Get Involved
Diving interns for sea otter/seagrass trophic cascade project
Have you ever wanted to work with sea otters? Are you interested in learning about trophic cascades in a natural setting? Does seagrass get you excited? Are you AAUS certified and wanting to learn new underwater experimental techniques? Then look no further. We here at the RC lab are breaking ground on research investigating the role of sea otters in seagrass beds in California. Sea otters are generally thought to primarily inhabit kelp forests. However, they are starting to make their way into seagrass beds, and we are following them, all while gaining new insights into the ecosystem-level effects of recovering top-predator populations. We are looking for intern divers for summer 2013 to help set-up and maintain an experiment in the eelgrass beds of Elkhorn Slough. This project will also include some laboratory work. If interested please contact Brent Hughes (bbhughes@ucsc.edu).
The role of nutrients on Rocky Intertidal surfgrass communities
Several students in the RC Lab are embarking on a collaborative project looking into the role of nutrients and predation on the productivity of rocky intertidal surfgrass. Through mesocosm experiments we have found that nutrients and predation may both act synergistically to enhance surfgrass production. For summer 2013 we are looking for a few good volunteers to help out with this project. This will involve a large field component as well as laboratory analysis of nutrients.
If you would like further information on volunteering please contact Jessica Glanz (jess.glanz@gmail.com), Brent Hughes (bbhughes@ucsc.edu), or Brenna Mahoney (bmahoney@ucsc.edu).
CAMEO Kelp forest Database
We are currently looking for motivated volunteers to help us develop a kelp forest online database. The aim of this database is to provide an unprecedented source of information about the species and species interactions that occur in the kelp forest. The project is an extraordinary effort that will help us advance the knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of this complex system, which consists in gathering and synthesizing all the available information published about the kelp forest ecosystem, and in turn making it available for the general public.
If you are interested in working in this project please contact Rodrigo Beas at rbeas@ucsc.edu for more information about the CAMEO kelpforest database.
Internships with the Salmon Ecology Team at NMFS
Internships are available to work with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Santa Cruz. Students will play a key role in conducting ecological research on central coast steelhead and coho salmon. Research and monitoring efforts are conducted primarily in Scott Creek (northern Santa Cruz County). Intern’s time will be split between field and lab work, which includes monitoring juvenile and adult salmon traps in Scott Creek, learning salmon species identification, PIT-tagging salmon, data recording and entry, and gear maintenance.
Email a paragraph stating your background and interest in this internship to Ann-Marie Osterback at osterbac@biology.ucsc.edu
PISCO Kelp Forest Monitoring
PISCO is an interdisciplinary research program that has been conducting large-scale long-term ecological and oceanographic monitoring along the west coast of North America since 1999. A key aspect of the PISCO program is monitoring kelp forest communities to understand their dynamics and how they are changing in response to recently implemented marine protected areas (MPAs) on California’s central coast. To learn more about PISCO and our interdisciplinary approach to understanding coastal ecosystems and informing coastal resource management and policy, visit www.piscoweb.org.
We are looking for motivated scientific divers to help us conduct kelp forest community surveys around the Monterey peninsula this summer. This is a great opportunity hone your kelp forest species identification skills and get experience conducting underwater research. For more information about volunteering for PISCO, contact Emily Saarman at esaarman@ucsc.edu.
Biodiversity in the Kelp Forest
We know that the species diversity of a system plays a role in driving many components of ecosystem function – productivity, resilience, resistance to invasion. But, do the effects of primary producer species diversity translate up the food chain to predators? Do juvenile fishes grow faster when feeding in a more diverse patch of algae in the kelp forest? We’re setting out to find answers to this question and more, and are currently looking for volunteer scientific divers to take part in the project.
This is a great opportunity to hone scientific diving skills, learn temperate marine species ID, and study interactions that take place in the kelp forest. Contact Rachel Zuercher, rzuerche@ucsc.edu with a short statement of interest.
Larval Dispersal and Connectivity of Nearshore Rockfishes
Many nearshore reef fishes in California have a bipartite life history, which means that after their eggs hatch, larvae spend weeks or months drifting on the ocean currents before settling down to a more sedentary lifestyle as juveniles and adults. But exactly how far these larvae travel during their pelagic stage is one of the great remaining mysteries of marine ecology. Using cutting-edge genetic techniques that allow us to match parents with newly settled juveniles, we will be investigating the larval dispersal patterns of kelp rockfish in Carmel Bay and around the Monterey peninsula.
We have a number of volunteer opportunities associated with this project, including opportunities for scientific divers and non-divers who are interested in getting out in the field. Volunteers will assist in collecting juvenile and adult rockfish, taking fin clips for genetic analysis, and maintaining and deploying collection devices for juvenile fishes. To volunteer or learn more about this project, contact Emily Saarman at esaarman@ucsc.edu.