- (Focus Area) Economic Development
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
- Author: Mike Hsu
- Author: Saoimanu Sope
To help more Californians address challenging issues, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has hired UC Cooperative Extension experts to work in communities stretching from Humboldt and Siskiyou counties in the north, and south to San Diego County. State funding has enabled UC ANR to expand its expertise.
Since 1914, UC Cooperative Extension's researchers have been working directly with community members to improve the lives and livelihoods of Californians.
The nine recently hired UC Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors bring expertise in forestry, pest management, water, plant disease, horticulture, toxicology, economics, rice farming and wildfire.
To see a list of UC Cooperative Extension advisors who have joined in the past few months, visit https://ucanr.edu/About/DirectorySearch/Recent_Hires. The most recently hired scientists are introduced below.
Gill joins UCCE as environmental horticulture advisor
Haramrit Gill joined UC Cooperative Extension on April 1 as an environmental horticulture advisor for Tulare, Kings, Fresno and Madera counties.
She will be identifying landscape plants that are heat-tolerant, disease-resistant and fire-resistant. Gill will be researching California native plants with sustainable attributes that include superior adaptation, biodiversity enhancement, water efficiency and soil health benefits.
A native of Punjab, India, Gill earned her undergraduate degree in agriculture followed by a master's degree in horticulture at Punjab Agricultural University, where her research focused on micropropagation and haploid production in muskmelons. She earned a Ph.D. from the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University.
Her early research investigated the impact of nitrogen on spinach root architecture. Her doctoral work concentrated on rose breeding and deciphering the genetic underpinnings of flower color transition traits, fragrance and dwarfing in roses, with a particular focus on the intriguing phenomenon of flower color transformation from yellow to dark pink as blooms matured. She also collaborated on projects aimed at enhancing heat tolerance and disease resistance in roses.
Gill is based at the UCCE office in Tulare and can be reached at hamgill@ucanr.edu.
Jordan joins UCCE as forestry and natural resources advisor
Christian Jordan joined UCCE on March 18 as a forestry and natural resources advisor for Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity counties. He will work to advance forest resilience and sustainable management on private and public lands, with a focus on conifer forest resource management and sustainable natural resources.
In 2020, Jordan completed a Master of Forestry at UC Berkeley, with an emphasis on forest resilience in the context of increasingly severe wildfires. Prior to joining UC ANR, he worked in the private sector in defensible space and home hardening, installing residential exterior sprinkler systems for ember defense.
Jordan brings a diverse educational and work background to the position. In 2014, he earned a bachelor's degree in geography from UC Berkeley, writing a thesis on future climate and viticulture in Napa and Sonoma counties. Upon graduating, he worked in the wine industry before returning to natural resources.
Jordan is based at the UCCE office in Redding and can be reached at cjordan@ucanr.edu.
Pastrana joins UCCE as plant pathology advisor
Ana Pastrana joined UCCE on Jan. 16 as a plant pathology advisor serving Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties.
In her role, Pastrana will collaborate with pest control advisers and support growers with disease management. In addition to identifying high priority concerns, she will conduct research and develop educational content that addresses growers needs.
Before moving to Southern California, Pastrana worked as a research scientist on plant pathology at the University of Seville, Spain, and at Vineland Research and Innovation Center in Canada. Previously, she completed a postdoctoral assignment in the Department of Plant Pathology at UC Davis in the Thomas Gordon Lab, where she specialized in soilborne diseases affecting strawberries and blackberries.
While attending the University of Seville, Pastrana earned master's and bachelor's degrees in biology. At Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica, a government institution in Spain, she earned a Ph.D. and completed her dissertation on strawberry diseases.
“At that time, Europe banned methyl bromide and other soil disinfectants. Strawberries rely on these disinfectants so plenty of soilborne diseases emerged,” Pastrana said.
Originally from Seville, Spain, Pastrana said that her small hometown is surrounded by plum and citrus trees. Her mother, like many others, worked in the agricultural industry and Pastrana wondered how plant life works, inspiring her to study biology.
As a Ph.D. student, Pastrana didn't know she would pursue plant pathology specifically because she was open to studying diseases in general whether it be humans, animals or plants.
“Plant pathologists are like doctors. Not everyone is happy to work with us because it usually means that there is some sickness involved,” said Pastrana. “But if growers work with pathologists from the beginning, we can focus on preventative care and helping to protect plants from getting sick.”
Pastrana is based at the UCCE office in Holtville and can be reached at ampastranaleon@ucanr.edu.
Mokwunye named area IPM entomology advisor
Idongesit Mokwunye joined UCCE on Jan. 3 as an area integrated pest management entomology advisor.
She will be studying insect pests of economic importance affecting tree fruit and nut crops, such as pistachio, almond, walnut, table grapes and stone fruit. Major pests include navel orangeworm, mealybug, carpophilus beetle, mites and scale insects.
Prior to joining UC ANR, Mokwunye worked as a nut crop entomologist at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria for over 15 years and headed its Crop Protection Division.
“My journey into entomology as a career started when I was posted to the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria for the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corp,” Mokwunye said.
“I was really fascinated at the diversity and economic importance of the insect species (both beneficial and pests) on agricultural crops and natural landscapes generally,” she said. “The hands-on lab experiments and field activities were exciting, engaging and inspiring. I was actively involved in setting up experiments, data collection, data entry and informal discussions on research projects. I was seeing the insect world in an entirely different perspective.”
She already held a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
“The then-head of the department observed my interest and encouraged me to get a master's degree,” said Mokwunye, who then earned a master's degree in entomology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. “During the course of the second degree, I got a job in the same institute and today the rest is history.”
Mokwunye holds a Ph.D. in entomology from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria. Her research interests include integrated pest management, chemical ecology, extension entomology and economic entomology. She has worked on the population dynamics of the cashew stem girdler as it correlates with weather parameters, its damage potential, semiochemical interactions and chemical control of insect pests.
She has served as a resource person engaging stakeholders in outreach activities and facilitating training programs on good agricultural practices. In addition to publishing more than 25 research articles, she is a fellow of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development, Orange Knowledge Program of the Netherlands Government, and Scientific Exchanges Program of the USDA.
“I am delighted to be here as a UC Cooperative Extension advisor and I hope to bring my expertise and experience in pest management to bear,” she said. “I plan to connect and engage meaningfully with my clientele in order to understand their needs, priorities and perspectives regarding pest management issues.”
Mokwunye is based at Kearney Research and Extension Center and can be reached at (559) 807-0257 and imokwunye@ucanr.edu.
UCCE water advisor Garza hopes to foster ‘spirit of shared responsibility'
Laura Elisa Garza Díaz joined UC ANR on Jan. 3 as the UC Cooperative Extension water quality, quantity and climate change advisor for Lake and Mendocino counties, focusing on how intensified droughts, floods, wildfires and other climate impacts affect water supply and quality.
She aims to address Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requirements and enhance local water resilience in collaboration with farmers and natural resource managers, local government water agencies, water districts and other key stakeholders.
In addition to guiding policymakers in creating comprehensive water-resiliency plans covering development, storage, alternative sources and conservation, Garza – who is fluent in Spanish – will share water research with a diverse range of communities.
“I aim to empower local stakeholders by providing them with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the complex landscape of water quality, quantity and climate change,” she explained. “My goal is to foster a spirit of shared water responsibility, and ensure that water management practices consider the needs of all – for a more just and inclusive environment for everyone.”
Originally from Monterrey, Mexico (“the city of the mountains,” as she puts it), Garza earned her bachelor's degree from Tecnológico de Monterrey. After completing an Erasmus Mundus joint master's degree program in applied ecology, Garza worked as a specialist with the Water Center for Latin America and the Caribbean.
While pursuing her Ph.D. at UC Davis, she served as a scientific advisor for Pronatura Noroeste, an environmental protection organization, and started the Women in Science Interview Sessions at the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters, where she volunteered. It is an initiative to interview women who have worked or researched water topics in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Basin.
After obtaining her Ph.D. in hydrologic sciences from UC Davis, Garza worked as a project manager for the Washington Water Trust in Washington.
At every step of her journey, Garza has been motivated by a deep passion for safeguarding water resources and fostering resilient ecosystems and communities.
“I find inspiration in the intersection of science, community engagement and sustainable water management,” she said. “The opportunity to contribute to the well-being of local communities and the environment drives my commitment to addressing water challenges in a changing climate.”
Based at the UCCE office in Ukiah, Garza can be reached at legarza@ucanr.edu and (707) 463-4495.
Agyeman joins UCCE as economics advisor for Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties
Domena Agyeman joined UCCE Jan. 3 as an agriculture and natural resources economics advisor for Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties.
Prior to joining UC ANR, he was a postdoctoral associate at the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Virginia Tech University.
As a UCCE advisor, Agyeman will provide insights that ensure economic profitability of all agriculture activities, including orchards, rice, forestry and other natural resources-based businesses in those counties. He will also promote broadband access and contribute to regional economic development.
“I am excited to leverage my expertise to highlight the economic contributions and impacts of the agriculture and natural resources industries in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties,” Agyeman said, “and to provide producers and other stakeholders in the region with research-based information that will help them navigate their business challenges and opportunities.”
His research interests encompass natural resources and environmental policy impact assessments, economic contributions and impacts analyses, producer decision-making assessments, and consumer preferences assessments.
“To get started, I will be doing a needs assessment, focus group meetings and surveys of target groups,” he said.
Agyeman earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky, a master's degree in agricultural economics from Mississippi State University and bachelor's degree in agricultural science from University of Cape Coast in Ghana.
Agyeman is based at the UCCE office in Oroville and can be reached at dagyeman@ucanr.edu.
Marsh named rice advisor for Colusa and Yolo counties
Sarah Marsh joined UCCE on Jan. 3 as a rice farming systems advisor serving Colusa and Yolo counties.
Prior to joining UCCE, she worked in rice breeding research and integrative pest management with several row crops in the Upper Gulf Coast region.
She earned a master's degree in horticulture and agronomy at UC Davis, where she worked with Kassim Al-Khatib, professor of plant sciences, studying weeds and herbicide resistance in rice agroecosystems. She holds a bachelor's degree in plant and environmental soil science from Texas A&M University.
“I grew up on a diversified row-crop and orchard farm in Arbuckle and am grateful for the opportunity to serve the community in which I was raised,” Marsh said. “I hope to spend the first few months getting to know the growers and community of this region and learning what the unique needs of our area are.”
Marsh is based at the UCCE office in Colusa and can be reached at smarsh@ucanr.edu and (530) 415-7052.
Woelfle-Hazard joins UCCE Humboldt-Del Norte as fire advisor
Cleo Woelfle-Hazard joined UCCE on Jan. 3 as a fire advisor for Humboldt and Del Norte counties. He will support residents, landowners, planners, land managers, tribes and Native fire practitioners in making North Coast communities more resilient in the face of intensifying wildfires.
His research and extension programs focus on climate resilience, cultural burning, fire-water interactions and training a diverse fire workforce.
Woelfle-Hazard collaborates on research with Native nations, agencies and local community members. In collaboration with the Karuk Department of Natural Resources, he is exploring future fire scenarios in the Klamath Basin and how streamflow would change. They are also exploring how fire and flooding can be renewed to revitalize habitat for ecocultural species such as willow, grape, salmon, elk and eel.
His past projects have included community-directed river research with frontline communities in Seattle, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and Sonoma County. Using his expertise in home water and wastewater systems, he evaluated health and economic aspects of water delivery in Oakland and Hubli-Dharwad, India.
As a co-investigator on the Humanities Education for Anti-Racism Literacy project, Woelfle-Hazard collaborated on creating pathways to higher education for Native youth, and for training students to engage in respectful collaborations with Native partners.
He earned a master's degree and Ph.D. in energy and resources at UC Berkeley, where he convened scientists and Sonoma County residents to experiment with capturing winter rain to increase summer streamflow to benefit juvenile salmon, and exploring the possibilities of working with beavers to create cool refuges for coho. He also holds a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary geosciences from the University of Montana.
Woelfle-Hazard is based in Eureka and can be reached at cwhaz@ucanr.edu.
Jegede joins UCCE as agricultural toxicology specialist
Olukayode “Kayode” Jegede joined UC ANR on Jan. 2 as an assistant professor of Cooperative Extension for agricultural toxicology with the Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Department of Environmental Toxicology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis.
Jegede will be studying contaminants of agricultural importance in California, such as pesticides, metals, microplastics, veterinary pharmaceuticals, PFAS, fertilizers and their effects on humans, animals (including aquaculture) and environmental health of soil and plants.
“I will also be looking at various exposure pathways of these contaminants and interactions through food, water, soil and how climate change or other major environmental change events can influence toxicity of these contaminants and mitigation strategies,” Jegede said. “My research will also have a “one-health” perspective to it.”
Prior to moving to California, Jegede was a postdoctoral research associate at the Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Canada for a year before moving to Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands to work as a research scientist focused on terrestrial ecotoxicology.
His past research has examined the effects of metals, pesticides and mixture toxicity on soil biota (mites, springtails, snails, earthworms) and soil enzymes, related ecosystem service function and generating data for environmental risk assessment of metals and pesticides.
“I look forward to helping solve toxicology issues in California through research, advising on and promoting good health for everyone and everything connected to small and large-scale agriculture in California.” Jegede said.
He earned his Ph.D. in toxicology at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and bachelor's and master's degree in zoology at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.
Jegede is based at UC Davis and can be reached at ojegede@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
“I got two phone calls almost simultaneously on my two cell phones, so I thought this could not be a prank, but I am still in disbelief,” said Leal, a UC Davis distinguished professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and former professor and chair of the Department of Entomology (now Entomology and Nematology)
The caller: The National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
The message: You've been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the highest honor a scientist can achieve.
"Members are elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research,” a spokesperson related. “Membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive. Current NAS membership totals approximately 2,400 members and 500 international members, of which approximately 190 have received Nobel prizes."
“As they say, many deserving and few lucky ones," Leal commented. "Bruce Hammock told me many years ago that when he was elected to NAS, he looked around and saw many deserving colleagues. Now I understand that feeling very well. It is a tremendous and humbling honor. I hope an imposter syndrome does not kick in.”
Hammock, a UC Davis distinguished professor who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology, was elected a NAS member in 1999.
They are the only UC Davis entomologists who are NAS members.
Leal: World Leader in His Field
Leal, a native of Brazil and educated in Brazil, Japan and the United States, joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 2000. In 2013, he accepted a position with the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. "Walter is an internationally recognized entomologist and a world leader in his field for his groundbreaking and transformative research in insect olfaction and chemical ecology,” Hammock said. “He is truly a renaissance man. He chaired our entomology department from 2006 to 2008, and under his tenure, our department was ranked No. 1 in the country. I've long admired (1) his rigorous fundamental research programs supported by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture, and other agencies, (2) how he tackles and solves multiple challenging problems in insect olfaction and chemical ecology, (3) his grasp of how to organize and moderate highly successful worldwide research webinars (4) his generosity in helping other succeed and (4) his finely honed sense of humor."
Leal solves entomological problems spanning agriculture, human health, and welfare. He translates pheromone technology to agriculturists and serves as a principal investigator for the Pacific Southwest Regional Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases (affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). He holds more than 20 patents.
“Walter has been exceptionally conscientious, active, and generous in professional service at UC Davis,” Hammock pointed out. "In August of 2021, he achieved a ‘first' for international science communication when he organized and led the extraordinary virtual conference ‘Insect Olfaction and Taste in 24 Hours Around the Globe.' I especially applaud him for elucidating the mode of action of the insect repellent DEET, developed in 1946 and known as ‘the gold standard of repellents.' Its mode of action remained an enigma for six decades until Walter's discovery. In researching the neurons in mosquito antennae sensitive to DEET, he isolated the first DEET-sensitive odorant receptor, paving the way for the development of better repellents.”
May Berenbaum, professor and head, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, National Medical of Science Laureate, NAS member, and editor of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, earlier wrote that “Dr. Leal is indisputably a world leader in the field of insect chemical ecology whose work over the course of his long and distinguished career has transformed basic knowledge of insect olfactory mechanisms and inspired innovative practical applications for sustainable management of insects of importance in agriculture and human health. He has contributed significantly to the current understanding of the structure and function of every component of olfaction, including receptors, binding proteins, and degrading enzymes, revising classic paradigms along the way. No textbook and no course on insect chemical communication could be considered complete without mentioning his landmark research achievements.”
'Just Like in a Honey Bee Colony'
Leal recently was named the 2024 recipient of the UC Davis Academic Senate's Distinguished Research Award, and will present a lecture on “Just Like in a Honey Bee Colony--It Takes a Team in the UC Davis Hive to Win an Award” at the Academic Senate's Faculty Distinguished Research Award Lecture Lunch on Tuesday, May 7 from noon to 1 p.m. in the UC Davis Conference Center.
Leal is the first UC Davis faculty member to receive the Academic Senate's trifecta of awards: outstanding teaching, public service, and research. Leal received the Academic Senate's 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching, and the 2022 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award.
Among Leal's many honors: Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (2009), American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005), and the National Academy of Inventors (2019). He was elected a trustee of the Royal Entomological Society in February 2024.
Leal holds a Ph.D. in applied biochemistry from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, with subsequent postdoctoral training in entomology and chemical ecology at the National Institute of Sericultural and Entomological Science (NISES) and Cornell University, respectively. He was the first non-Japanese person to earn tenure at Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Give them a 21-insect net salute.
That's what occurred at a recent retirement celebration honoring the legacy of UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology for 34 years.
Kimsey, who joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology (now the Department of Entomology and Nematology) in 1989, became the director of the Bohart Museum in 1990.
Noted entomologist Richard "Doc" Bohart (1913-2007) founded the insect museum in 1946. UC Davis Chancellor James Meyer (1922-2002) dedicated the facility in 1986 as "the Bohart Museum of Entomology" at a ceremony in Briggs Hall. A highlight: Faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and others saluted him with a 21-insect net salute. They lined up, formed an archway with their nets, and Professor Bohart walked under the archway.
Kimsey, who was Bohart's last graduate student, recalled that event "as one of the funniest memories" of her career when she delivered a speech last November at the Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) event honoring recipients of its excellence awards. Kimsey received the Exceptional Faculty Award.
Kimsey retired on Feb. 1, 2024 (but she's still doing research and continues to be the executive director of the Bohart Museum Society and the writer-editor-publisher of the quarterly Bohart newsletter.)
Then came the retirement celebration on April 6. Her colleagues, collaborators, faculty, staff and students gathered in a Mathematics Building classroom on Crocker Lane for speeches, and then headed over to the nearby Bohart Museum for the 21-insect net salute, a buffet and more tributes.
As Kimsey walked beneath the archway of the 21-insect net salute leading into the Bohart Museum, a chorus of cheers and applause greeted her.
She always remember that.
Just as she remembers the first insect net she received at age 5.
“I've always been interested in insects," Kimsey said. "I got my first insect net at age 5.” A portrait of her holding that net graces the Bohart Museum.
Under Kimsey's direction, the Bohart Museum that "Doc" Bohart founded 78 years ago expanded from 400 specimens to some eight million insect specimens today. It is the seventh largest insect collection in North America.
A recognized authority on biodiversity, systematics and biogeography of parasitic wasps, urban entomology, civil forensic entomology, and arthropod-related industrial hygiene, Kimsey holds two entomology degrees from UC Davis: a bachelor's degree (1976) and a doctorate (1979). "I got to pursue my bug interests," she said. "I know it was kind of weird, but even as a little kid it was fun."
It still is, Kimsey told the crowd at her retirement celebration.
The new Bohart Museum director is arachnologist and Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in the Department of Entomology and Nematology and associate dean, College of Environmental Sciences (CA&ES).
Resources:
- Access the UC Davis Entomology and Nematology website for the retirement celebration story.
- Listen to Kimsey's speech recorded by Walter Leal, UC Davis distinguished professor of molecular and cell biology and former chair of the Department of Entomology. It is posted on X (formerly Twitter) at https://x.com/wsleal2014/status/1776732932901863666)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Assistant professor Laura "Melissa" Guzman of the University of Southern California (USC) will discuss "Using Occupancy Models to Infer Trends of Bee Biodiversity in North America" at the April 29th seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Her seminar begins at 4:10 p.m. in 122 Briggs Hall and also will be on Zoom. The Zoom link:
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/9 5882849672
"Historical museum records provide potentially useful data for identifying drivers of temporal trends in species occupancy, however, because these records were not explicitly collected for this purpose, methodological developments are needed in order to enable robust inferences," Guzman writes in her abstract. "Occupancy-detection models, a relatively new and powerful suite of methods, are potentially useful here, because these models allow us to account for changes in collection effort through space and time. Applying such occupancy-detection models to historical museum records is not a straightforward process, as these models have strict data requirements that museum data usually do not meet."
"Here I will present a methodological road-map for using occupancy models to analyze historical museum records. I use simulated data-sets to identify how and when modeling decisions and patterns in data can bias inferences. I will focus primarily on the consequences of contrasting methodological approaches for dealing with species ranges and non-detections in both space and time. Finally, I will present an application of these methods to bees in North America and will present drivers of change for these species in the past 30 years."
Guzman says that the "overarching goal of my research is to develop statistical and computational methods to leverage large biodiversity datasets to learn about ecological processes. While we know that the distribution of some species is changing, it is actually very difficult to make reliable inferences as to which species are declining and by how much from the often messy and complex historical and spatial datasets that we have to work with — for example, historical museum records, where species occurrences are aggregated from studies with different sampling procedures."
"In order to address this gap," Guzman says, "my research focuses on determining if and how statistical models can be applied to historical records without yielding biased trends. In my research I also apply these statistical models to determine how the distribution of pollinators has changed through time, where museum records provide lots of information. I am also interested in determining which drivers (e.g. pesticide use, climate change, land use change, etc.) are causing the most decline of the most pollinator species."
"Another aspect of my research is to understand the processes that shape communities, for example, I have combined experiments and modelling to understand how the structure of body size in a community affects the stability of food webs. In more recent work, I used large-scale simulations and machine learning to identify the signal of metacommunity processes in ecological time series."
Guzman is a Gabilan assistant professor in USC's Department of Biological Sciences. She received two degrees from McGlll University: her bachelor's degree (2012) in biology and her master's degree (2013) in ecology and evolution. She obtained her Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia.
She recently co-authored a piece in the journal Ecology titled "A Data Set for Pollinator Diversity and their Interactions with Plants in the Pacific Northwest," published in November 2022.
The abstract:
"Pollinator populations have declined substantially in recent years. The resulting loss in pollination services has both ecological and economic consequences, including reductions in plant diversity and crop production and lower food security. Data sets that identify pollinators and their plant hosts are of the utmost importance for the light can shed on the main causes of pollinator declines. Here we present a data set that contains 67,954 individual pollinator records. The data were collected across the Pacific Northwest, primarily focused in British Columbia (Canada), with 182 individual sites over 11 years, between 2005 and 2017. This data set comprises multiple studies that aimed to collect information on pollinator abundance, diversity, and their interactions with plants. Overall, the data set includes 937 morphospecies (of which 482 were identified to the species level) of pollinators across 105 families, including data for bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, and flies. We also present information on the interactions of these species, with 473 species of plants. The data set is being released for noncommercial use only. Credits should be given to this paper (i.e., proper citation)."
Guzman won the American Society of Naturalists Young Investigator Award, 2022-2023, and the Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution Early Career Award, 2022-2023.
For any technical Zoom issues, contact seminar coordinator Brian Johnson at brnjohnson@ucdavis.edu. The full list of spring seminars is here.
- Author: Mark E Lundy
2024 UC Davis Small Grains and Alfalfa Field Day
May 9th, 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Supported by the California Crop Improvement Association (CCIA)
REGISTER HERE (no charge for event)
Department of Plant Sciences Field Facility, UC Davis
(2400 Hutchison Dr, Davis CA 38.5390, -121.7800)
Continuing Education Units (CEUs):
3.0 CCA (1.5 Crop Management; 1 Soil & Water Management; 0.5 Nutrient Management)
1.5 CDFA INMP (1 Irrigation Management; 0.5 Nitrogen Management)