Trends in Ecology and Evolution at University of California Olivia Daniels Department of Ecology and Evolution and Environmental Studies
Background • University of California; large public university system • What is the distribution of faculty in the broad disciplines of ecology and evolution? • Are data collected in lab or field? • Marine or terrestrial taxa/ecosystems investigated? • Where are field sites? • Are field sites aligned geographically with biodiversity hotspots?
Methods • UC undergraduate serving institutions (N = 9) • Information from department websites, faculty lab websites • Publications from the last 5 years • Z-tests in R to determine statistical differences between proportions studying: • ecology/ evolution/ both • lab/field/both • marine/ terrestrial
Results Proportion of UC faculty studying Proportion of UC faculty studying in the Ecology, Evolution, or both Field, Lab, or both * * * Study Location Data Site * * For all comparisons, z=1.96, p=0.05
Results Within UC’s: Proportion of Marine vs. Terrestrial Taxa Studied Terrestrial taxa or systems > marine taxa/systems Exception: Santa Barbara Across UC’s: Terrestrial taxa or systems > marine taxa/systems Exception: Santa Barbara
Results Based on Mining Websites and Recent Publications
Myers, Norman, Russell A. Mittermeier, Cristina G. Mittermeier, Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca, and Jennifer Kent. “Biodiversity Hotspots for Conservation Priorities.” Nature 403, no. 6772 (February 1, 2000): 853–58. https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501.
Conclusions and Future Directions • UC Faculty research span both Ecology and Evolution • Studies are largely conducted in both the field and lab • More focus on terrestrial taxa / systems • Research projects on every continent! • Future directions: • Investigate taxa and ecosystem diversity • Investigate research sites within California
Acknowledgements Thank you to Dr. Rita Mehta, the Mehta Lab, and Chris Wilmers for constructive feedback on parts of this thesis.
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