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Presenters & Abstracts: College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Small Mammals vs. Understory Plant Diversity and Health at L.W. Schatz Farm
Puyao Zhang, Wildlife Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & SciencesThe experiment aims to gain insight into the ecology of small mammals and vegetation in an understory ecosystem.
Small Mammal’s Abundance in Relationship to Distance and Water Type
Mitchell Owen, Wildlife Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & SciencesI went out to see if rodent abundance was impacted by how far they were from a water source and if there was a difference between flowing and standing water. There were many studies on water's impacts on rodents in deserts but not in forests, so I went out to change that.
Soils and Climate Change
- Tess McDermott SwansonEnvironmental ScienceUndergraduate Student
The pedosphere is an often overlooked resource already affected by and contributing to climate change. For example, soil stores a certain amount of carbon, and biological processes in soil emit the powerful greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). The amount of nutrients, microorganisms, and moisture that soils hold are all affected by atmospheric CO2 levels and surface temperatures. Soils are an extremely important part of the earth’s biosphere, and they can be managed more effectively to mitigate their effects to the climate and the changing climate’s effects on them. I will explore these impacts and relate them to primary productivity, food security, human health, and land desertification.
Song dialect recognition in White-crowned Sparrows
- Nathan ChavezWildlife DepartmentUndergraduate Student
White-crowned sparrows have different dialects in their songs depending on the region. This project was done to determine if sparrows local to Humboldt County are capable of recognizing dialects from different regions throughout the U.S.
Spatial and Temporal Variations of Microplastics within Humboldt Bay
- Isabelle MarcusOceanographyUndergraduate Student
- Bennett HosselkusOceanographyUndergraduate Student
- Cole HutsonOceanographyUndergraduate Student
- Michael JacobsOceanographyUndergraduate Student
- Connor McNeilOceanography
- Stephanie OlivarezOceanographyUndergraduate Student
- Leah NewtonOceanographyUndergraduate Student
- Rebecca ThompsonOceanographyUndergraduate Student
- Tamara Beitzel BarriquandOceanographyFaculty
- Jeffrey AbellOceanographyFaculty
This study was conducted by the students of OCN496 in the fall of 2020. The goal of this study was to quantify the amount of microplastics in Humboldt Bay by observing its sediment and water column at specific locations during the tidal cycle. Additionally, we wanted to observe how tidal fluctuations impact the concentration and transport of microplastics in the water column.
Spectral Analysis of Currents in Humboldt Bay
Taylor Juchau, Oceanography Undergraduate Student
- KarinaBernbeckOceanographyUndergraduate Student
- NoeCamarilloPhysics & AstronomyUndergraduate Student
- StevenGracyPhysics & AstronomyUndergraduate Student
- EmmaModrickOceanographyGraduate Student
- TamaraBarriquandOceanographyFaculty
Our purpose is to analyze the ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) data from the PORTS Hookton Channel Day Marker 3 station in Humboldt Bay, CA, to compare with the analysis of the ADCP data at the PORTS Chevron Pier station done by Emma Modrick and Isabelle Marcus (Modrick et al., 2022). We want to determine the proportion that each tidal component makes to the mixed semidiurnal tides in the bay, by looking at the dominant frequencies in the tidal currents. We will then compare our results with those of Modrick and Marcus, as well as with the published results of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Spinel Comparison of Deer Mountain Quarry Cinder Cone, California, and the Trinity Ophiolite, California.
- Joseph DaviesGeologyUndergraduate Student
I used the Scanning Electron Microscope in Science B to compare chromium spinels from a volcanic eruption related to Shasta, and spinels from the proximal Trinity ophiolite which has been inferred to lie beneath Shasta by previous authors.
Spotted Banana Slugs, Ariolimax columbianus, and Canopy Cover
Sasha Milstein, Wildlife Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & SciencesNumerous animal species display diverse colorations as a means of performing cryptic coloration, which protects them from predation. In the case of banana slugs, some individuals exhibit monochromatic hues, while others display spots. The purpose of my study was to answer if some banana slugs are spotted to perform cryptic coloration as a means of anti-predator defense.
Standards for Analysis of Metals in Seawater
- Sean SandstromChemistryUndergraduate Student
- Robert FreibergerChemistryUndergraduate Student
Over the past few decades, trace metals have been shown to have a significant impact on marine biogeochemical cycles. Certain trace metals are essential components in the control of marine primary producer populations. Because of the significant effects that trace metals can have on marine environments, there’s an increasing need for multi-element analytical methods that allow for high sample throughput and quantification over a broad range of element concentrations that reflect the range observed in the oceans. As such, the main objective of this research project is to determine appropriate standards to accurately quantify trace metals in seawater.
Stayin' Alive! How black Grama and Soil Stability Respond to Desert Stressors
- Laura SadorfBiologyUndergraduate Student
Global climate models predict a more variable climate in the future through increased frequency of extreme wet and dry years. Since water is the most limiting resource in the Chihuahuan desert, investigating how semi-arid plants respond to precipitation extremes is pertinent to understanding how desert ecosystems will be altered in the future. To study these responses, I experimentally applied an extreme precipitation treatment to black grama, a dominant desert grass, during June and July 2018 in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge before the monsoon season. This experiment supports black grama's ability to survive in the desert with few precipitation events due to its growth response.