Adina MERENLENDER

Adina Merenlender

Cooperative Extension Specialist, Adjunct Professor

Education

PhD Biology University of Rochester, 1993
B.S. Biology University of California, San Diego, 1985

Research Interests / Specializations:

Conservation biology

Community Science

Research Description:

My primary focus is in the field of conservation biology. In particular, I am interested in the forces that influence loss of biodiversity at all hierarchical levels from genes to ecosystems. My experience spans from single species management to regional land use planning. I am also Founder and Director of the UC California Naturalist Program. This new community of practice introduces Californians to the wonders of our unique ecology and engages the public in environmental stewardship. We are in the process of developing a new certification course to prepare Climate Stewards to communicate and engage in local solutions to advance community and ecosystem resilience. My other interests include connectivity science, citizen science, ecological monitoring, restoration ecology, cumulative impacts to watersheds, and working landscapes.

Current Projects

My research program covers a diverse suite of projects that involve mapping, monitoring, and modeling natural resources and human land-use patterns. I have developed an applied research program that integrates biodiversity research and conservation planning mostly in California. This is done through integrating spatially explicit land use change models with environmental data. Our current focus is on habitat connectivity and climate change resilience of protected area networks and vineyard landscape ecology. The students and staff who work with me study wildlife in the agricultural matrix, watershed restoration, and sustainable land use.

To assess the effects of land-use conversion on biodiversity, my research group is measuring biological community integrity and diversity found in different land use types such as suburban developments, small ranches, vineyards and undeveloped areas within similar oak woodland habitat. This data in combination with a development and agricultural build out models gives a full picture of the future threats to the biological resources in the region. Most recently, we have launched a study of bats in North Coast redwood forests to examine the influece of fog and forest management on the distribution and behavior of bats and explore vulnerabilities to future spread of White-Nose Syndrome.

For more information please see our lab web site.

Selected Publications

Most Recent Publications

ELSEN, P.R., MONAHAN, W.B., DOUGHERTY, E.R. and A.M. MERENLENDER Keeping pace with climate change in global terrestrial protected areas. Submitted to Nature Climate Change

KREMEN, C. and MERENLENDER, A.M. Making landscapes that work for biodiversity and people in the Anthropocene, Submitted to Science.

KEELEY, A. T., BASSON, G. , CAMERON, D. R., HELLER, N. E., HUBER, P. R., SCHLOSS, C. A., THORNE, J. H. and MERENLENDER, A. M. 2018 Making habitat connectivity a reality. Conservation Biology. Online June 2018

KEELEY, A., ACKERLY, D., CAMERON, D.R., HELLER, N., HUBER, P., SCHLOSS, C., THORNE, J., and MERENLENDER, A. 2018 New concepts, models, and assessments of climate-wise connectivity Environmental Research Lette 13 073002

ELSEN, P.R., MONAHAN, W.B., and A.M. MERENLENDER 2018 Global patterns of protection of elevational gradients in mountain ranges. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jun 2018, 115 (23) 6004-6009

LARSON, C.L. REED, S.E., MERENLENDER, A.M. and K.R. CROOKS 2018 Accessibility drives species exposure to recreation in a fragmented urban reserve network. Landscape and Urban Planning 175:62-71

LARSON, C.L. REED, S.E., MERENLENDER, A.M. and K.R. CROOKS 2017 Effects of Recreation on Animals Revealed as Widespread through a Global Systematic Review PLoS ONE 11(12): e0167259

CHAPPLE, D.E., FABER, P, SUDING, K.N. and MERENLENDER, A.M. 2017 Climate Variability Structures Plant Community Dynamics in Mediterranean Restored and Reference Tidal Wetlands. Water 9(3), 209

MARTÍNEZ-HARMS, M. J., QUIJAS, S., MERENLENDER, A. M., and P. BALVANERA 2016 Enhancing ecosystem services maps combining field and environmental data, Ecosystem Services. 22:32-40

MERENLENDER, CRALL, A.W., DRILL, S., PRYSBY, M. and H. BALLARD 2016 Evaluating environmental education, citizen science, and stewardship through naturalist programs. Conservation Biology Online.

KELLY, R.M., KITZES, J., WILSON, H. and A.M. MERENLENDER 2016 Habitat diversity promotes bat activity in a vineyard landscape. Agicultur, Ecosystems and Enviornment 223:175-181

GRAY, M., WILMERS, C.C., REED, S. E., and A. M. MERENLENDER 2016 Landscape feature-based permeability models relate to puma occurrence. Landscape and Urban Planning 147:50-58.

MERENLENDER, A.M., ACKERLY, D., SUDING, K., SHAW, R. and ZAVELETA, E. 2015 Chapter 41:Stewardship, Conservation, and Restoration in the Context of Environmental Change. California Ecosystems UC Press

MATELLA, M.K. and A. M. MERENLENDER 2015 Scenarios for Restoring Floodplain Ecology Given Changes to River Flows Under Climate Change: Case from the San Joaquin River, California. River Research and Applications 31(3): 280-290

KITZES, J. and A. M. MERENLENDER 2014 Large roads reduce bat activity across multiple species. PlosOne Online

T. E. GRANTHAM, M. MEZZATESTA, D. A. NEWBURN and A. M. MERENLENDER 2014. Evaluating Tradeoffs Between Environmental Flow Protections And Agricultural Water Security. River Research and Applications 30(3):315-328

DETCH, M. J., KONDOLF, G. M., and A. M. MERENLENDER 2013 Cumulative Effects of Small Reservoirs on Streamflow in Northern Coastal California Catchments Water Resources Management 27(15):5101-5118

MERENLENDER, A. M. and MATELLA, M. 2013 Maintaining and restoring hydrologic habitat connectivity in mediterranean streams: an integrated modeling framework. Hydrobiologia February 2013 (online)

KITZES, J. and A. M. MERENLENDER 2013 Extinction risk and tradeoffs in reserve site selection for species of different body sizes. Conservation Letters March 2013 (online)

DE NEVERS, G., EDELMAN, D.S., and A. M. MERENLENDER 2013. The California Naturalist Handbook UC Press

Honors and Awards

Conservation planning award - American Planning Association - 2001

Program of the Year -- Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs 2015

Outstanding Extension -- UC Agriculture and Natural Resources 2016

Recent Teaching: