Effects of hydroclimatic extremes on vernal pool seedbank viability
Albert Ruhi Vidal, Professor
Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Applications for Spring 2025 are closed for this project.
In seasonal wetlands like vernal pools, the hydroperiod fundamentally influences community composition and structure. Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that are wet during the fall and winter, and dry during the spring and summer. They support many endemic plant and animal species, many of which are listed as federally threatened and endangered. Over 90% of California’s vernal pool systems have been lost, and are continuing to decline from anthropogenic and natural disturbances.
Hydroperiod characteristics such as length and depth are directly correlated to precipitation amount (or mean annual precipitation). Changes in precipitation patterns, driven by climate change, threaten hydroperiod stability creating major consequences for plants and animals that rely on the annual cycles of flooding and desiccation. Annual flood events and inundation act as an environmental cue for plants to germinate and invertebrates to break dormancy. Survival mechanisms such as dormancy and bet-hedging play a key role in maintaining species’ populations, allowing them to withstand the extremities of the wet and dry phases.
The aim of this study is to evaluate how increasingly-variable hydroperiods alter (1) seedbank viability and persistence and (2) resulting changes in community composition and structure. A mesocosm experiment will be conducted in the Oxford Tract greenhouse to evaluate changes and differences in plant and invertebrate community composition and structure.
Role: We are seeking highly motivated students who are interested in surveying and identifying plants and aquatic invertebrates (e.g., fairy shrimp, insects, etc.) developing in the experimental vernal pools. Specimens collected will be taken to the Ruhi lab for identification and sorting using a microscope. This project will help build knowledge of ecological research methods, including experimental design, sample processing, and data analysis.
Qualifications: No prior experience is required. However, skills or coursework in aquatic ecology, botany, entomology, hydrology, or field research techniques are advantageous and should be mentioned in the application. Students should be able to commit to working 6-8 hours in the greenhouse or lab each week, in a consistent manner - the specific time slot can be determined based on mutual availability.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Jasmine Rios, Graduate Student
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Off-Campus Research Site: Oxford Tract Greenhouses
Related website: https://nature.berkeley.edu/ruhilab/
Environmental Issues Biological & Health Sciences Engineering, Design & Technologies