Availability of Perch Structures Correlates with the Abundance and Richness of Raptors in Humboldt County

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Perches are necessary for raptor species in both their foraging and roosting behavior. The distribution of foraging and roosting raptors is influenced by the availability of perches and prey. However, little is known about the influence of different available perch types, within a habitat, has on raptors. My research aimed to address the question of whether local raptor abundance and richness correlates with the availability of a variety of perch types in a habitat.

Avian Occurrence Data Extraction Using Python Programming

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Bird detection data helps inform management on how species might be shifting their distributions due to changes in the environment. This project uses a Python program to create a graphical user interface (GUI) that assists in gathering avian species occurrence data from a number of biological information websites such as Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON), eBird, and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Data is extracted to contain location coordinates of the detection along with the species name. The final data is exported as a comma separated values (CSV) file into a created desktop folder that can be imported into a geographical information system.

Bacterial expression of G-protein coupled receptor CB2 fusion protein

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR), CB2, is part of a widespread neuromodulatory system found in all animals and is suspected to play a role in both CNS and immune system functions, yet it is a relatively understudied. We demonstrated a successful method for the expression and purification of the GPCR CB2 protein from BL21(DE3) pLysS competent cells. This method involves the culturing of an E. coli BL21(DE3) pLysS MBP-CB2-6xHis cell line, induction of CB2 receptor expression via IPTG, and the harvest and isolation of expressed CB2 proteins via Ni-NTA Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography. This method was proven to be successful based on SDS-page and spectrophotometric analyses.

Baker Cypress Seed Viability in Relation to Cone Age

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Hesperocyparis bakeri, better known as Baker cypress, is a serotinous species which suffers from low seed viability. Previous research has shown that Baker cypress seed viability begins to decline with cone age and thus the low overall viability of Baker cypress cones is not unexpected (Milich et al., 2012). However, little is known about the cone age at which seed viability begins to decrease. We investigated seed viability in relation to cone age by sampling twenty branches from five Baker cypress trees located in Burney, Shasta County in north-eastern California. Seeds were scarified and placed in a 1% tetrazolium red solution for 18 hours, cut longitudinally to determine viability.

Barn owl nest box selection on a pistachio farm in the Central Valley

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Overabundant populations of rodents in agricultural areas cost California farmers 5.3% to 8.8% in profits annually. Installing nest boxes to encourage the presence of rodent predators such as barn owls (Tyto alba) is a form of biocontrol that has the potential to limit rodent activity in agricultural settings. Previous works identified the spatial scales of nest box selection on vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties which are rather heterogenous agricultural landscapes. Determining at which spatial scale barn owls select nest boxes in the Central Valley can inform how nest boxes should be constructed and where they are best placed to encourage occupancy in homogenous agricultural landscapes.

Bat Activity within Urban and Rural Landscape in Arcata, CA

Gonzalo Ayala, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Bats are found in urban and natural habitats, although their presence and behavior may differ depending on the environment. Bats can also be affected by various anthropogenic factors such as land conversion, and displacing their establishment. I determine the activity of 3 bat species: California myotis, silver-haired bat, and Mexican free-tailed bat, within urban and natural landscapes found throughout Arcata, CA. Urban landscapes were determined by the presence of buildings in every cardinal direction. This research approach can help determine how bats use valuable habitats which can be incorporated into urban planning.

Bee abundance and composition in native vs non-native urban gardens

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

I studied the abundance of non-native European honey bees, and native bumble bees and others in gardens with mostly non-native plants and those with all native plants. The non-native European honey bee may be better suited to take advantage of urban, non-native gardens than native bee species due to anthropogenic support and domestication. Thus, I made the hypotheses that native bees will be more abundant in in native gardens, and that European honey bees will be more abundant in the non-native gardens. I also predicted that European honey bee abundance would be constant over the study period due to more urban resources from ornamental flowering plants.

Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators of water quality on the Mad River

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This project sampled benthic macroinvertebrate communities present at three locations in Humboldt County, California totaling 1642 individuals across 19 families. The composition of taxa differed significantly between upstream and downstream sites (p < 0.0000). Pollution taxa sensitive (Caenidae, Perlodidae, Pteronarcyidae, and Lepidostomatidae were present in the upstream sites and absent from the downstream site.

Benthic Microplastic Distribution in Humboldt Bay, Northern California: A Comparative Study of Surface Sediments Based on Proximity from the Shore

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This study focused on microplastic concentrations in and around Humboldt Bay, CA. Microplastics do not have a universal size class, but for the purpose of this study, microplastics were categorized as any plastic piece from 0.335 mm to 4.75 mm. Samples were taken on Humboldt State's research vessel "Coral Sea", and by foot on land. Both water and sediment samples were collected and analyzed to find the amount of microplastic particles per mass sampled. Visual microscopy was utilized to create counts for each station.

Bio-Renewable Hydrogel Polymers from Modified Chitosan: Progress Toward Three Dimensional Cell Growth Scaffolds

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Hydrogels are water-containing gels that have a hydrophilic polymer network and can absorb a large quantity of water without the dissolution of the polymer network. The current research focuses on producing hydrogels from chitosan, a bio-renewable polymer, and trans-cinnamic acid. The resulting solutions are photo-crosslinked in a catalyst-free environment under broad band ultra-violet (UV) radiation to produce hydrogels. The hydrogels show an average 75% swelling capacity in H2O. Initial cell growth studies have been carried out on sterilized hydrogels. Current efforts are being directed towards optimization of gels towards cell growth.