Central California Coast Research Articles

Agricultural plastic pollution reduces soil function even under best management practices.

Soil plastic contamination is considered a threat to environmental health and food security. Plastic films-which are widely used as soil mulches-are the largest single source of agricultural plastic pollution. Growing evidence indicates that high concentrations of plastic negatively affect critical soil functions. However, the relationships between agricultural plastic accumulation and its biogeochemical consequences in regions with relatively low levels of soil plastic pollution remain poorly characterized. We sampled farms across the California Central Coast (a region of global agricultural importance with extensive plastic mulch-based production) to assess the degree and biogeochemical consequences of plastic pollution in fields subject to "best practice" plastic mulching application and removal practices over multiple years. All farms exhibited surface soil plastic contamination, macroplastic positively correlated with microplastic contamination levels, and macroplastic accumulation was negatively correlated with soil moisture, microbial activity, available phosphate, and soil carbon pool size. These effects occurred at less than 10% of the contamination levels reported to degrade field soils, but were relatively subtle, with no detectable relationship to microplastic concentration. Identifying declines in soil quality with low levels of macroplastic fragment accumulation suggests that we must improve best management plasticulture practices to limit the threat to soil health and agricultural productivity of unabated plastic accumulation.

Urbanization alters sandy beach scavenging assemblages and dogs suppress ecosystem function

AbstractUrbanization is rapidly transforming coastal landscapes around the world, altering the structure and function of marine, intertidal, and terrestrial ecosystems. In tandem, coastal areas are hotspots for human recreation, leading to shifts in wildlife behavior and activity patterns. Together, urban development and recreational use of wildlife habitats can shape wildlife behavior, abundance, and ecosystem dynamics at different spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we explore the impact of urbanization and human and domestic dog activity on the structure of vertebrate scavenging assemblages and the ecosystem functions they provide in sandy beach ecosystems across 40 km of the central California coast, USA. We surveyed vertebrate scavenging assemblages using baited camera traps on 17 beaches spanning a gradient of coastal urbanization. We found that urbanization extent within small spatial scales (i.e., 1 or 3 km radii of each site) and the rate of beach visitation by domestic dogs or humans were the best additive predictors of assemblage structure. We identified pronounced urbanization‐associated shifts in the composition of vertebrate scavenger guilds but found that the rate of carrion processing was more strongly influenced by domestic dog habitat use and diel period. Scavenging activity was substantially lower on beaches with more domestic dogs, suggesting that dogs interfere with critical scavenging ecosystem functions on sandy beaches. Our results underscore the pervasive and nuanced effects of urbanization and recreation on the dynamics of land–sea connectivity and suggest a need for comprehensive consideration of cross‐ecosystem linkages in ongoing shoreline conservation and development efforts.

“Letting the ancestors speak”: collaborative archaeology at the Hastings Natural History Reservation

Since 2021, collaborative research at the University of California (UC), Berkeley's Hastings Natural History Reservation between the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, UC-Berkeley, and the University of Oregon has demonstrated the mutual benefits of a co-created and Indigenous-centered archaeological research program within North America. While initial archaeological studies on the Hastings Reservation occurred over five decades ago, our project represents one of the first Tribal-centered archaeological field programs within the UC Natural Reserve System and, therefore, a model of collaborative research in the post-NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA era. The broader purpose of our research is to work with the Esselen Tribe to collect historical ecological information about the legacies of Native people and their relationship with the environment to help inform contemporary stewardship goals in their Tribal territory. Our archaeological research has confirmed the Indigenous occupation at the Hastings Reserve before, during, and after the Spanish Colonial period (1769–1821) in central California. By weaving archaeology, ethnobotany, ethnohistory, historical documents, ethnography, and Indigenous knowledge, this project documents the critical role of maintaining a connection to cultural landscapes despite three successive waves of European and Euro-American colonialism in the region. These findings provide an alternative narrative of cultural persistence, survivance, and resilience contrary to the narratives of culture loss and erasure espoused by 20th-century California anthropology regarding the Indigenous societies that occupied the central California coast.

Identifying Key Environmental Drivers of Reach‐Scale Salmonid eDNA Recovery With Random Forest

ABSTRACTEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) sampling from rivers has emerged as a promising new method for monitoring freshwater organisms of management concern. However, eDNA sampling cannot yet offer reliable estimates of a target species' abundance/biomass or confident determinations of a species' absence from a river segment. To unlock these abilities—and thereby greatly improve eDNA as a tool for management decision‐making—the influence of local environmental factors on eDNA fate must be better understood. At nine river sites across the central California coast, we added a known quantity of novel eDNA (Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis) and collected eDNA at sequential downstream distances for qPCR analysis. We then used random forest modeling to identify the most important environmental factors to reach‐scale (≤ 200 m) sampling outcomes and characterize salmonid eDNA fate. Our final model identified six factors important to sampling outcomes, including five environmental factors (discharge, local catchment calcium oxide content, average depth of the sampling cross‐section, presence of pools, and impervious cover of the watershed) and one factor regarding our experimental design (the number of qPCR technical replicates). Our results highlight the notable effects of cross‐sectional area, turbulence, and catchment geology on eDNA fate, and we suggest the discharge and presence of pools as useful proxies for evaluating a site's favorability for eDNA recovery.

Will there be water? Climate change, housing needs, and future water demand in California

Climate change in California is expected to alter future water availability, impacting water supplies needed to support future housing growth and agriculture demand. In groundwater-dependent regions like California's Central Coast, new land-use related water demand and decreasing recharge is already stressing depleted groundwater basins. We developed a spatially explicit state-and-transition simulation model that integrates climate, land-use change, water demand, and groundwater gain-loss to examine the impact of future climate and land use change on groundwater balance and water demand in five counties along the Central Coast from 2010 to 2060. The model incorporated downscaled groundwater recharge projections based on a Warm/Wet and a Hot/Dry climate future from a spatially explicit hydrological process-based model. Two urbanization projections from a parcel-based, regional urban growth model representing 1) recent historical and 2) state-mandated housing growth projections were used as alternative spatial targets for future urban growth. Agricultural projections were based on recent historical trends from remote sensing data. Annual projected changes in groundwater balance were calculated as the difference between land-use related water demand, based on historical estimates, and climate-driven recharge plus agriculture return flows. Results indicate that future changes in climate-driven groundwater recharge, coupled with cumulative increases in agricultural water demand, result in overall declines in future groundwater balance, with a Hot/Dry future resulting in cumulative groundwater decline in all but Santa Cruz County. Cumulative declines by 2060 are especially prominent in San Luis Obispo (−2.9 to −5.1 Bm3) and Monterey counties (−6.5 to −8.7 Bm3), despite limited changes in agricultural water demand over the model period. These two counties show declining groundwater reserves in a Warm/Wet future as well, while San Benito and Santa Barbara County barely reach equilibrium. These results suggest future groundwater supplies may not be able to keep pace with regional demand and declining climate-driven recharge, resulting in a potential reduction in water security in the region. However, our county-scale projections showed new housing and associated water demand does not conflict with California's groundwater sustainability goals. Rather, future climate coupled with increasing agricultural groundwater demand may reduce water security in some counties, potentially limiting available groundwater supplies for new housing.

Community gardens support high levels of food production, but benefit distribution is uneven across the gardener community

AbstractUrban community gardens are important social–ecological systems from which urban citizens receive many benefits. In this study of 18 urban community gardens in the Central Coast of California, USA, we use a combination of gardener surveys and field-based measurements to evaluate the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables produced by gardeners. We then investigate how food production differed between segments of the gardening population, specifically as a function of gardening experience, time spent in gardens, and food security status. Lastly, we ask gardeners to describe their motivations for gardening to better understand how motivations may relate to individual levels of food production. Thirty-eight percent of gardeners estimate harvesting one to five pounds of food per week, with another 26% estimating six to ten pounds. These estimates were corroborated by field measurements of tomato, squash, and pepper cultivation, where gardeners produced, at the height of the harvest season, an average of four pounds of food per week—an estimated savings of ~ $16USD per week (compared to the cost of local organic fruits and vegetables, June 2023 prices). Regarding the ability of community gardens to reduce food insecurity, gardeners who spent more time in the garden and with higher incomes reported higher food security, while those with larger families or lower incomes were more food insecure. These results show that gardeners in most need of food support were not necessarily the ones cultivating the most fruits and vegetables. While 48% of gardeners reported food cultivation as a primary motivator for gardening, many other motivations (e.g., hobby, being outdoors, relaxation, social interaction, and exercise) were identified as reasons to spend time in the garden, indicating that food production is not the only factor motivating gardeners. Overall, we document that community gardens can be highly productive and provide valuable produce that substantially offsets high fresh food costs; however, gardeners with the greatest food needs are currently not the largest producers, but could benefit from additional resources and support.

Patchiness of plankton communities at fronts explained by Lagrangian history of upwelled water parcels

AbstractThe transport of plankton by highly dynamic (sub)mesoscale currents—often associated with fronts and eddies—shapes the structure of plankton communities on the same time scales as biotic processes, such as growth and predation (days–weeks). The resulting biophysical couplings generate heterogeneities in their finescale distributions (1–10 km), or “patchiness.” Here, we test the hypothesis that cross‐frontal plankton patchiness at a front found 200–250 km offshore in the California Current System was influenced by wind‐driven upwelling conditions upstream of the front. We show that in situ Eulerian measurements (cross‐frontal transects) can be interpreted in a Lagrangian framework by using satellite‐derived current velocities to trace water parcels backward in time to their coastal origins. We find that the majority of the water parcels sampled at this front originated along the central California coast during different episodic wind‐driven upwelling pulses and followed various trajectories before converging temporarily at the front. In response to nutrient injections at the coast, plankton communities transformed during their journeys from the coast to the sampling zone, with a succession of phytoplankton and zooplankton blooms. The cross‐frontal sampling captured the convergence of these distinct water parcels at different points in their biological histories, which resulted in the observed spatial patchiness. Our results suggest that identifying the processes controlling frontal plankton communities requires understanding them in the context of their spatial and temporal histories. In particular, Lagrangian approaches should be more widely applied to understand critical ecological patterns in highly dynamic systems.

A Fresh Take: Seasonal Changes in Terrestrial Freshwater Inputs Impact Salt Marsh Hydrology and Vegetation Dynamics

Salt marshes exist at the terrestrial-marine interface, providing important ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Tidal inputs play a dominant role in salt marsh porewater mixing, and terrestrially derived freshwater inputs are increasingly recognized as important sources of water and solutes to intertidal wetlands. However, there remains a critical gap in understanding the role of freshwater inputs on salt marsh hydrology, and how this may impact marsh subsurface salinity and plant productivity. Here, we address this knowledge gap by examining the hydrologic behavior, porewater salinity, and pickleweed (Sarcocornia pacifica also known as Salicornia pacifica) plant productivity along a salt marsh transect in an estuary along the central coast of California. Through the installation of a suite of hydrometric sensors and routine porewater sampling and vegetation surveys, we sought to understand how seasonal changes in terrestrial freshwater inputs impact salt marsh ecohydrologic processes. We found that salt marsh porewater salinity, shallow subsurface saturation, and pickleweed productivity are closely coupled with elevated upland water level during the winter and spring, and more influenced by tidal inputs during the summer and fall. This seasonal response indicates a switch in salt marsh hydrologic connectivity with the terrestrial upland that impacts ecosystem functioning. Through elucidating the interannual impacts of drought on salt marsh hydrology, we found that the severity of drought and historical precipitation can impact contemporary hydrologic behavior and the duration and timing of the upland-marsh hydrologic connectivity. This implies that the sensitivity of salt marshes to climate change involves a complex interaction between sea level rise and freshwater inputs that vary at seasonal to interannual timescales.

Geologic and Tectonic Controls on Deep Fracturing, Weathering, and Water Flow in the Central California Coast Range

AbstractThe creation of fractures in bedrock dictates water movement through the critical zone, controlling weathering, vadose zone water storage, and groundwater recharge. However, quantifying connections between fracturing, water flow, and chemical weathering remains challenging because of limited access to the deep critical zone. Here we overcome this challenge by coupling measurements from borehole drilling, groundwater monitoring, and seismic refraction surveys in the central California Coast Range. Our results show that the subsurface is highly fractured, which may be driven by the regional geologic and tectonic setting. The pervasively fractured rock facilitates infiltration of meteoric water down to a water table that aligns with oxidation in exhumed rock cores and is coincident with the adjacent intermittent first‐order stream channel. This work highlights the need to incorporate deep water flow and weathering due to pervasive fracturing into models of catchment water balances and critical zone weathering, especially in tectonically active landscapes.

Post‐Fire Sediment Yield From a Central California Watershed: Field Measurements and Validation of the WEPP Model

AbstractIn a warming climate, an intensifying fire regime and higher likelihood of extreme rain are expected to increase watershed sediment yield in many regions. Understanding regional variability in landscape response to fire and post‐fire rainfall is essential for managing water resources and infrastructure. We measured sediment yield resulting from sequential wildfire and extreme rain and flooding in the upper Carmel River watershed (116 km2), on the central California coast, USA, using changes in sediment volume mapped in a reservoir. We determined that the sediment yield after fire and post‐fire flooding was 854–1,100 t/km2/yr, a factor of 3.5–4.6 greater than the long‐term yield from this watershed and more than an order of magnitude greater than during severe drought conditions. In this first large‐scale field validation test of the WEPPcloud/wepppy framework for the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model on a burned landscape, WEPP predicted 81%–106% of the measured sediment yield. These findings will facilitate assessing and predicting future fire effects in steep watersheds with a Mediterranean climate and indicate that the increasingly widespread use of WEPP is appropriate for evaluating post‐fire hillslope erosion even across 100‐km2 scales under conditions without debris flows.

Aspect Differences in Vegetation Type Drive Higher Evapotranspiration on a Pole‐Facing Slope in a California Oak Savanna

AbstractQuantifying evapotranspiration (ET) is critical to accurately predict vegetation health, groundwater recharge, and streamflow generation. Hillslope aspect, the direction a hillslope faces, results in variable incoming solar radiation and subsequent vegetation water use that drive ET. Previous work in watersheds with a single dominant vegetation type (e.g., trees) have shown that equator‐facing slopes (EFS) have higher ET compared to pole‐facing slopes (PFS) due to higher evaporative demand. However, it remains unclear how differences in vegetation type (i.e., grasses and trees) influence ET and water partitioning between hillslopes with opposing aspects. Here, we quantified ET and root‐zone water storage deficits between a PFS and EFS with contrasting vegetation types within central coastal California. Our results suggest that the cooler PFS with oak trees has higher ET than the warmer EFS with grasses, which is counter to previous work in landscapes with a singule dominant vegetation type. Our root‐zone water storage deficit calculations indicate that the PFS has a higher subsurface storage deficit and a larger seasonal dry down than the EFS. This aspect difference in subsurface water storage deficits may influence the subsequent replenishment of dynamic water storage, groundwater recharge and streamflow generation. In addition, larger subsurface water deficits on PFS may reduce their ability to serve as hydrologic refugia for oaks during multi‐year droughts. This research provides a novel integration of field‐based and remotely‐sensed estimates of ET required to properly quantify hillslope‐scale water balances. These findings emphasize the importance of resolving hillslope‐scale vegetation structure within Earth system models, especially in landscapes with diverse vegetation types.

Physiological sensitivities to hypoxia differ between co-occurring juvenile flatfishes

Coastal hypoxia threatens estuarine nursery habitat for juvenile demersal fishes worldwide, and is expected to intensify with climate change. This study examines the physiological tolerances of hypoxia in two ecologically and economically important flatfish species that co-occur in a highly eutrophic estuary and biodiversity hotspot on California's central coast, the Elkhorn Slough. Juveniles of English sole (Parophrys vetulus) occur less frequently in areas of the slough where dissolved oxygen (DO) ≤ 4.0 mg/L O2 compared to speckled sanddabs (Citharichthys stigmaeus), suggesting that English sole may be more sensitive to hypoxia. We exposed both species to an ecologically relevant, acute six-hour exposure to six DO levels ranging from ambient to severely hypoxic: 8.0, 6.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, and 1.5 mg/L O2 and measured known physiological and biochemical indicators of hypoxia stress. As DO declined, metabolic rate and aerobic scope decreased for English sole, while anaerobic activity (measured by L-lactate) and ventilation rate increased for both species. Biochemical responses to hypoxia were observed only at very low DO levels (≤ 4.0 mg/L O2), indicating that both species appear to have a higher tolerance for relatively short-term hypoxia than other teleost fishes. Speckled sanddabs increased ventilation rate and anaerobic activity at higher DO levels than English sole, suggesting that earlier onset of compensatory mechanisms may contribute to the greater relative hypoxia tolerance in sanddabs. Examining the link between physiological and ecological thresholds for hypoxia tolerance will help determine suitable nursery habitat areas and management targets for estuarine restoration, and aid in predictions of fishery success under eutrophication and climate change.

The reference genome of an endangered Asteraceae, Deinandra increscens subsp. villosa, endemic to the Central Coast of California.

We present a reference genome for the federally endangered Gaviota tarplant, Deinandra increscens subsp. villosa (Madiinae, Asteraceae), an annual herb endemic to the Central California coast. Generating PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and Dovetail Omni-C data, we assembled a haploid consensus genome of 1.67 Gb as 28.7 K scaffolds with a scaffold N50 of 74.9 Mb. We annotated repeat content in 74.8% of the genome. Long terminal repeats (LTRs) covered 44.0% of the genome with Copia families predominant at 22.9% followed by Gypsy at 14.2%. Both Gypsy and Copia elements were common in ancestral peaks of LTRs, and the most abundant element was a Gypsy element containing nested Copia/Angela sequence similarity, reflecting a complex evolutionary history of repeat activity. Gene annotation produced 33,257 genes and 68,942 transcripts, of which 99% were functionally annotated. BUSCO scores for the annotated proteins were 96.0% complete of which 77.6% was single copy and 18.4% duplicates. Whole genome duplication synonymous mutation rates of Gaviota tarplant and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) shared peaks that correspond to the last Asteraceae polyploidization event and subsequent divergence from a common ancestor at ∼27 MYA. Regions of high-density tandem genes were identified, pointing to potentially important loci of environmental adaptation in this species.

Effect of Cap Management Frequency on the Phenolic, Chromatic, and Sensory Composition of Cabernet Sauvignon Wines from the Central Coast of California over Two Vintages.

Cabernet Sauvignon from the California Paso Robles AVA was processed with a contrasting array of cap management frequencies, consisting of punch-down (PD) frequencies (0, 1, 2, and 3 PD/day) over two vintages, one of which the fruit was harvested at two contrasting maturity levels. Wines followed with up to 3 years of bottle aging for basic and phenolic chemistry, and the wines of the second harvest of 2020 were submitted to sensory analysis. There were almost non-existent effects due to the frequency of punch downs on parameters such as ethanol, pH, titratable acidity, lactic acid, and glucose + fructose. In 2019, the chromatic differences between different PD regimes were subtle, and minor effects of the punch-down frequency were observed for tannins and total phenolics. During the early stages of alcoholic fermentation, higher levels of all anthocyanin classes were observed in 1 PD wines and the lowest levels in 0 PD wines. The anthocyanin content of the wines of the first harvest (unripe) was 27% higher than that of the wines of the second harvest (ripe), but these differences disappeared after 3 years of bottle aging irrespective of the vintage and harvest date. Acylated anthocyanins were preferentially lost during aging, especially in 2019 wines and, to a lesser extent, in 2020 wines. In 2020, the polymeric pigment content of the wines of the second harvest was higher than in the wines of the first harvest, with 3 PD wines showing higher polymeric pigments and yellow hues than 0 and 2 PD wines after 3 years of bottle aging. Sensory analysis of the second harvest of the 2020 wines showed that the wines of all four PD regimes were perceived as drying, signifying they were perceived as equally astringent, which is consistent with comparable tannin levels on said wines. The perception of bitterness increased with the frequency of punch downs; thus, 3 PD wines showed the highest bitterness perception. It was concluded that in sufficiently warm fermentations and small volumes, phenolic extraction occurs regardless of fruit maturity and under conditions of minimum mixing.

The Dolan Fire of Central Coastal California: Burn Severity Estimates from Remote Sensing and Associations with Environmental Factors

In 2020, wildfires scarred over 4,000,000 hectares in the western United States, devastating urban populations and ecosystems alike. The significant impact that wildfires have on plants, animals, and human environments makes wildfire adaptation, management, and mitigation strategies a critical task. This study uses satellite imagery from Landsat to calculate burn severity and map the fire progression for the Dolan Fire of central Coastal California which occurred in August 2020. Several environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, fuel type, topography, surface conditions, and wind velocity, are known to affect wildfire spread and burn severity. The aim of this study is the investigation of the relationship between these environmental factors, estimates of burn severity, and fire spread patterns. Burn severity is calculated and classified using the Difference in Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) before being displayed as a time series of maps. The Dolan Fire had a moderate severity burn with an average dNBR of 0.292. The ignition site location, when paired with the patterns of fire spread, is consistent with wind speed and direction data, suggesting fire movement to the southeast of the fire ignition site. Patterns of increased burn severity are compared with both topography (slope and aspect) and fuel type. Locations that were found to be more susceptible to high burn severity featured Long Needle Timber Litter and Mature Timber fuels, intermediate slope angles between 15 and 35°, and north- and east-facing slopes. This study has implications for the future predictive modeling of wildfires that may serve to develop wildfire mitigation strategies, manage climate change impacts, and protect human lives.

Developing agricultural pest management strategies with reduced-risks to surface water: An economic case study of California's Central Coast region

Pesticides are critical for protecting agricultural crops, but the off-site transport of these materials via spray drift and runoff poses risks to surface waters and aquatic life. California's Central Coast region is a major agricultural hub in the United States characterized by year-round production and intensive use of pesticides and other chemical inputs. As a result, the quality of many waterbodies in the region has been degraded. A recent regulatory program enacted by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board set new pesticide limits for waterways and imposed enhanced enforcement mechanisms to help ensure that water quality targets are met by specific dates. This regulatory program, however, does not mandate specific changes to pest management programs. In this study, we evaluate the economic, environmental, and pest management impacts of adopting two alternative pest management programs with reduced risks to surface water: 1) replacing currently used insecticide active ingredients (AIs) that pose the greatest risk to surface water with lower-risk alternatives and 2) converting conventional arthropod pest management programs to organic ones. We utilize pesticide use and toxicity data from California's Department of Pesticide Regulation to develop our baseline and two alternative scenarios. We focus on three crop groups (cole crops, lettuce and strawberry) due to their economic importance to the Central Coast and use of high-risk AIs. For Scenario 1, we estimate that implementing the alternative program in the years 2017–2019 would have reduced annual net returns on average by $90.26 – $190.54/ha, depending on the crop. Increased material costs accounted for the greatest share of this effect (71.9%–95.6%). In contrast, Scenario 2 would have reduced annual net returns on average by $5,628.12 – $18,708.28/ha during the study period, with yield loss accounting for the greatest share (92.8–97.9%). Both alternative programs would have reduced the associated toxic units by at least 98.1% compared to the baseline scenario. Our analysis provides important guidance for policymakers and agricultural producers looking to achieve environmental protection goals while minimizing economic impacts.

Shifts in host–parasitoid networks across community garden management and urban landscape gradients

AbstractBiological pest control relies on interactions between herbivores and their natural enemies. Maintaining this ecosystem service requires considering herbivore and natural enemy interactions and their response to anthropogenic change at multiple scales. In this study, we used ecological networks to quantify the network structure of interactions between herbivorous insects and their parasitoids. We examined how herbivore host abundance, parasitism rates, and shifts in network structure relate to changes in local habitat management and landscape context. We sampled herbivores and parasitoids in Brassica oleracea plants at 22 urban gardens in the Central Coast of California. At each site, we measured local management characteristics (e.g., vegetation, ground cover, canopy cover) and quantified surrounding landscape composition (e.g., urban, natural, open, and agricultural cover). For the eight sites with large enough networks, we calculated three network structure metrics (interaction richness, vulnerability, and functional complementarity). We then used generalized linear and mixed models to examine relationships between herbivore host abundance, parasitism rates, garden management and landscape characteristics, and network metrics. We found that both local management and landscape composition influenced parasitism, while only local factors affected host abundance and network structure. Higher network interaction richness was marginally associated with enhanced parasitism rates for two host species and lower parasitism rates for one host species. Our results suggest that local garden management decisions may shift the structure of host–parasitoid networks, which may subsequently affect host parasitism rates, but outcomes for biological pest control will likely vary across host species.

Diverse habitats shape the movement ecology of a top marine predator, the white shark Carcharodon carcharias

AbstractAn animal's movement is influenced by a plethora of internal and external factors, leading to individual‐ and habitat‐specific movement characteristics. This plasticity is thought to allow individuals to exploit diverse environments efficiently. We tested whether the movement characteristics of white sharks Carcharodon carcharias differ across ontogeny and among habitats along the coast of Central California. In doing so, we elucidate how changes in internal state (physiological changes coinciding with body size) and external environments (differing seascapes and/or diel phases) shape the movement of this globally distributed predator. Twenty‐one white sharks, from small juveniles to large adults, were equipped with motion‐sensitive biologging tags at four contrasting seascapes: two islands, a headland, and an inshore cove. From multisensor biologging data, 20 metrics characterizing movement (i.e., depth use, vertical velocities, activity, turning rates, and bursting events) were derived and subjected to multivariate analyses. Movement characteristics were most different across seascapes, followed by ontogeny and diel phase. Juvenile sharks, which were only encountered at the cove, displayed the most distinct movement characteristics. Sharks at this seascape remained close to the shore traveling over smaller areas, shallower depth ranges, and with lower levels of tail beat frequencies, when corrected for size, than sub‐adult and adult sharks tagged elsewhere. Distinct tortuous daytime versus linear nighttime horizontal movements were recorded from sharks at island seascapes but not from those at the headland or inshore cove. At the offshore islands, the linear nighttime swimming patterns coincided with repeated dives to and from deeper water. The availability of prey and access to deeper water are likely drivers of the differences in movement characteristics described, with varying demographics of pinniped prey found at the subadult and adult aggregation areas and juvenile sharks being piscivorous and their habitat neither adjacent to pinniped haul out areas nor deeper water. This study demonstrates plasticity in the movements of a top predator, which adapts its routine to suit the habitat it forages within.

Participation in collaborative fisheries research improves the perceptions of recreational anglers towards marine protected areas

Collaborative fisheries research programs engage stakeholders in data collection efforts, often with the benefit of increasing transparency about the status and management of natural resources. These programs are particularly important in marine systems, where management of recreational and commercial fisheries have historically been contentious. One such program is the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP), which was designed in 2006 to engage recreational anglers in the scientific process and evaluate the efficacy of California’s network of marine protected areas. CCFRP began on the Central Coast of California and expanded statewide in 2017 to include six partner institutions in three regions: Northern, Central, and Southern California. To date, over 2,000 volunteer anglers have participated in the program, with many anglers volunteering for multiple years. However, the impacts of outreach, education, and collaborative research on those anglers at the statewide scale are currently unknown. Thus, the objective of the current study was to survey the statewide pool of volunteer anglers to assess the degree to which participation in CCFRP has influenced angler perceptions of MPAs, fisheries management, and conservation. We received 259 completed surveys out of a pool of 1,386 active anglers, equating to an 18.7% response rate. Participation in CCFRP resulted in a significant, positive impact on anglers’ attitudes towards MPAs in California across all regions. Anglers who participated in six or more CCFRP fishing trips had a more positive perception of MPAs than those who participated in fewer trips. Volunteer anglers across all regions perceived that they caught larger fishes, a higher abundance of fishes, and a greater diversity of species inside MPAs, consistent with the ecological findings of the program. These results highlight the benefits of involving community members in collaborative scientific research. Collaboration between researchers and the broader community increases transparency and trust between stakeholders, and results in greater understanding of natural resource dynamics, ultimately producing better management outcomes.

Youth Are the Experts! Youth Participatory Action Research to Address the Adolescent Mental Health Crisis.

Adolescent mental health is an urgent global public health issue. Youth participatory action research is an effective strategy to amplify youth voices and can serve as a catalyst for evidence-based action addressing the mental health crisis. To illustrate the benefits of youth participatory action research for informing community health, we describe an ongoing collaboration with a youth council located in the central coast of California, USA. Research methods included an anonymous online self-report survey to gather information about the mental health of high school students in 2020 (n = 176) and 2022 (n = 234), 93% Latinx/Mexican American. Both surveys included a four-item patient health questionnaire to screen for depression and anxiety risk, in addition to scaled and open-ended survey questions selected by the youth leaders based on their research questions. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated a significant but small decrease in mental health risk, and a continued need for resources to access mental health support. Results led to community-based action aimed at improving local youth mental health. The interdisciplinary research team (psychology and public health) and youth leaders share reflections highlighting the innovative, empowering, and transformative impact of youth participatory action research as a tool for improving community health.