals be collected? no
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - I will use feeding stations (consisting of artificial food patches) at different points in the habitat. A food patch will simply be a plastic container filled with sand, into which food is mixed.

Description of research project: Predatory threats often vary with features of the environment, some areas favoring predators and some favoring prey. Dangerous areas may be under-utilized whereas safe areas may be over-utilized, resulting in patterns of habitat use shaped by risk or fear. Areas that differ in predation risk can be visualized as a landscape of fear, with valleys representing areas of relative safety, and peaks areas of relative danger. The foraging cost of predation can be measured at specific locations in the environment using the giving-up-density of food of a foraging animal in artificial food patches. The aim is to extrapolate from such measurements to spatial 3-D maps representing landscapes of predation cost or fear, and specifically, to gain insights into factors affecting predation risk, and therefore habitat use, of California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beechyi).

Request No.: 05B826C0CB
Submitted on: 5/19/05 at 7:10 PM
User: Daniel Martinez, Faculty member, Pomona
E-mail: dmartinez@pomona.edu
College phone: 9096077926

Number in research group: 4
Dates: 05/01/2005 to 12/31/2009
Frequency: Other - Sporadically
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: pHake Lake
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Hydra spp.
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? no

Description of research project: Two hydra species inhabit pHake lake: the brown hydra Hydra oligactis and the green hydra Hydra viridissima. Both species have been included in a molecular phylogeny currently being built in the Martinez Lab at Pomona College. Hydra from pHake lake are collected sporadically for training purposes.

Request No.: 059634FD86
Submitted on: 2/3/05 at 12:02 PM
User: Nina Karnovsky, Pomona
E-mail: nina.karnovsky@pomona.edu
College phone: 607-9794

Type of use: Research
Number in group: 4
Dates: 02/14/2005 to ongoing
Frequency: Several-days/week
Time of day: Varies - Some activities are at night others in day
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS, oak forest, corner, infirmary area, north field, south field, lower neck, central neck, upper neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? Yes - Neotoma fuscipes and Neotoma lepida
Will plants or animals be collected? No
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? Yes
Will markings or flags be used? No

Project description: Students will be comparing the habitat preferences of the two species of woodrats that are at BFS. I will be attaching small, removable radio collars to woodrats. The students will relocate the rats several times a week. They will map their locations and will measure vegetation characteristics where rats are found. Traps for woodrats will be placed in the evening and checked several times during the night to ensure that no rats are sitting there too long. After capture they will be weighed and sexed, fitted with the radio collar and given a PIT tag. This is a small injected tag that reads like a bar code. This method is preferable to ear tags because ear tags often get pulled out and rip the ears of the rat. All the protocols have been approved by the Fish and Game for both species. Students will be responsible for relocating the rats while they are out foraging. They will need access to BFS at dusk and at night (this is one reason why I want to use BFS, it is safer than sending them elsewhere). These are all advanced biology students who are familiar with BFS and its rules. Students will also make maps of all the woodrat houses that they can find. It is my hope that this project will continue throughout the summer and next fall. Woodrats will be recaptured to remove the radio collars when the batteries start to run out.