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Bernard Field Station Use Summer 2008

Research Projects

Request No.: 082E5B2BE5
Submitted on: 7/24/08 at 10:56 AM
User: Akana Noto, Undergraduate student, Pomona
E-mail: aen02005@mymail.pomona.edu
College phone: (773)412-9409
Instructor/Advisor: Fran Hanzawa, (909)621-8601, fhanzawa@pomona.edu

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 07/25/2008 to 04/30/2009
Frequency: Several-days/week
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon, Evening
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS, south field, lower neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes:
Centaurea melitensis, star-thistle
Artemisia californica, sagebrush
Eriogonum fasciculatum, California buckwheat
Eriodictyon trichocalyx, yerba santa
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - Stake flags marked with my name. They will be removed at the end of the project, along with those flags that were put up during summer 2008.

Description of research project: I will be studying the invasibility of coastal sage scrub by examining factors that may limit the spread of star-thistle, Centaurea melitensis. In order to do this, I will test allelopathic effects of Artemisia californica, Eriogonum fasciculata and Eriodictyon trichocalyx and the effects of shading on star-thistle germination and growth. In addition, I will determine the effect of differential seed predation on invasibility. To study the inhibitory effects of shade and allelopathy, I plan on putting seeds collected during the summer into the field in mesh bags so that the seeds and plants will be easily recovered. I also plan on putting seeds in dishes into the field in order to if there is more seed predation in intact areas or in disturbed, open areas. In either case, the seeds will be contained. I will also need to collect some Artemisia in order to conduct an allelopathy experiment in the lab. All star-thistle seeds and plants from this experiment will be recollected at the end of the project.

Request No.: 082C814AE3
Submitted on: 7/21/08 at 11:03 AM
User: Frances Hanzawa, Faculty member, Pomona
E-mail: fhanzawa@pomona.edu
College phone: 621-8601

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 07/23/2008 to 12/31/2009
Frequency: Other - irregular; will vary seasonally
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: 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? yes - Constituents of the soil seed bank
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - Stake flags will be used to mark quadrats where soil samples are taken.

Description of research project: Part of a long-term study of the soil seed bank in coastal sage scrub and disturbed areas at BFS. The extent and speed of recovery of a plant population from a human or natural disturbance can depend in part on the extent of that population’s seed bank and on the extent of seed dispersal into the disturbed area. Therefore, study of the seed bank is essential for making predictions about the recovery of plant populations following disturbance. In addition, suppression of natural disturbance (e.g., fire) can affect seed bank and above ground diversity. Previous work examined emergence (in growth chambers) under control and simulated fire conditions from soil samples from three areas at BFS. Seedlings were counted and identified to species. In order to extend previous work to other areas, in July-Aug, small (7 cm) soil samples will be collected in 50 quadrats. In addition, a set of 1.25 m2 blocks in the most disturbed areas of BFS will be solarized for 8 weeks to assess effects on non-native grasses.

Request No.: 081502723A
Submitted on: 6/13/08 at 10:34 AM
User: Kathryn Cerny-Chipman, Undergraduate student, Pomona
E-mail: krc02005@mymail.pomona.edu
College phone: 505-930-3390
Instructor/Advisor: Prof. Hanzawa, 6218601, fhanzawa@pomona.edu

Number in research group: 1
Dates: 06/15/2008 to 07/31/2008
Frequency: Other - Only when I need to collect soil samples, so probably only a couple of times
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: eastern CSS
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? No
Will plants or animals be collected? Yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? No
Will markings or flags be used? Yes - I will be using temporary flags to mark areas for soil sampling. I will remove the flags after soil sampling.

Description of research project: I am doing an experiment on the germination of non-native species from the soil seed bank under various management strategies and conditions. I will be collecting soil samples along a transect using a two-inch soil sampler. The transect line is on the field directly west of the main road, close to the fence that borders Foothill. Soil samples will be used in Pomona’s greenhouse.

Request No.: 0812827CB3
Submitted on: 6/9/08 at 9:29 AM
User: Akana Noto, Undergraduate student, Pomona
E-mail: aen02005@mymail.pomona.edu
College phone: 773-412-9409
Instructor/Advisor: Fran Hanzawa, 909-621-8601, fhanzawa@pomona.edu

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 06/10/2008 to 07/28/2008
Frequency: Daily
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS, corner, lower neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Centaurea melitensis (star thistle)
Artemisia californica (sage brush)
Salvia apiana (white sage)
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - Stake flags marked with my name. They will be removed when the project is completed.

Description of research project: For my research project, I will be studying the star thistle, Centaurea melitensis, at the field station in order to determine whether allelochemical effects prevent it from growing in more intact coastal sage scrub areas. I will be collecting seeds from the plants and bringing them back to the greenhouse to plant. I will also need to collect some foliage from sage scrub, Artemisia californica, in order to make an extract of the leaves to put on my star thistles. In addition, I will do a survey of the presence of star thistle in different areas in the field station in order to confirm that it does grow more often in disturbed than intact areas. This project will provide a more concrete explanation of what could prevent star thistle from growing even more widely spread than it already does.

Request No.: 0878D1F1A
Submitted on: 5/22/08 at 3:54 PM
User: Diane Thomson, Faculty member, JSD
E-mail: dthomson@jsd.claremont.edu
College phone: 909-607-0029

Number in research group: 1-3
Dates: 01/01/2005 to 07/01/2009
Frequency: Other - once to twice a month in spring
Time of day: Varies - Data collection times will depend on rest of schedule.
Areas to be used: eastern CSS, north field, south field
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Annual wildflowers in the genera: Amsinckia, Phacelia and Camissonia. Also annual invasive grasses, primarily Bromus diandrus.
Will plants or animals be collected? yes
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? Yes - I mark all experimental blocks with 4 colored flags, one at each corner, as well as an aluminum id tag at the base of each flag.

Description of research project: California grasslands once supported a diverse native community of perennial and annual grasses and wildflowers, but are now dominated by a small number of introduced annual grasses. This change has long been assumed to result from the greater competitive ability of introduced grasses, which is thought to allow the invasive species to exclude native ones. However, recently this assumption has been called into question by several studies that suggest seed limitation and a lack of dispersal are more important factors than competition in limiting abundance of native grassland plants. We are using a factorial experiment that manipulates both the density of introduced grass competitors and the abundance of native seed to test this idea in the disturbed grassland at BFS. We are working with three annual species that already occur in some parts of the grassland at BFS, but at relatively low abundance compared to invasive grasses (Amcinckia, Phacelia and Camissonia). In 12 blocks of 4 plots each per year, we apply the following treatments: 1) control, 2) invasive grasses removed through weeding, 3) native seeds collected in prior spring from BFS added into plot, and 4) both removal of invasive competitors and seed addition. We then census plots for the numbers of native seedlings, their survivorship to flowering, and the final cover of native and invasive species in each plot. Plots are followed for several years after seed addition to test for the effects of seeds that remain dormant initially but may germinate in subsequent years. This work will help us better understand what factors maintain high densities of invasive species in disturbed habitats.

Request No.: 085B2C2E2
Submitted on: 5/19/08 at 3:57 PM
User: Gregory A. Lyzenga, Faculty member, HMC
E-mail: lyzenga@hmc.edu
College phone: (909) 621-8378, Other phone: (626) 808-5314

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 05/27/2008 to 08/29/2008
Frequency: Other - Irregular intervals for instrument maintenance
Time of day: Morning, Afternoon
Areas to be used: classroom/infirmary
Facilities or equipment needed: Outdoor classroom, Use of wireless connection to campus network.
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: After consultation with Stephen Dreher and Mike Erlinger, a site in a corner of the outdoor classroom was identified for installation of a sensitive broadband seismometer. The plan is to install it with a data connection to campus via the wireless Internet. Once installed and debugged, it should require only occasional visits for adjustment or maintenance. The installation will require the addition of an antenna to the classroom roof and a new electrical outlet. Besides these changes, there should be no impact on the current classroom configuration or operations.

The purpose of this project is to make optimal use of our sensitive seismometer by removing it from sources of constant and pervasive cultural noise in its current Parsons building location. This will facilitate the use of the instrument by students and faculty for geophysical research.

Request No.: 083E03B06
Submitted on: 5/16/08 at 5:10 PM
User: Michael A. Erlinger, Faculty member, HMC
E-mail: mike@cs.hmc.edu
College phone: 18912, Other phone: 18225

Number in research group: 5
Dates: 05/19/2008 to 06/01/2009
Frequency: Several-days/week
Time of day: Dawn, Morning, Afternoon, Evening
Areas to be used: eastern CSS, oak forest, classroom/infirmary, north field, south field
Facilities or equipment needed: Outdoor classroom,
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Lizards
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 are going to get BFSNet in a state of completion with WebCams, sensor networks, etc. We will move a lizard pen from the south of the road to north of the road so
that we can get to power for a webcam.

Request No.: 0810911D92
Submitted on: 5/5/08 at 3:56 PM
User: Grace C. Wu, Undergraduate student, Pomona
E-mail: grace.wu@pomona.edu
College phone: x76987
Instructor/Advisor: Jonathan Wright, (909) 621-8603, jcw04747@pomona.edu

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 09/01/2007 to 07/01/2008
Frequency: Weekly
Time of day: Varies - Dates and times are unpredictable - will depend on weather and specimen availability/need
Areas to be used: central CSS, oak forest, south field, lower neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Mite, Parateneriffia sp.
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: Study is examining the water balance physiology, thermal tolerance and locomotory biomechanics of a small predatory mite, examining these factors across all instars. We have shown these mites to have exceptional physiology in all three aspects, so the work is of particular interest. This species can be abundant when found, but its occurrence is erratic and different instars vary in microhabitat, from open ground to leaf litter.

Request No.: 07DA7762A7
Submitted on: 12/31/07 at 9:36 AM
User: Catherine McFadden, Faculty member, HMC
E-mail: mcfadden@hmc.edu
College phone: 74107

Number in research group: 2
Dates: 01/01/2008 to 12/30/2008
Frequency: Other - monthly
Time of day: Dawn, Morning
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS, oak forest, corner, north field, south field, lower neck, central neck, upper neck
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - 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 the purpose of maintaining BFS bird checklist and records.

Request No.: 07CD2E3F36
Submitted on: 11/8/07 at 2:13 PM
User: Emily Schultz and Kate Fehlhaber, Undergraduate student, Scripps
E-mail: eschultz@scrippscollege.edu
College phone: (415)595-2358, Other phone: (509)552-1360

Instructor/Advisor: Dr. Susan Schenk, x 74018, sschenk@jsd.claremont.edu

Number in research group: 10
Dates: 11/08/2007 to 05/31/2009
Frequency: Weekly
Time of day: Varies - When volunteers have a few hours, always during daylight hours
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, pHake Lake, vernal pools, 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 - We will be identifying the tree species at the station.
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 attaching aluminum tags to each tree.

Description of research project: The purpose of this project is to use GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographic Information System) to map the vegetation at the Bernard Field Station. We will begin with the trees, taking information on height, diameter at breast height, canopy spread, location, and species. We will then input this information into ArcMap, so that it will be available to future students and faculty doing research at the Bernard Field Station.

Request No.: 07AB756DBC
Submitted on: 6/25/07 at 1:50 PM
User: Steve Adolph, Faculty member, HMC
E-mail: adolph@hmc.edu
College phone: 607-1872

Number in research group: 5
Dates: 07/01/2007 to 12/31/2009
Frequency: Several-days/week
Time of day: Morning, Afternoon, Evening
Areas to be used: western CSS, central CSS, eastern CSS
Facilities or equipment needed: None
Will any plant or animal species be studied? yes - Plestiodon (formerly Eumeces) skiltonianus – western skink
Will plants or animals be collected? no
Will vertebrate animals be collected or manipulated? no
Will markings or flags be used? yes - We will use either colored surveyors’ tape or typical field flags to mark the locations of cover boards.

Description of research project: Habitat enhancement for western skinks.

We propose to provide cover boards to enhance the habitat for western skinks at BFS, and to facilitate future surveys of skink abundance. Western skinks are one of the least frequently seen reptile species living at BFS, in part because of their cryptic behavior. We propose to provide up to 30 cover boards in CSS habitat in the CSS habitat between pHake Lake and Foothill Blvd. Cover boards are either solid wood or plywood, from 0.25 to 1.0 inches thick, and typically 1-2 feet wide and 2-3 feet long. They are placed flush with the ground, and often have a 1-inch spacer board attached to the underside to ensure space between the ground and the board. Boards will be placed in habitats where I have observed skinks in the past, and will occasionally be turned over to search for skinks. Skinks are most active during the spring months (J.Q. Richmond, Cornell University, personal communication), so we will concentrate our search efforts in the spring.

Cover boards are commonly used to enhance habitat and facilitate field study of a variety of reptiles and amphibians, because they provide excellent refuges that are easy to inspect without being damaged. Skinks are frequently found beneath objects on the ground, and we expect skinks to readily make use of these cover boards.

In this phase of the project we do not plan to capture skinks. If future studies involve capturing skinks we will obtain collecting permits and animal care committee approval.

Cover boards are likely to be used by other vertebrate and invertebrate animal species, which we view as a benefit.

Request No.: 0626DFB6B0
Submitted on: 4/5/06 at 12:51 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 12/01/2009
Frequency: Other - varies with type of data collection
Time of day: Varies - may be any time depending on current study
Areas to be used: central CSS, eastern CSS, south field, lower neck, central 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 - Parts of plants will be tagged with flagging tape. All plants will have an aluminum identification tag placed inconspicuously

Description of research project: 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.: 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, 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.: 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 sampling 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.: 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

Number in research 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.