Research
The neural origins of shell structure and pattern in aquatic mollusks
ESPM professor George Oster and colleagues presented a model to explain how the diversity of shell shapes and patterns amongst the marine mollusks arise from the neural net in their mantle—the secretory organ that constructs and paints the shell.
The driest place on earth
ESPM scientist Ronald Amundson and his colleagues are using field research and chemical techniques to determine how old the desert is, how the landscape has evolved during millions of years of near-lifelessness, and how microbial life has adapted to these harsh conditions.
Ecosystems take hard hit from loss of top predators
A paper reviewing the impact of the loss of large predators and herbivores high in the food chain confirms that their decline has had cascading effects in marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems throughout the world.
How Safe is Mist Netting? First Large Scale Study into Bird Capture Technique Evaluates the Risks
Graduate student Erica Spotswood used data from organisations across the United States and Canada to assess the risk factors which could increase rates of injury or mortality including bird size, age, frequency of capture and the role of predators.
Latinos Have Higher Exposure to Nitrate-Contaminated Drinking Water, Study Finds
Researchers found that across all eight counties studied, there was a positive correlation between water systems that served larger proportions of Latinos and increased nitrate levels in the water systems.
Wild pollinators worth up to $2.4 billion to farmers, study finds
California agriculture reaps $937 million to $2.4 billion per year in economic value from wild, free-living bee species that serve the critical function of pollinating crops.
One Health: Water, Animals, Food and Society
Graduate student Kathryn Fiorella of the Brashares Lab spent the summer of 2011 exploring links between human health and the environment in Western Kenya.