California Academy Of Sciences

2006 CONGRESSIONAL EARMARK FUNDING ENTITLED CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES TO SUPPORT TECHNOLOGIES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR THE MORRISON PLANE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ANTS OF THE SOUTHWEST INDIAN OCEAN AND EAST AFRICA (ASWEA): ASSESSING PHYLOGENETIC DIVERSITY AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC LINKAGES ACROS

INVESTIGATING MECHANISMS OF SPECIFICITY IN A BIOLUMINESCENT VERTEBRATE-BACTERIA SYMBIOSIS

EDGE CMT: HOW THE EASTER EGG WEEVILS (PACHYRHYNCHUS) GOT THEIR SPOTS: THE FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF STRUCTURAL COLORS IN BEETLES. -IN MANY ANIMALS, INCLUDING INSECTS, COLORATION IS FORMED BY THE ANIMAL?S NANOSTRUCTURE, WHICH BENDS AND REFLECTS LIGHT, RATHER THAN BY PIGMENTS. STUDYING HOW NATURE CREATES SUCH SO-CALLED STRUCTURAL COLORS COULD PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR NEW OPTICAL MATERIALS. HOWEVER, THE DEVELOPMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. FOR EXAMPLE, HOW DO CELLS COORDINATE TO FORM THE STRUCTURAL COLORS FOUND IN NATURE? THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY HOW CELLS IN EASTER EGG WEEVILS COLLABORATE DURING DEVELOPMENT TO FORM INTRICATE STRUCTURES WITH UNIQUE OPTICAL PROPERTIES. EXAMINING THESE BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS SHOULD INFORM DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT HARNESS LIGHT FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING ENHANCED SCATTERING LAYERS IN SOLAR CELLS, ADVANCED LIGHT-BASED SIGNALING SYSTEMS FOR ANTI-COUNTERFEITING MATERIALS, BIO-INSPIRED OPTICAL COMPONENTS FOR DEFENSE APPLICATIONS, AND THE PRODUCTION OF NATURAL FOOD DYES. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS IN CUTTING-EDGE GENOMIC RESEARCH, WHICH HAS BROAD APPLICATIONS IN HUMAN HEALTH. EASTER EGG WEEVILS IN THE GENUS PACHYRHYNCHUS DISPLAY ELABORATE PATTERNING AND IRIDESCENT COLORS IN THEIR HARD CUTICLES, SERVING AS ELEMENTS IN A MIMETIC SYSTEM THAT HELPS DEFEND AGAINST PREDATION AND MAY MAKE THE WEEVILS DISTASTEFUL TO THEIR PREDATORS. THESE BEETLES CONSTITUTE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY THE EXTENT TO WHICH CONVERGENT PHENOTYPES ARISE FROM PARALLEL MECHANISMS INVOLVING PRODUCTION OF STRUCTURAL COLORS FORMED FROM 3D-PHOTONIC CRYSTALS AND THEIR PATTERNING. VARIATION IN THE STRUCTURAL COLORING WILL BE EXPLORED AS A MULTIGENIC TRAIT TO DRAW GENOME-TO-PHENOME CONNECTIONS THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN BEETLES? ADAPTIVE RADIATION ON EVOLUTIONARY SCALES. CHANGES IN GENOTYPE AND ASSOCIATED GENOMIC REGIONS WILL BE RELATED TO MICROSCOPIC CHANGES IN STRUCTURAL COLORS AT THE NANOSCALE AND MACROSCOPIC CHANGES IN BEETLE COLOR PATTERNS. THE RESULTS WILL PROVIDE A FOUNDATIONAL SET OF CANDIDATE LOCI FOR FURTHER STUDY. THE RESEARCHERS EXPECT TO PRODUCE EVIDENCE FOR THE REPEATABILITY/MODULARITY OF GENOMIC MECHANISMS THAT PRODUCE THESE MULTIGENIC TRAITS, THEREBY GENERATING A TESTABLE FRAMEWORK FOR RAPIDLY LOCALIZING THE GENETIC BASIS OF ADAPTIVE TRAITS. MOREOVER, THE PROJECT SHOULD REVEAL PRINCIPLES THAT APPLY TO MANY OTHER ORGANISMS WITH PHOTONIC CRYSTALS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

ARTS: TAXONOMY AND MOLECULAR SYSTEMATICS OF MESH WEB SPIDERS (ARANEAE: DICTYNIDAE)

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNRAVELING COMMUNITY PATTERNS IN THE HYPERDIVERSE ANTS OF MADAGASCAR

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: DOCUMENTING DIVERSITY IN THE APEX OF THE CORAL TRIANGLE: INVENTORY OF PHILIPPINE MARINE BIODIVERSITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BIOTIC SURVEYS OF CENTRAL SAHARAN OASES

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE: DOCUMENTING FOSSIL MARINE INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES OF THE EASTERN PACIFIC. FAUNAL RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ANTS OF THE WORLD

REU SITE: THE SUMMER SYSTEMATICS INSTITUTE: TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS FOR THE FIELD, THE LAB, AND SHARING THEIR SCIENCE WITH THE WORLD

ABI:INNOVATION: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE "GLOBAL NAMES ARCHITECTURE," AN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR UNIFYING TAXONOMIC DATABASES AND SERVICES FOR MANAGE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MODELING MARINE PALEOCOMMUNITY DYNAMICS OF THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC TRANSITION: TESTING UNIFORMITARIAN ASSUMPTIONS OF PALEO-FOOD WEB RECONSTRUCTION -THIS PROJECT ADVANCES NSF?S MISSION AND NATIONAL INTERESTS BY INCREASING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING, ENSURING CONTINUED NATIONAL PROSPERITY AS A SOCIETY DEPENDENT UPON HEALTHY NATURAL RESOURCES. THE RESEARCH ADDRESSES A PROBLEM WITH BROAD IMPLICATIONS: RECONSTRUCTING ANCIENT ECOSYSTEM FOOD WEBS. FOOD WEBS REPRESENT ECOSYSTEM ENERGY FLOW AND ARE IMPORTANT TO ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING AND SERVICES FOR HUMAN SOCIETIES. HUMAN INFLUENCE ON ECOSYSTEMS IS EXPANDING RAPIDLY, BUT DATA ON ECOSYSTEMS? RESPONSES TO RAPID OR EXTREME IMPACTS IS LIMITED. THE FOSSIL RECORD CONTAINS MANY EXAMPLES. GENERALLY, PALEONTOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION RELIES UPON MODERN FOOD WEB PROPERTIES, BUT THIS CORRESPONDENCE BREAKS DOWN AFTER MASS EXTINCTIONS. RECOVERING ECOSYSTEMS DEVIATE SIGNIFICANTLY FROM EXPECTATIONS OF HOW ECOSYSTEMS FUNCTION. THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS SPANNING THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC MASS EXTINCTION, 251 MILLION YEARS AGO, WHEN 80% OF SPECIES BECAME EXTINCT. THE PROJECT WILL RECONSTRUCT THE WAYS IN WHICH ANCIENT ECOSYSTEMS ADAPTED TO EXTREME DISTURBANCES BY USING FOSSILS COLLECTED IN THE FIELD AND DEPOSITED IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS COMBINED WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING ANALYSES. THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT AND TRAIN NUMEROUS STUDENTS AND AN EARLY CAREER SCIENTIST IN ANALYTICAL AND MUSEUM CURATION SKILLS. RECONSTRUCTING ANCIENT ECOSYSTEMS RELIES ON MODELS OF INTERSPECIFIC INTERACTIONS, OPERATING UNDER A UNIFORMITARIAN ASSUMPTION THAT THE PRINCIPLES DETERMINING INTERACTIONS REMAIN CONSTANT THROUGH EVOLUTIONARY TIME. THE RESULTING PROBABILISTIC FOOD WEBS PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE ROBUSTNESS OF PAST ECOSYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT CHALLENGES THE UNIFORMITARIAN ASSUMPTION BY PROPOSING A FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH TO TEST ALTERNATIVE ASSUMPTIONS OF SPECIES PROPERTIES FOLLOWING EXTREME ECOLOGICAL DISTURBANCES. THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING MASS EXTINCTION-SPANNING AND RECOVERY COMMUNITIES, QUESTIONING WHETHER COMMUNITIES IMMEDIATELY AFTER MASS EXTINCTIONS WERE STRUCTURED AND FUNCTIONED DIFFERENTLY FROM THOSE DURING ENVIRONMENTALLY QUIESCENT TIMES. THE PROJECT WILL MOBILIZE NEW AND EXISTING FOSSIL COLLECTIONS, AS WELL AS OFFER PALEONTOLOGICAL TRAINING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. A POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER WILL PARTICIPATE TO ENHANCE ANALYTICAL SKILLS, DEVELOP MUSEUM EXPERIENCE, AND HONE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

REU SITE: BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE IN THE SUMMER SYSTEMATICS INSTITUTE AT THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

REU SITE: THE SUMMER SYSTEMATICS INSTITUTE: TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS FOR THE FIELD, THE LAB, AND SHARING THEIR SCIENCE WITH THE WORLD -THIS REU SITE AWARD TO THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, LOCATED IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, WILL SUPPORT THE TRAINING OF 10 STUDENTS FOR 10 WEEKS DURING THE SUMMERS OF 2022?2024. RESEARCH WILL PRIMARILY BE CONDUCTED AT THE ACADEMY AND AT LOCAL FIELD SITES IN SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT A TOTAL OF 30 STUDENTS, PRIMARILY FROM SCHOOLS WITH LIMITED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES OR FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, WILL BE TRAINED IN THE PROGRAM. STUDENTS WILL LEARN HOW RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED, AND MANY WILL PRESENT THE RESULTS OF THEIR WORK AT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES. ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE DONE THROUGH THE ONLINE SALG URSSA TOOL. STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO REGISTER IN THE NSF ETAP SYSTEM (ETAP.NSF.GOV) AND TRACKED AFTER THE PROGRAM TO DETERMINE THEIR CAREER PATHS. THE ACADEMY?S INSTITUTE FOR BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY IS A RESEARCH HUB FOCUSED ON UNDERSTANDING THE NATURAL WORLD AND FINDING SOLUTIONS TO SUSTAINING IT. THE INSTITUTION HOUSES WORLD-CLASS NATURAL HISTORY RESEARCH COLLECTIONS, ALONG WITH THE MODERN-DAY TECHNOLOGY AND GENOMICS TOOLS NEEDED TO STUDY THESE SPECIMENS. PARTICIPANTS OF THE SUMMER SYSTEMATICS INSTITUTE REU WILL BEGIN THE SUMMER WITH FIELDWORK AND IMMERSIVE WORKSHOPS, BEFORE RETURNING TO THE ACADEMY TO BE PAIRED WITH 1:1 MENTORS, OUR CURATORS AND RESEARCH SCIENTISTS, TO WORK ON ORIGINAL RESEARCH PROJECTS AND ATTEND SEMINARS WHICH PROVIDE TOOLS IN THE FIELD OF SYSTEMATICS AND PHYLOGENETICS. THE STUDENTS? SUMMER CULMINATES WITH SCIENTIFIC AND POPULAR WRITING AND GIVING AN ORAL PRESENTATION TO THE COMMUNITY IN OUR FINAL SYMPOSIUM. STUDENTS APPLY THROUGH AN ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM AND WILL BE RECRUITED FROM UNIVERSITIES AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. APPLICANTS IDENTIFY POTENTIAL MENTORS DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS, AND APPLICATIONS ARE COMPETITIVELY REVIEWED BY ADVISORS WHO MAKE THE FINAL SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE BY VISITING HTTPS://WWW.CALACADEMY.ORG/SUMMER-SYSTEMATICS-INSTITUTE, OR BY CONTACTING THE PI (DR. LAUREN ESPOSITO AT LESPOSITO@CALACADEMY.ORG) OR THE CO-PI (DR. REBECCA JOHNSON AT RJOHNSON@CALACADEMY.ORG). THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ASSESSING PHYLOGENY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY IN A MEGADIVERSE TROPICAL PLANT FAMILY (MELASTOMATACEAE)

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

CALIFORNIA AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE COLLECTION AND GENOMICS

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: HARNESSING THE POWER OF HERBARIA TO UNDERSTAND THE CHANGING FLORA OF CALIFORNIA: A BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT IN PERIL

REU SITE: THE SUMMER SYSTEMATICS INSTITUTE AT THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CAMPONOTINE ANTS AND THEIR LITTLE HELPERS: PHYLOGENOMICS OF A HYPERDIVERSE INSECT CLADE AND ITS BACTERIAL ENDOSYMBIONTS (CANBE)

REVSYS: PHYLOGENY, BIOGEOGRAPHY, AND TAXONOMY WITHIN THE GROUND BEETLE SUBFAMILY PAUSSINAE (CARABIDAE)

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LINKING HOST LIFE HISTORY, MOVEMENT ECOLOGY, AND CLIMATE TO PREDICT EPIZOOTICS IN MEGADIVERSE TROPICAL AMPHIBIAN COMMUNITIES

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: THE WORLDVIEW NETWORK: ECOLOGICAL LITERACY PROGRAMMING FOR DIGITAL PLANETARIUMS AND BEYOND

PEET: PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS OF NUDIBRANCHIA

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DOCUMENTING MARINE BIODIVERSITY THROUGH DIGITIZATION OF INVERTEBRATE COLLECTIONS (DIGIN)

PBI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE MEGADIVERSE, MICRODISTRIBUTED SPIDER FAMILY OONOPIDAE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PHYLOGENETIC, BIOGEOGRAPHIC AND MONOGRAPHIC STUDIES IN THE WINTERGREEN GROUP

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZATION TCN: EXTENDING ANTHOPHILA RESEARCH THROUGH IMAGE AND TRAIT DIGITIZATION (BIG-BEE)

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES WILL ESTABLISH A NEW YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION HUB TO ENGAGE YOUTH AGES 14-18 IN COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL CIVIC DISCOURSE AND ACTION. PROJECT STAFF WILL CREATE A LEADERSHIP DESIGN COUNCIL COMPOSED OF 14 TEEN PARTICIPANTS TO COLLABORATIVELY DESIGN, PLAN, AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAM ACTIVITIES LIKE COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS, PUBLIC EVENTS, COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES, AND MENTORSHIP. THE MUSEUM WILL HIRE AN EDUCATION COORDINATOR TO COORDINATE PROGRAM LOGISTICS AND OPERATIONS AS WELL AS AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR TO MEASURE PROJECT RESULTS, WHICH WILL BE SHARED BY STAFF AT A PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE. THROUGH THIS CO-CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT, THE ACADEMY WILL BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUTH AND EMPOWER THEM TO SEE THEMSELVES AS DRIVERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE.

EAGER: APPLYING PALEOECOSYSTEM-MASS EXTINCTION THEORY TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC SYSTEMS DURING COVID-19

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZATION TCN: DIGITIZING COLLECTIONS TO TRACE PARASITE-HOST ASSOCIATIONS AND PREDICT THE SPREAD OF VECTOR-BORNE DISEASE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SCENTS OF SELF: HOW TRADE-OFFS SHAPE SELF/NON-SELF RECOGNITION CUES IN A SUPERCOLONIAL INSECT

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TERRESTRIAL LATE PERMIAN TO EARLY TRIASSIC EARTH SYSTEMS IN NE PANGEA: INSIGHTS INTO THE TEMPO, EFFECTS, AND CAUSES OF THE END-PERMIAN MASS EXTINCTION

OCE-PRF: THE LANDSCAPE OF HYBRIDIZATION AND ADAPTATION ACROSS REEF DEPTH IN A CORAL COMMUNITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CAMPONOTINE ANTS AND THEIR LITTLE HELPERS: PHYLOGENOMICS OF A HYPERDIVERSE INSECT CLADE AND ITS BACTERIAL ENDOSYMBIONTS (CANBE)

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MESOZOIC TETHYAN PALEOCOMMUNITY DYNAMICS: MODELLING COMPLEXITY AND STABLITY DURING TIMES OF BIOTIC ESCALATION AND COMMUNITY R

ARTS: SG: DIVERSITY, TAXONOMY, AND SYSTEMATICS OF FLIGHTLESS SAND DUNE WEEVILS, TRIGONOSCUTA, IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

INTEGRATING MULTIDISCIPLINARY TOOLS TO STUDY PLIO-PLEISTOCENE PALEOECOLOGY OF EARLY HOMININS FROM THE OMO VALLEY, ETHIOPIA

CSBR: NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS: LIQUID NITROGEN FACILITIES FOR BIOLOGICAL SPECIMEN CURATION AND RESEARCH AT THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PHYLOGEOGRAPHY IN MADAGASCAR - USING ANTS TO TEST HYPOTHESES OF BIOTIC DIVERSIFICATION IN A MODEL CONTINENT

DIGITIZATION PEN: GALAPAGATEWAY: UNLOCKING MODEL EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEMS FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZING ENDLESS FORMS: FACILITATING RESEARCH ON IMPERILED PLANTS WITH EXTREME MORPHOLOGIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ANTS OF THE WORLD

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INTEGRATING PHYLOGENOMICS WITH THE FOSSIL RECORD: SEA URCHINS AS A MODEL CLADE FOR MACROEVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CSBR: NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS: GEOREFERENCING U.S. FISH COLLECTIONS: A COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL TO GEOREFERENCING NATURAL H

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CALBUG AN INTERACTIVE DATABASE USING ARTHROPODS TO EXAMINE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND HABITAT MODIFICATION

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: THE FOUNDATION OF TERRESTRIAL LIFE: INFERRING A TOTAL-EVIDENCE TIMELINE OF VASCULAR PLANT EVOLUTION

THE HOLOCENE AND ANTHROPOCENE AS WINDOWS INTO THE FUTURE OF MARINE SYSTEMS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PALEONTOLOGICAL FIELD RESEARCH AT DIKIKA, ETHIOPIA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ARTS: UNDERSTANDING TROPICAL INVERTEBRATE DIVERSITY THROUGH INTEGRATIVE REVISIONARY SYSTEMATICS AND TRAINING

CENTENNIAL BIOBLITZ DATA MANAGEMENT SUPPORT - PHASE ONE

IMPROVING STAFF AND VOLUNTEER QUALIFICATIONS IN ORDER TO ENHANCE RESPONSE AND DATA COLLECTION FROM DEAD STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNI

IMPROVING MARINE MAMMAL DATA COLLECTION FACILITIES AND SPECIMEN ARCHIVES AT THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

ENHANCING RESPONSE AND DATA COLLECTION FROM DEAD STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

EXPANDING RESPONSE TO AND DATA COLLECTION FROM DEAD STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, SPECIFICALLY IN SONOMA COUNTY

THIS PROPOSAL REQUESTS FEDERAL FUNDS FROM THE JOHN H. PRESCOTT MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM TO SECURE STAFF TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND THE NOYO CENTER FOR MARINE SCIENCES HIGH LEVEL OF MARINE MAMMAL RESPONSE AND DATA COLLECTION IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, SPECIFICALLY THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, SONOMA COUNTY, AND SOUTHERN MENDOCINO COUNTY. FUNDING WILL ENSURE THAT VALUABLE DATA ARE COLLECTED FROM DEAD SEALS, SEA LIONS, PORPOISES, DOLPHINS, AND WHALES AND MADE AVAILABLE TO SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS. DURING THIS PROJECT, WE EXPECT TO RESPOND TO AND COLLECT DATA FROM 300400 DEAD MARINE MAMMALS PER YEAR, INCLUDING DATA FROM APPROXIMATELY 10-15 LARGE WHALES. THIS FUNDING WILL ALSO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO IMPROVE LARGE WHALE NECROPSY RESPONSE BY COOPERATING WITH KEY PARTNERS TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE SITES FOR LANDING LARGE WHALE CARCASSES FOR INTERNAL EXAMINATION, IDENTIFY AND SECURE TOWING AND TRANSPORT SERVICES, SOURCE HEAVY EQUIPMENT, EXPLORE LOCATIONS FOR CLEANING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SPECIMENS, AND RESEARCH POTENTIAL DISPOSAL SERVICES. IF FUNDED, THIS PROPOSAL TO SUPPORT DEAD MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING RESPONSE AND INCREASE LARGE WHALE NECROPSY RESPONSE READINESS WILL ENHANCE THE QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND CONSISTENCY OF DATA COLLECTED FROM DEAD STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, ESPECIALLY LARGE WHALES.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES: THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. CONTINUE TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY, CONSISTENCY, QUANTITY, REPORTING, AND SHARING OF LEVEL A, B, AND C DATA COLLECTED FROM DEAD MARINE MAMMALS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, AN AREA WITH AN ONGOING UME AND POST-UME MONITORING. 2. ENHANCE LARGE WHALE NECROPSY RESPONSE IN CALIFORNIA THROUGH STAFF PARTICIPATION IN CROSS TRAINING AND PROTOCOL STANDARDIZATION. 3. SUPPORT OUTREACH AND EDUCATION TO INFORM PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS SURROUNDING LARGE WHALE STRANDING AND NECROPSY RESPONSE. 4. COLLABORATE WITH THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER TO SURVEY LIVE CETACEANS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA TO DETERMINE CHANGES IN ABUNDANCE AND POPULATION IN ORDER TO AID IN CONSERVATION EFFORTS, ESPECIALLY AFTER AN OIL SPILL OR NATURAL DISASTER.

A COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP FOCUSED ON OUTREACH, EDUCATION, AND IMPROVED RESPONSE TO STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS IN SONOMA AND MENDOCINO COUNTIES, CALIFO

COLLABORATION WITH AN ESTABLISHED CITIZEN SCIENCE NETWORK TO ENHANCE MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING RESPONSE: LINKING INATURALIST TO THE STRANDING NETWORK.

ELT COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RESTRUCTURING OF TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS FOLLOWING THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC MASS EXTINCTION

ENHANCING MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING RESPONSE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA BY IMPROVING CETACEAN REPORTING THROUGH SURVEILLANCE AND PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION.

IMPROVING MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING RESPONSE THROUGHOUT THE WEST COAST REGION: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO STRANDINGS ON BEACHES WITH ENDANGERED NESTIN

ENHANCING CAPACITY FOR DEAD MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING RESPONSE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH PREPAREDNESS: REMOTE TRAINING TOOLS FOR RAPID RESPONSE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNRAVELING COMMUNITY PATTERNS IN THE HYPERDIVERSE ANTS OF MADAGASCAR

IMPROVING STAFF AND VOLUNTEER QUALIFICATIONS IN ORDER TO ENHANCE RESPONSE AND DATA COLLECTION FROM DEAD STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS IN SOUTHERN MENDOCINO

REVSYS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RELATIONSHIPS, CHARACTER EVOLUTION, AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS IN THE PHYLOGENETICALLY PIVOTAL LINEAGE NELSONIOIDEAE

ENHANCING THE SPECIMEN ARCHIVE AT THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES TO IMPROVE THEUNDERSTANDING OF SOUTHERN SEA OTTER (ENHYDRA LUTRIS NEREIS) HEALTH

"COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZATION TCN: DEVELOPING A CENTRALIZED DIGITAL ARCHIVE OF VOUCHERED ANIMAL COMMUNICATION SIGNALS"

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PHENOBASE: COMMUNITY, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND DATA FOR GLOBAL-SCALE ANALYSES OF PLANT PHENOLOGY -PLANT PHENOLOGY ? THE TIMING OF PLANT LIFE-CYCLE EVENTS, SUCH AS LEAF GROWTH, FLOWERING, AND FRUITING ? PLAYS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN SHAPING TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS. THE TIMING OF PLANT PHENOLOGY NOT ONLY AFFECTS THE FITNESS OF INDIVIDUAL PLANTS, IT ALSO IMPACTS THE FITNESS AND BEHAVIORS OF ORGANISMS DEPENDENT ON PLANTS, WHICH IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS INCLUDES NEARLY ALL ANIMALS, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. THUS, CHANGES IN PLANT PHENOLOGY CAN TRIGGER DRAMATIC, AND SOMETIMES DEVASTATING, CONSEQUENCES FOR ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN ECONOMIC INTERESTS AND HEALTH. PLANT PHENOLOGICAL DATA ARE THEREFORE INDISPENSABLE FOR UNDERSTANDING ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION, DETECTING ECOSYSTEM CHANGES, AND PREDICTING THE IMPACTS OF ONGOING CLIMATE AND LAND USE CHANGES. GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANT PHENOLOGY, CONTINUING LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL DATA COLLECTION EFFORTS HAVE GENERATED LARGE VOLUMES OF PHENOLOGICAL DATA. HOWEVER, THESE DATA ARE SURPRISINGLY HETEROGENEOUS, DIFFICULT TO INTEGRATE, AND THUS REMAIN LARGELY INACCESSIBLE FOR BROADER RESEARCH. AT THE SAME TIME, COMMUNITY SCIENCE AND SPECIMEN DIGITIZATION INFRASTRUCTURE HAVE PRODUCED MASSIVE, RAPIDLY EXPANDING COLLECTIONS OF HERBARIUM SPECIMENS AND IN SITU PLANT PHOTOGRAPHS, WHICH CONTAIN A WEALTH OF VIRTUALLY UNTAPPED HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PHENOLOGICAL INFORMATION. THIS PROJECT WILL USE MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES TO EXTRACT PHENOLOGICAL DATA FROM PLANT PHOTOGRAPHS AND DIGITIZED SPECIMENS. THESE DATA WILL THEN BE INTEGRATED WITH PHENOLOGICAL MONITORING RESOURCES TO CREATE AN OPEN ACCESS, GLOBAL PLANT PHENOLOGY DATABASE ? PHENOBASE. DURING THIS PROJECT, ONE POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER AND SEVERAL GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL BE TRAINED IN PROGRAMMING AND DATA SCIENCE SKILLS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY NEEDS FOR GENERATING AND DELIVERING HIGH-PRECISION, HARMONIZED AND SEMANTICALLY INTEGRATED PLANT PHENOLOGICAL DATA AT UNPRECEDENTED TAXONOMIC, GEOGRAPHIC, AND TEMPORAL SCALES, ALONG WITH NEW TOOLS TO HELP SCIENTISTS AND THE PUBLIC ENGAGE WITH THESE DATA. TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A GLOBAL, STANDARDIZED KNOWLEDGE BASE BY INTEGRATING DIFFERENT PHENOLOGY OBSERVATION NETWORKS AROUND THE WORLD; EXPAND THIS KNOWLEDGE BASE BY USING COMPUTER VISION (CV) TECHNIQUES TO GENERATE NEW, HIGH-QUALITY PHENOLOGICAL DATA FROM THE RAPIDLY GROWING COLLECTION OF COMMUNITY-SUBMITTED PLANT PHOTOGRAPHS ON INATURALIST AND BUDBURST; ADD CRITICAL HISTORICAL DATA BY USING SIMILAR CV TECHNIQUES ON HERBARIUM SPECIMENS AVAILABLE THROUGH IDIGBIO AND GBIF; DEVELOP TOOLS FOR DATA QUERY, ACCESS, AND VISUALIZATION DELIVERED VIA THE WEB AND AS SOFTWARE PACKAGES; AND FOSTER COMPELLING, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN USE CASES SHOWCASING THE USE OF PHENOBASE FOR NEW RESEARCH AND FOR PUBLIC GOOD. THESE APPROACHES WILL NOT ONLY MEET CURRENT GROWTH IN IMAGING, BUT SCALE TO MEET CONTINUING, EXPONENTIAL GROWTH INTO THE FUTURE. BY WEAVING TOGETHER PHENOLOGICALLY RELEVANT OUTPUTS FROM MONITORING PROJECTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE, INCLUDING THE EFFORTS OF MILLIONS OF COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS, PHENOBASE WILL SUPPORT AND EMPOWER PHENOLOGICAL RESEARCH THAT IS CURRENTLY IMPOSSIBLE. RESULTS DERIVED FROM THIS PROJECT CAN BE FOUND AT HTTP://PLANTPHENOLOGY.ORG/. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ENHANCING RESPONSE AND DATA COLLECTION FROM DEAD STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH COMPLETE NECROPSIES INCLUDING CT SCANS OF ODO

BIOLOGICAL SURVEYS ON NWR IN PACIFIC SOUTHWEST REGION - DESERT NWR

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: OVERT: OPEN EXPLORATION OF VERTEBRATE DIVERSITY IN 3D

ENHANCING MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING RESPONSE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA WHILE DEVELOPING A DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. EXPAND DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING RESPONSE COMMUNITY BY DEVELOPING A PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM LOCAL INSTITUTIONS SERVING UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES. 2. CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY, QUANTITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY OF DATA (TYPE A, B, AND C) COLLECTED FROM DEAD MARINE MAMMALS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BY TRAINING AND INCLUDING INTERNS IN STRANDING RESPONSE AND DATA COLLECTION. 3. ENHANCE PARTICIPATION IN TRAININGS BY SUPPORTING STAFF AND INTERN ATTENDANCE AT THE WEST COAST REGION STRANDING NETWORK MEETING OR OTHER APPROPRIATE MEETINGS OR CONFERENCES, EITHER VIRTUALLY OR IN-PERSON.

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

EVALUATING LONG TERM TRENDS IN MARINE MAMMAL STRANDINGS USING RECORDS FROM MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES

STABLE ISOTOPE SIGNATURES IN SEA LION VIBRISSAE: SEARCHING FOR CLUES TO EXPLAIN THE RECENT CALIFORNIA SEA LION MORTALITY EVENT

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RANGES: BUILDING CAPACITY TO EXTEND MAMMAL SPECIMENS FROM WESTERN NORTH AMERICA -THE SPECIMENS CONTAINED IN NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS AND SOCIAL WELLBEING. THEIR UNIQUE VALUE COMES FROM THE HIGH-QUALITY INFORMATION THEY CONTAIN AND THE DOCUMENTATION INDICATING HOW THEY WERE COLLECTED. OF PARTICULAR VALUE ARE TRAIT MEASUREMENTS THAT DOCUMENT HOW SPECIES INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND HOW THEY VARY THOUGH TIME, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN RESPONDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES. UNFORTUNATELY, TRAITS FOR MUSEUM SPECIMENS ARE OFTEN ONLY AVAILABLE IN NON-DIGITAL AND NON-STANDARD FORMATS. THIS LIMITS THE ABILITY OF RESEARCHERS TO FIND AND USE THEM TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. THIS AWARD WILL ESTABLISH THE RANGES DIGITIZATION NETWORK (?RANGES?). THE GOAL OF THE NETWORK IS TO DIGITIZE TRAITS FROM OVER ONE MILLION MAMMAL SPECIMENS IN 19 U.S. NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS. THE NETWORK WILL PRODUCE DATASETS THAT ARE IN STANDARD FORMAT AND EASY TO FIND IN ONLINE BIODIVERSITY PLATFORMS, SUCH AS IDIGBIO. THIS WILL ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO BUILD BETTER BASELINES FOR BIODIVERSITY AND IMPROVE PREDICTIONS OF HOW MAMMALS RESPOND TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS. RANGES WILL ALSO SPARK COLLABORATION AMONG THE MUSEUM COMMUNITY AND DATA SCIENTISTS, CREATING SOLUTIONS USABLE BROADLY. THE NETWORK WILL EMPLOY A DIVERSE HUMAN WORKFORCE IN DIGITIZATION AND RESEARCH TASKS, AND IT WILL ENGAGE THE PUBLIC THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE ACTIVITIES AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS. THIS WILL ADDRESS A MAJOR REMAINING DIGITIZATION CHALLENGE FOR U.S. MUSEUMS, TO EXPAND UTILITY OF SPECIMENS AND USE THEM TO CREATE NEW SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE. DIGITIZATION OF U.S. NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES HAS IMPROVED DATA SHARING AND RESEARCH CAPACITY IN THE LIFE SCIENCES. AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT DATA ASSOCIATED WITH MUSEUM SPECIMENS ARE THE MORPHOLOGICAL AND REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF INDIVIDUALS. THESE TRAITS ARE INFORMATIVE ABOUT ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND RESPONSES OF ORGANISMS TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. UNFORTUNATELY, TRAITS FROM SPECIMENS REMAIN INCOMPLETELY DIGITIZED ACROSS MUSEUMS AND HARD TO LOCATE ON THE INTERNET. THIS INHIBITS THEIR DISCOVERY AND USE AT A TIME OF PRESSING GLOBAL CHANGE. RANGES WILL DIGITIZE AND PUBLISH TRAITS FROM APPROXIMATELY 1.2 MILLION NON-MARINE MAMMAL SPECIMENS FROM WESTERN NORTH AMERICA. THE PROJECT FOCUSES ON THIS REGION DUE TO ITS COMPLEX TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE, AND BECAUSE IT IS A CENTER OF MAMMALIAN BIODIVERSITY. THE SPECIFIC GOALS OF THE NETWORK ARE TO EXTEND EXISTING SOFTWARE TOOLS, DEVELOP NEW STANDARDS FOR MAMMAL TRAIT DATA, AND COORDINATE DIGITIZATION ACROSS MUSEUM PARTNERS. NEW, DIGITAL TRAIT DATA ON BIODIVERSITY DATA PLATFORMS SUCH AS IDIGBIO WILL TRANSFORM DATA ACCESSIBILITY AND FOSTER NEW EVOLUTIONARY, ECOLOGICAL, AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. RANGES WILL ALSO COLLABORATE WITH THE NATIONAL ECOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY NETWORK (NEON) TO ENSURE COMPATIBILITY WITH TRAIT DATA COLLECTED THROUGHOUT THE LIFETIME OF THAT NETWORK. USING THE ABOVE APPROACHES, RANGES WILL LAY A FOUNDATION FOR BUILDING AN EXTENDED SPECIMEN NETWORK FOR MAMMALS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH & EDCUATION

HABITAT MODELING ASSISTANCE