The tiny mosses that glue desert soils together spend the majority of their days dormant—the better to withstand a harsh environment. Yet within seconds of absorbing water, the crumbly wisps of brown green up in a frenzy of photosynthetic activity. How these hardy desert residents withstand the harsh UV rays of the sun while essentially […]
Mathias Graduate Student Research Grants
Role of honey bees in ecosystem pollination
by Mario Aguilera, UC San Diego An unprecedented study integrating data from around the globe has shown that honey bees are the world’s most important single species of pollinator in natural ecosystems and a key contributor to natural ecosystem functions. The first quantitative analysis of its kind, led by biologists at the University of California […]
From buzz pollination to seal bones: the 2017-18 Mathias Grant awards
Does the personality of a ground squirrel affect its foraging style? Which microbes live in harvester ant guts? What drives the production of Daphnia “superfleas” ? University of California graduate students aim to answer these natural mysteries and more with funding from the UC Natural Reserve System’s 2017-18 Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grant […]
Apply for a 2017–18 Mathias Grant
The UC Natural Reserve System is accepting applications for its 2017–2018 Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grants. The program supports research by UC graduate students at one or more of the 39 NRS reserves. Graduate students from any UC campus are welcome to apply. This year, the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program is supporting […]
UC Natural Reserve System Celebrates 50 Years
California is a wonderland of natural riches. Its boundaries include wave-tossed shorelines, sere deserts, snowy mountaintops, and timeless oak savannas. California has the world’s most massive trees, its oldest living organisms, the highest and lowest elevations in the lower 48 states, and the largest population in the nation. The UC Natural Reserve System helps California […]
2014-15 Mathias Grants awarded
Sixteen University of California graduate students have been awarded 2014-15 Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grants from the UC Natural Reserve System. The students, from six different UC campuses, received up to $3,000 to fund field projects at 22 different NRS reserves. Virtually all of this year’s successful proposals will study ecology, evolution, or […]
Drying Sierra meadows could worsen drought
By Susan Suleiman, UC Newsroom Carpeting the high valleys of Yosemite and other parts of the Sierra Nevada, mountain meadows are more than an iconic part of the California landscape. The roughly 17,000 high altitude meadows help regulate the release of Sierra snow melt into rivers and streams. But climate change and California’s severe drought […]
Apply for a 2014-2015 Mathias Grant
The UC Natural Reserve System is accepting applications for its 2014-2015 Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grant. The grant supports research by UC graduate students at one or more of the 39 NRS reserves. Graduate students from any general UC campus are welcome to apply. Each award can total up to $3,000. A maximum […]