Hastings Natural History Reservation Research Articles

“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 By weaving archaeology, ethnobotany, ethnohistory, historical documents, ethnography, and Indigenous knowledge, this project documents the critical role of maintaining a connection to cultural landscapes despite three successive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.

First North American Record of the Palearctic Microplax albofasciata (Costa) (Hemiptera: Lygaeoidea: Oxycarenidae)

Abstract Microplax albofasciata (Costa), a Palearctic (mainly Mediterranean) species of the small family Oxycarenidae, is reported from California as the first record for the New World. Adults of this little-known lygaeoid bug were found in 2012 and 2013 at the Hastings Natural History Reservation in northern Monterey County. It is suggested that this immigrant heteropteran arrived from the Mediterranean Basin in shipments of ceramic tiles (or quarry products) and that California’s similar Mediterranean climate aided its establishment. A diagnosis, description, and illustrations are provided to facilitate the recognition of M. albofasciata in the Nearctic Region.

A Sanctuary for Science: The Hastings Natural History Reservation and the Origins of the University of California’s Natural Reserve System

In 1937 Joseph Grinnell founded the University of California's (U.C.) first biological field station, the Hastings Natural History Reservation. Hastings became a center for field biology on the West Coast, and by 1960 it was serving as a model for the creation of additional U.C. reserves. Today, the U.C. Natural Reserve System (NRS) is the largest and most diverse network of university-based biological field stations in the world, with 36 sites covering more than 135,000 acres. This essay examines the founding of the Hastings Reservation, and asks how it managed to grow and develop, in the 1940s and 1950s, during a time of declining support for natural history research. It shows how faculty and staff courted the support of key institutional allies, presented themselves as the guardians of a venerable tradition in nature study, and emphasized the station's capacity to document ecological change and inform environmental policy and management. In the years since, Hastings and other U.C. reserves have played crucial roles in California environmental politics. Biological field stations in the post-war era deserve more attention not only from historians of biology, but also from environmental historians and other scholars interested in the role of science in society.

Long‐Term Patterns in Coastal California Grasslands in Relation to Cultivation, Gophers, and Grazing

Grasslands at the Hastings Natural History Reservation (HNHR) and in adjacent Santa Lucia coastal range of Monterey County, California were sampled from 1971 to 1991. Grasslands on HNHR showed two distinct and stable associations: stands with and without historical cultivation (≈ 1865‐1937$). Relict stands dominated by native, perennial grasses (e.g., Nassella pulchra, Poa secunda) are limited to uncultivated, steeper stands, often where soils have more clay. Abandoned agricultural fields have stable compositions dominated by Avena fatua, Bromus mollis, B. diandrus, Erodium spp., Hypochaeris glabra, Vulpia spp., Eremocarpus setigerus, and Amsinckia spp. Patterns in species composition were associated with gradients in soil texture, gopher abundance, and slope. Gophers provide a significant and continuous source of soil disturbance and may slow successional processes in old fields. Where gophers are excluded, aboveground biomass accumulates. Germination and establishment of native perennial grasses (compared to introduced, annual grasses) are reduced on gopher tailings in old fields. Species composition patterns reflecting past cultivation on both grazed and ungrazed stands are apparent. Relict (uncultivated) stands of native grasses persist under many historical levels of grazing. Effects of grazing are often only seen on old fields, and not on relict grasslands. Compared to stands where grazing was removed in 1937, stands currently or recently grazed by cattle show higher soil nitrogen, but reductions in cover of gopher tailings, species diversity, soil phosphate, and sulphate.

An Experimental Test of Offspring Recognition in Western Bluebirds

An Experimental Test of Offspring Recognition in Western Bluebirds

Social organization and nest co-occupancy in Peromyscus californicus, a monogamous rodent

Home ranges, social organization, and nest co-occupancy of Peromyscus californicus were studied using radiotelemetry at the Hastings Natural History Reservation, California. Mated pairs were ascertained by the transfer of fluorescent pigments from lactating females to putative fathers. Mated pairs had largely overlapping home ranges that were not statistically distinguishable, whereas adjacent adults had mostly exclusive, statistically distinguishable home ranges. There was no difference in the mean home range of males and females, but mated females tended to have smaller ranges than their mate. Home range size was extremely variable (range: 150–3788 m2) and averaged 1161 m2 across all individuals. Male home range size was inversely correlated with population density, suggestive of a social influence on home range. Putative fathers spent comparable amounts of time to females in the nest — presumably caring for the young — which supports previous laboratory reports of paternal care in this species. All data collected in this study are consistent with previous suggestions that P. californicus live in semi-permanent family groups and are monogamous.

MICROSPATIAL GENETIC HETEROGENEITY IN POCKET GOPHERS: NON-RANDOM BREEDING AND DRIFT.

In the absence of selection, the genetic structure of populations will reflect the interaction of population size, amount of gene exchange, and breeding patterns. Populations characterized by high gene flow and random mating will be much less structured than those in which the reverse conditions hold. Thus, it will be in those species that are subdivided into small, discrete breeding units, or demes, that genetic drift and demic extinction can serve as strong evolutionary forces. If demes are sufficiently small and temporally closed, sampling error can override all but the strongest selection regimes (see, for example, Wright, 1931, 1969; Kimura, 1955). Moreover, local extinctions, while they may enhance the probability of drift by increasing the likelihood of inbreeding within surviving demes, may also act to maintain genetic heterogeneity among subdivisions of a population (Wright, 1940). Examples of species with highly structured populations in which the structure results, at least in part, from small population size and constraints to movement due to social factors and/or inherently low vagility include house mice (Petras, 1967; Selander, 1970; but see Baker, 1981) and land snails (Selander and Kaufman, 1975; Jones et al., 1977). Pocket gophers of the North American rodent family Geomyidae provide an example of how population size, local differential selection pressures, and genetic drift can interact to form populations highly structured on both a local and regional level. The Thomomys bottae complex is comprised of more than 200 described races (Hall and Kelson, 1959), based primarily on adaptive color variation and body size, and exhibits a concomitantly greater degree of chromosomal variability than any other known mammal (Patton, 1972). While selection regimes may be partly responsible for this variation (i.e., local cryptic matching of pelage color and soil color), the general biological attributes of gophers which stem from their fossorial habitus (such as low vagility, male and female exclusive territories, relatively low population densities, and patchy distribution) provide substrates for the action of stochastic factors in population divergence (Patton, 1972; Penney and Zimmerman, 1976). Indeed, in recent summaries of macrogeographic patterns in genic (=electromorphic) variability in this complex, the major determinants of within and between population variability were hypothesized to be gene flow and the temporal stability of populations (Patton and Yang, 1977; Patton and Feder, 1978). In order to further understand both the extent and controlling factors of among population heterogeneity, the genetic structure of pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae) populations has been examined in detail at Hastings Natural History Reservation, Carmel Valley, California, using electrophoretic techniques. At this site, gophers are generally confined to grassland fields of small size, varyingly isolated from one another by road cuts, stream courses, or patches of vegetation largely uninhabited by gophers (Fig. 1). Densities of animals in this area are moderate to high and no human-induced perturbations

White-Tailed Kite Predation on a Fluctuating Vole Population

White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus) are obligate predators of diurnal small mammals (Waian and Stendell, Calif. Fish & Game 56:188, 1970). Brown and Amadon (Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World, vol. 1, Hamlyn House, Feltham, 414 p. 1968) indicate that movement and nesting of kites are governed to a considerable extent by concentrations of mice, usually voles. Throughout much of the kite's range in California, the vole (Microtus californicus) is the major prey species. Hawbecker (Condor 42:106, 1940) noted a correlation between the nesting of White-Tailed Kites and vole density and suggested that a high population of voles is necessary for successful nesting of kites. This note compares annual changes in food habits of WhiteTailed Kites with measured changes in the density of California voles in fields over which the kites were hunting. At Hastings Natural History Reservation in Monterey County, California, populations of small mammals have been censused during the summers of 1969, 1970, and 1971, by means of mark and recapture techniques. The Reservation is a mosaic of grassland, oak woodland, and chaparral. Microtus predominately utilize the grassland areas. Estimated vole densities are shown in table 1. Although only one field was censused accurately, search for runways and occasional trapping in all other suitable fields within a 2-mile radius of the kite roosting site indicated vole densities similar to those of the censused field. TABLE 2. Species composition (%) of prey in kite pellets, 1969-71.

Natural History of the Nuttall Woodpecker at the Hastings Reservation

Between 1954 and 1964, the late Alden H. Miller involved himself at irregular intervals in a field study of the Nuttall Woodpecker (Dendrocopos nuttallii) at the Hastings Natural History Reservation, Monterey County, California. I have attempted in this paper to present the results of this study, based upon Miller's partially analyzed data. I wish to thank John Davis for making available these data as well as pertinent field notes of other observers at the reservation. Among the latter, G. A. Bartholomew, H. Hjersman, J. T. Marshall, Jr., and especially T. Riney made extensive observations of local D. nuttallii. John Davis kindly read and criticized the original manuscript. Gene M. Christman prepared the illustration (fig. 1). CARL E. BOCK

Comparison of displays of the Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli) and other corvids

Several displays and mannerisms of free living Yellow-billed Magpies are described and compared with those of other corvids. The data were collected over a period of 4 years at the Hastings Natural History Reservation, Monterey County, California. Following a brief description of the annual cycle the paper describes and compares: aggressive behavior (Upright, fighting, Head-forward, displacement behavior, and behavior toward feathers), pair maintenance behavior (Allopreening, Billing, and Tugging), courtship behavior (Courtship feeding, Copulation), self-maintenance behavior (Sunbathing), appeasement behavior, and play behavior. The occurrence of these displays among corvids is summarized in Table 1. It is concluded that behaviorallyPica is not as close toCorvus as isGarrulus. It is suggested that in the phylogeny of the Corvidae the magpies diverged from the main line at an early time. The main line then split leading toCorvus andGarrulus.

Patterns of Singing in a Population of the Plain Titmouse

Journal Article Patterns of Singing in a Population of the Plain Titmouse Get access Keith L. Dixon Keith L. Dixon Department of Zoology Utah State University Logan, Utah 84321 and Hastings Natural History Reservation University of California Carmel Valley, California 93924 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Condor, Volume 71, Issue 2, 1 April 1969, Pages 94–101, https://doi.org/10.2307/1366070 Published: 01 April 1969

Goldfinches on the Hastings Natural History Reservation

Goldfinches on the Hastings Natural History Reservation

Study of the Wood Rat

The Dusky-footed Wood Rat A Record of Observations made on the Hastings Natural History Reservation. By Jean M. Linsdale and Lloyd P. Tevis Jr. Pp. x + 664. (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press; London: Cambridge University Press, 1951.) 56s. 6d. net.

The Dusky-Footed Wood Rat: A Record of Observations Made on the Hastings Natural History Reservation

The Dusky-Footed Wood Rat: A Record of Observations Made on the Hastings Natural History Reservation

The California Ground Sauirrel: A Record of Observations Made on the Hastings Natural History Reservation

The California Ground Sauirrel: A Record of Observations Made on the Hastings Natural History Reservation

The California Ground Squirrel

THE Californian ground squirrel, Citellus beecheyi (Richardson seems to have received more attention than any other wild animal in California, probably owing to the fact that cultivation is often followed by an enormous increase in its numbers. The observations recorded in the present work were made during the period October 1937–44, mainly on the Hastings Natural History Reservation, an area of grassland in Monterey County, California, ranging from about 1,500 to 2,750 ft. in height, and free from artificial disturbance. The author studied the habitat and general behaviour of this squirrel and devoted particular attention to the manner in which it adapts itself to changes in its environment. The California Ground Squirrel A Record of Observations made on the Hastings Natural History Reservation. By Jean M. Linsdale. Pp. xi + 475. (Berkeley and Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California Press; London: Cambridge University Press, 1946.) 5 dollars.

A New Anoplocephalid Cestode, Andrya neotomae, from the Wood Rat Neotoma fuscipes

Thirteen cestodes, which I am describing as Andrya neotomae n. sp., were collected on June 23, 1941, from the small intestine of a male Neotoma fuscipes caught at the Hastings Natural History Reservation, Monterey Co., California. The worms were fixed in formalin and stained with Ranvier's picro-carmine, Grenacher's borax carmine, or Ehrlich's haematoxylin. The author is indebted to Dr. Harold Kirby for helpful suggestions in the preparation of this paper, and to Dr. Jean M. Linsdale for lending the material from which this study was made.

Work with Vertebrate Animals on the Hastings Natural History Reservation

Opportunity came, in 1937, to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California, to undertake a kind of museum work new for it and to extend the scope of its program by establishing a field station. Here, many of the procedures and ideas resulting from the previous thirty years of its development might be applied and tested more intensively and possibly more effectively than by the conventianal methods of exploration in the field. Without in any way relaxing the pursuit of studies already in progress over a larger area, it was desirable to concentrate on the development of a continuous record of biotic changes on some restricted sample of ground.

The English Sparrow Has Arrived in Death Valley: An Experiment in Nature

Previous article FreeShorter Articles and DiscussionThe English Sparrow Has Arrived in Death Valley: An Experiment in NatureJoseph GrinnellJoseph Grinnell Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 53, Number 628Sep. - Oct., 1919 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/279725 Views: 155Total views on this site Citations: 18Citations are reported from Crossref PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Ayelet Shavit, James R. Griesemer Science and Sentiment: Grinnell’s Fact-Based Philosophy of Biodiversity Conservation, Journal of the History of Biology 51, no.22 (Sep 2017): 283–318.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-017-9489-4S. Andrew Inkpen Demarcating Nature, Defining Ecology: Creating a Rationale for the Study of Nature’s “Primitive Conditions”, Perspectives on Science 25, no.33 (May 2017): 355–392.https://doi.org/10.1162/POSC_a_00246Tomáš Václavík, Michael Beckmann, Anna F. Cord, Anja M. Bindewald, David A. Lightfoot Effects of UV-B radiation on leaf hair traits of invasive plants—Combining historical herbarium records with novel remote sensing data, PLOS ONE 12, no.44 (Apr 2017): e0175671.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175671Mary E. Sunderland Specimens and Collections, (Mar 2016): 488–499.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118620762.ch34Hannah L. Wood, Göran Nylund, Susanne P. Eriksson Physiological plasticity is key to the presence of the isopod Idotea baltica (Pallas) in the Baltic Sea, Journal of Sea Research 85 (Jan 2014): 255–262.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2013.05.009Janneke HilleRisLambers, Ailene K. Ettinger, Kevin R. Ford, David C. Haak, Micah Horwith, Brooks E. Miner, Haldre S. Rogers, Kimberly S. Sheldon, Joshua J. Tewksbury, Susan M. Waters, Sylvia Yang Accidental experiments: ecological and evolutionary insights and opportunities derived from global change, Oikos 122, no.1212 (Aug 2013): 1649–1661.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00698.xPeter S. Alagona A Sanctuary for Science: The Hastings Natural History Reservation and the Origins of the University of California’s Natural Reserve System, Journal of the History of Biology 45, no.44 (Aug 2011): 651–680.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-011-9298-0Louise A. McKenzie, Emma L. Johnston, Robert Brooks Using clones and copper to resolve the genetic architecture of metal tolerance in a marine invader, Ecology and Evolution 2, no.66 (May 2012): 1319–1329.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.241David A. Westcott, Cameron S. Fletcher Biological invasions and the study of vertebrate dispersal of plants: Opportunities and integration, Acta Oecologica 37, no.66 (Nov 2011): 650–656.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2011.04.007 Peter A. H. Westley What Invasive Species Reveal about the Rate and Form of Contemporary Phenotypic Change in Nature., The American Naturalist 177, no.44 (Jul 2015): 496–509.https://doi.org/10.1086/658902Trevor Pearce “A Great Complication of Circumstances” – Darwin and the Economy of Nature, Journal of the History of Biology 43, no.33 (Sep 2009): 493–528.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-009-9205-0George W. Gilchrist, Carol Eunmi Lee All stressed out and nowhere to go: does evolvability limit adaptation in invasive species?, Genetica 129, no.22 (Aug 2006): 127–132.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-006-9009-5M. J. Crawley ECOLOGY: Learning from the Aliens, Science 310, no.57485748 (Oct 2005): 623–624.https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1118216Robert E. Kohler Place and Practice in Field Biology, History of Science 40, no.22 (Jul 2016): 189–210.https://doi.org/10.1177/007327530204000204Richard F. Johnston, Robert K. Selander EVOLUTION IN THE HOUSE SPARROW. II. ADAPTIVE DIFFERENTIATION IN NORTH AMERICAN POPULATIONS, Evolution 25, no.11 (May 2017): 1–28.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1971.tb01855.xRichard F. Johnston, Robert K. Selander House Sparrows Rapid Evolution of Races in North America, (): 315–320.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-73412-5_19Richard F. Johnston, Robert K. Selander House Sparrows: Rapid Evolution of Races in North America, Science 144, no.36183618 (May 1964): 548–550.https://doi.org/10.1126/science.144.3618.548 John B. Calhoun The Role of Temperature and Natural Selection in Relation to the Variations in the Size of the English Sparrow in the United States, The American Naturalist 81, no.798798 (Sep 2015): 203–228.https://doi.org/10.1086/281513

Barriers to Distribution as Regards Birds and Mammals

Barriers to Distribution as Regards Birds and Mammals