Challenging Boundaries: Investigating the relationship between human persecution and Coyote behavior in California

Steven Childs, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This study seeks to examine the relationship between coyote behavior and proximity to areas of public lands where hunting frequently takes place and cosmopolitan areas where coyotes are generally free from being huntedover time using California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Incident Report data. Insights gained are intended to inform targeted management strategies, aiding in conservation and coexistence efforts between humans and coyotes. The significance of this research lies in its contribution to addressing the pressing challenges of human-wildlife conflict, a pervasive issue with far-reaching implications.

Characterization of a Novel Endocellulase Enzyme for Biofuel Optimization

Amanda Ratcliff, Chemistry Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Currently food crops are used to produce bioethanol production, while plant waste cellulose could be used. However, cellulase enzymes are a limiting factor. We sought to characterize a novel cellulase identified by metagenomic analysis of bovine rumen by the JGI and Hess et al. We performed protein expression, genomic analysis, and characterization by SDS-PAGE, CMC and DNS activity assays, and electron microscopy of cellulose degradation. Our data indicates the cellulase is an endoglucanase with an activity of 6.27 cm2/ug, or 6x higher than commercial cellulase enzymes. These results have implications for creating efficient biofuels from agricultural waste products versus the current methods

Characterization of Photosynthetic Productivity and Growth in A.Thaliana Mutants

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This project studies photosynthetic phenotypes of six Arabidopsis Thaliana mutants under fluctuating light intensity and flat light intensity chambers. Photosynthetic and biomass results from this study have possible implications for these mutants' mechanisms of light energy quenching and heat release. Further investigations into these implications could identify genes that are responsible for high photosynthetic productivity in A. Thaliana, leading to their implementation in important plants for biofuel and crop production.

Characterizing the genetic diversity of immune genes in a non-native population of American Bullfrogs in Humboldt County, California

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is a highly invasive species that has successfully colonized different habitats around the world. The level of genetic variability in a population may help determine how resistant a population is to pathogens and how persistent an invasive population may be over time. Our project’s objective was to isolate and characterize the genetic diversity of a rapidly evolving immune gene in an invasive bullfrog population near the Mad River in Humboldt County, CA. We isolated four genetically distinct alleles from 16 frogs. When included with alleles from related species, we detected positive selection acting on putative binding sites.

Characters Influencing Plethodontid Salamander Microhabitat Selection

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Work was done studying mirohabitat selection of two local plethodontid salamander species, Batrachoseps attenuatus (California slender salamander), and Ensatina eschscholtzii (common ensatina). Results imply that the most significant factor is the relative humidity of the microhabitat.

Chemical Fingerprinting of Sanidine from Long Canyon Dome, Sierra Nevada, California

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The Long Canyon Dome (LCD) is a 185 ka rhyolite dome in south-central Sierra Nevada, California. The rhyolite pumice from the pre-eruption contains less SiO2 and a different mineralogy, than the rhyolite magma erupted from LCD. This suggests the dome was tapping into two different rhyolite magma bodies during one eruption, or a hotter rhyolitic magma intruded into a cooler magma, triggering the eruption. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy’s (EDS) point and shoot method was used to measure the chemical signature of sanidine crystals in pre and post eruption sample. The rhyolite pumices’ at LCD represents similar but slightly different magmas compositions.

Choose to Reuse at Humboldt State University

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The project is about plastic pollution in our oceans, the zero waste movement, and the new choose to reuse campaign on campus.

Climate Change and its Correlation to Klamath Salmon

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

In our presentation, we will be discussing how climate change is affecting the Salmon run in the Klamath River. We will be addressing the how warmer water temperatures can affect the Salmon population. Our purpose is to inform others that a change in water temperatures may affect oxygen levels in the watershed hence making it difficult for salmon to migrate and survive in the watershed. Overall this may affect their process of spawning.

Climate Change and Its Effect on Spring Migrating Waterfowl

Xander Gonsalves, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Climate change is one of worlds greatest threat to ecosystems and biodiversity. Rising temperatures could have increased impact on migratory waterfowl during spring migration periods. I went out a did point counts at three different locations (Arcata Marsh, Hookton Slough, Salmon Creek), measured temperature and other environmental factors and waterfowl abundance. There was no significant impact by temperature on waterfowl abundance. Further Research could be done over a longer period of time to measure the impacts climate change and rising temperatures could have on migration timing during the spring.

Climate, Competition, and Cavity-nesters, oh my!

Kellie Crouch, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Fluctuations in climate variables, such as temperature and precipitation, have the ability to negatively influence the breeding success of birds. This study aimed to determine how these factors impact the breeding success of cavity-nesting songbirds in California. In order to do this, I analyzed relationships between nest box data from the California Bluebird Recovery Program and climate data from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).