Sea Star Wasting Disease and Species Biodiversity

Lily Green, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

My project studied the effects of sea star wasting disease on sea star populations at Trinidad Beach and Baker's Beach. I surveyed sea stars with the disease and without the disease in approximately half-a-meter quadrant plots. In these plots, I centered the sea stars, counted the number of diseased and or healthy sea stars, and calculated the species biodiversity through point count and percent cover. My point count data results showed a positive correlation between species biodiversity and sea star wasting disease. On the other hand, I found that my percent count data supported a negative correlation between species biodiversity and sea star wasting disease.

Sea Stars and Wave Action

Jackson Gershanoff, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Undergraduate research project for the Wildlife Department researching to see if being protected or exposed to wave action affects where sea stars are found

Seabirds and Their Effects on Plant Growth

Hunter Green , Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Seabirds play an important role in transporting nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from sea to land that are vital for both plants and animals. My study investigates how seabird guano effects plant growth using native wild strawberries. I conducted a two-month long study where I transplanted native strawberries to grow in soil that I mixed seabird guano in and soil without guano to compare its impact on plant growth. I found there was no significant difference between the plant growth in the soil with compared to without seabird guano. However, I believe a more extensive study is required to determine the precise impact of seabird guano on the growth of native plants.

Search for possible trends between quasar outflows and radio properties

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Quasars are supermassive black holes that, through accretion, emit large amounts of radiation and eject large amounts of matter. Spectral emissions from quasars have proven to be highly variable, that is, quasar spectra change dramatically over time. The physical mechanism behind this variability in the accretion disk is not yet completely understood. High velocity outflows of matter have been observed in many quasars and could serve as a mechanism for changing the radiating matter in the accretion disk around the black hole, thus changing the quasar's spectra. Our team has analyzed quasar spectra to search for possible trends between radio properties and outflows.

Search for possible trends between quasar outflows and radio properties

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Quasars are supermassive black holes that, through accretion, emit large amounts of radiation and eject large amounts of matter. Spectral emissions from quasars have proven to be highly variable, that is, quasar spectra change dramatically over time. The physical mechanism behind this variability in the accretion disk is not yet completely understood. High velocity outflows of matter have been observed in many quasars and could serve as a mechanism for changing the radiating matter in the accretion disk around the black hole, thus changing the quasar's spectra. Our team has analyzed quasar spectra to search for possible trends between radio properties and outflows.

Searching for Trends in Atmospheric Compositional of Extrasolar Planets

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in planets outside of our solar system, also known as exoplanets. Our research involves looking for trends in these planets’ potential habitability, through archival information about the planet’s radius, its distance from its parent star, and its atmospheric composition. The latter is obtained using transmission spectroscopy, which shows absorption on different regions of the planet’s spectrum depending on the composition of the atmosphere. We are working in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Kane, the creator of the Habitable Zone Gallery, to include the spectroscopic information in this database, which will allow the community to access it.

Seasonal Change in Foraging Behavior of Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)

Elena Adams, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This study aimed to measure the proportion of time that long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) were actively feeding, preening, roosting, walking, flying, or defending their territory. I hypothesized that the proportion of time that curlews were actively feeding would increase as they prepared for migration. Surveys were conducted along Humboldt Bay’s Elk River to determine if the proportion of time curlews were observed feeding increased from February to April 2023. Understanding foraging response is critical to understand the importance of winter habitats for this species.

Sedimentation Risk Assessment in the Lagoa Feia Lake Basin in Brazil using Satellite and Geospatial Data

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Lagoa Feia Lake Basin is located in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil, which historically experienced sedimentation impacts due to channel ditching to manage water resources for agricultural practices. This study models the significance of sedimentation in the lake basin intergraded with land-use, soil types, and DEM data using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques. The erosion model was built using the above input variables by applying weighted overlay methods, and the vulnerable areas were mapped. Landsat 8 images were utilized for remote sensing analysis, such as image enhancement indices to detect sedimentation changes over time. The results of the study are useful to implement best management practices

Seeking Safety Fidelity Assessment

College of Professional Studies

The community need I addressed is part of the Department of Health and Human Services Mental Health branch of Hum WORKS. I evaluated the fidelity of Seeking Safety group facilitation compared to the specifics of the book. I collected data on how well the Seeking Safety group is facilitated through an assessment tool with a scale from 0 to 3. Addressing mental health needs for PTSD and substance use co-occurring disorders in Humboldt County. There are two rating scales one is the quality the facilitator is providing to the Seeking Safety group. The second is helpfulness of the facilitators quality of mental health services provided overall for the clients last twelfth classes.

Selection Effects on Diversity and Specific Ecosystem Functions in Pitcher Plant Associated Bacteria

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The purpose of the research was to determine if a relationship exists between biodiversity and specific functions. Specifically, if individual organism function influences the broad function of the ecosystem. To test this, a model system was devised using fluid collected from Darlingtonia californica, chosen for having a bacterial ecosystem with the observable broad function of insect degradation. A dilution series was used to modify the biodiversity of this system, expected to alter specific organism function, and by extension influence the broad function of the system. Initial results of the experiment indicated that broad function increased as individual specific functions decreased.