California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP)
The CCGP is funded by the State of California, led by the UCLA/La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, and includes contributing scientists from all 10 UC campuses.
Projects
Creating a sustainable waste management plan for the Aquarium of the Pacific
U.S. landfills are drowning in an ocean of waste. While mismanagement of waste is harmful to the environment as a whole, it poses a particular threat to marine life. Plastic…
Evolution of floral scent variation in Linanthus
Awardee: Ioana Anghel, fourth year Ph.D. Candidate in the Zapata Lab. Ioana is interested in the drivers of diversification and how taxa maintain their phenotypic and genetic identity while co-existing in a small area with the potential to hybridize.
From sea to summit: conservation genomics of threatened and alpine California butterflies
La Kretz postdoctoral researcher Dr. Zachary MacDonald is using a combination of whole-genome sequence data and forward-in-time landscape and environmental modelling to predict how changes to habitat suitability, habitat connectivity,…
Investigating ringtail ecology and behavior in the Santa Monica Mountains
Awardee: Maddie Zuercher, hD student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and is co- advised by Greg Grether and Debra Shier. Maddie is interested in the ecological effects of behavioral interference between carnivore species.
Monitoring of artificial reef restoration in Palos Verdes using eDNA
Awardee: Elijah Catalan, first year Ph.D. student at the Institute of Environment and Sustainability. Elijah's research intends to bring together genomic-based biodiversity monitoring, biogeochemistry, Indigenous tribal knowledge, and stewardship programs to understand the resilience of coastal and marine biodiversity to climate change and possibilities for adaptation on the West Coast.
Teenagers as Energy Conservation Stewards
How to empower teenagers to act as energy conservation stewards within their household.
UCLA La Kretz 2021 Annual Lecture
This event celebrates ten years of conservation research, featuring 3 minute lightening talks by each of our 13 past, current, and future La Kretz postdoctoral fellows. The presentations are followed…
Understanding Seed Disperser Movements in a Tropical Rainforest
Funding: Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES-2020), Program Element A.7: Biodiversity. NASA Understanding seed disperser movements and their consequences across rainforest gradients of structural and phenological diversity The…
Urbanization effects on the disease dynamics of haemosprodian infections in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis)
Awardee: Wilmer Amaya-Mejia, Ph.D. student in the Yeh Lab at UCLA’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Wilmer is interested in understanding the disease ecology and eco-immunological responses of birds to address conservation and human health concerns.
Using Environmental DNA to Assess the Community Composition of Eelgrass Meadows in Santa Monica Bay and Catalina Island
Awardee: Tanner Waters, third-year doctoral student at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability studying marine genetics. Tanner's work uses environmental DNA (eDNA) to understand landscape scale conservation and restoration efforts.
Wildlife Post-Woolsey Fire: Recovery and Recolonization
Awardee: Chloe Nouzille, M.S. student at UCLA, co-advised by Dr. Dan Blumstein and Dr. Seth Riley. Chloe's research explores wildlife post- fire recovery and recolonization in the Simi Hills and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.