Tiny fragments of DNA permeate the air, soil, and water around us. This environmental DNA (eDNA) unlocks a non-invasive way to monitor biodiversity and detect species that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Native species in California’s estuaries are expected to experience greater declines as invasive species interact with climate change, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.
The study, published in the Ecological Society of America’s journal, Ecology, said these declines are expected not only because of climate-related stressors, but also because of the expanding influence of new invasive predators whose impacts are occurring much farther up the estuary.
Some invasive species targeted for total eradication bounce back with a vengeance, especially in aquatic systems, finds a study led by the University of California, Davis.
Under the unseasonably warm June sun with the Seattle Space Needle as our reference point, Dr. Jamey Selleck and I don our thick wetsuits. The air may be warm, but the water is still frigid. Our small boat bobs in the water as our captain, Brian Allen, scans our surroundings.
“Nothing.” He remarks with resignation.
We sigh, finish connecting our hoses and checking our gauges, then plunge into the icy water.
Much of the Grosholz Lab's recent work over the last several years has involved measuring the community and ecosystem impacts of the invasive salt marsh cordgrass Spartina on a broad range of organisms from primary producers to shorebirds in San Francisco Bay. This has been a collaborative project funded by the National Science Foundation (CNH Coupled Natural and Human Systems).
The Bodega Marine Laboratory non-indigenous/pathogen facility and effluent treatment system was established in 2014 and supports non-indigenous and invasive species research. The facility enables scientists and students the ability to investigate introduced/invasive species as well as pathogens that are the basis for emerging diseases and changing biodiversity.
For more information about these facilities, please contact BML.
