Hastings Natural History Reservation

04 Jul, 11 AM - 05 Jul, 01 AM

The central California coast has long been recognized as a center of species endemism. For example, in California, 49 (76%) of 64 locally endemic species of Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) occur within 50 km of the coast, and the great majority of these range from southern Sonoma to northern Santa Barbara. Many of these and other rare species occur in a natural community called maritime chaparral which is protected by California state law under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Commission. My research is designed to investigate the possible role of summer coastal fog in shaping the evolutionary and ecological conditions that gave rise to this extraordinary woody plant diversity. I am also attempting to relate this to other potential drivers of diversification such as soil conditions and fire regimes. By better understanding the relationship between climatic, edaphic, and fire disturbance variables, conservation organizations and policy makers will be in a better position to both define and identify maritime chaparral and to appropriately manage for its conservation.

Visit #18596 @Hastings Natural History Reservation

Approved

Under Project # 20236 | Research

Influence of summer fog on chaparral in the central coast region of California

graduate_student - University of California, Santa Cruz

Reservation Members(s)

Group of 2 Graduate Student Jul 4 - 5, 2009 (2 days)

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Hastings Cabin 2 Jul 4 - 5, 2009