CCBER supports a wide range of research activities based on the management areas under CCBER's direction, the plant and animal specimen collections, and the interests of affiliated faculty and staff. These research projects utilize CCBER resources, enhance our understanding of local biodiversity, and provide opportunities for students, enrolled in our restoration, curation, and educational programs, to gain valuable experience.
Ecosystem Management Research
Ecosystem management research focuses on four main areas:
Ecological Research
Students, staff and faculty collaborate on research projects which support the design and evaluation of restoration strategies and provide insight into ecological aspects of the coastal zone.
Restoration Monitoring
The majority of our restoration projects include an annual monitoring component that documents change in vegetation which can provide a long term perspective on natural and unnatural perturbations in the environment.
Wildlife Surveys
CCBER and affiliated birders conduct monthly bird and wildlife surveys in several natural areas that provide insight into wildlife use of restored habitats on campus.
Water Quality Research
CCBER, with support from the Coastal Fund and other funding agencies, conducts water quality research related to stormwater management and the function of bioswales, as well as impacts to the Campus Lagoon and other managed wetland resources.
Collections Research
Since 1945 when the first biological collections were established at UCSB, there has been an active research program in botany and zoology. Collections have played an important role in documenting the distributions and life histories of regionally declining, threatened, and endangered species. In addition, collections provide valuable information and make critical contributions to our understanding of climate change, the effects of pollution, and other environmental perturbations.
The large plant anatomy collections of Katherine Esau and Vernon Cheadle--used both in the laboratory and classroom--represent over 120 years of research in plant development, ultrastructure, virology, and evolution.
Publications
Faculty and staff from CCBER and the former Museum of Systematics and Ecology (MSE) have produced numerous publications on biodiversity and ecosystem and land management based on research conducted at UCSB. Many publications have also cited our vouchered specimens. Reports published by MSE are also listed in our online library catalog and the Davidson Library's Pegasus catalog.