Santa Cruz Island Reserve

24 Oct, 03 AM - 30 Oct, 02 AM

Point Conception is a major boundary between marine biogeographic provinces. This boundary is distinguished by the confluence of the cold California Current and the warmer Southern California Gyre. The goal of our research is to examine the extent of this biogeographic boundary around Santa Cruz Island. Santa Cruz Island is situated near the confluence of these two current systems. We are exploring the importance of physical factors (e.g. temperature, wave action, water column nutrients) and dispersal as causes of the distribution of several marine intertidal species. To address spatial and temporal variation in recruitment, we have been continually monitoring the recruitment of several species of marine invertebrates at five rocky, intertidal sites on Santa Cruz Island. We visit each of these sites every 2 months and will continue to do so for the next year so that we can identify seasonal patterns. In addition to monitoring recruitment, we are also monitoring temperature, nutrient levels and water motion at all these sites. We have transplanted several invertebrate and algal species to examine the importance of local, physical factors on growth and survival. We are also doing the same type of monitoring at eight sites north and south of Pt. Conception on the mainland. Combining our mainland data with those from Santa Cruz Island will help to provide us with a large-scale picture of how physical and oceanographic features in and around the Santa Barbara Channel may influence recruitment and growth of marine species.

Visit #1966 @Santa Cruz Island Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 1572 | Research

University of California Santa Barbara - Marine Science Institute

research_scientist - University of California, Santa Barbara

Reservation Members(s)

Carol Blanchette Oct 24 - 30, 2003 (7 days)
Group of 2 Research Scientist/Post Doc Oct 24 - 30, 2003 (7 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Dorm 3 Oct 24 - 30, 2003
Jeep 3 Oct 24 - 30, 2003