Phidiana hiltoni is a conspicuous nudibranch sea slug native to the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Over the past thirty years the range of P. hiltoni has expanded about 200 km northward, but the mechanism that facilitated this expansion is poorly understood. In this study, we use mtDNA and microsatellite data to investigate the population structure of P. hiltoni in its historical range as well as in recently colonized localities. Microsatellite analyses reveal little to no genetic structure and thus high gene flow throughout the range of P. hiltoni. This is consistent with mtDNA analysis results, which revealed shared haplotypes between Southern, Central and Northern populations. However, AMOVA of mtDNA data did recover some genetic structure among geographic regions. This, along with same group memberships in the microsatellite data of individuals from sites like Cave Landing, suggest a certain degree of local recruitment and reduced vagility. Recently established populations in Northern California contain two unique mtDNA haplotypes that are not present elsewhere, but microsatellite data do not differentiate these from other populations. The mismatch between mtDNA and microsatellite data could be explained by the mating system of this aggressive, hermaphroditic species as well as the sporadic nature of the northward dispersal. Analyses of historical abundance data of P. hiltoni suggest a population decline in Southern California. Together, these results suggest a northward population shift, rather than a range expansion, possibly related to ongoing changes in nearshore oceanographic conditions in the region.

Indian Knob Mountainbalm Eriodictyon altissimum (Namaceae) is a shrub endemic to western San Luis Obispo County in central coastal California, and little has been published regarding it. The species was listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act in 1979 and the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1995. At Federal listing in 1995, Indian Knob mountainbalm was known from six occurrences, two of which were in protected areas, with a total population estimate of <600 individuals. As of 2019, Indian Knob mountainbalm is known from seven occurrences, six of which are in protected areas and one (the largest) mostly in a protected area, with a total population count of 6,489+ individuals in 2016. Two occurrences are likely extirpated. Indian Knob mountainbalm is considered a fire-adapted chaparral plant. Reproduction is reported to be primarily vegetative by underground rhizomes, and it is specialized for substrates with physical disturbances, including: steep rocky slopes, cliff faces, fallen rock debris, sand dunes (shifting sand), roadsides, old graded substrates such as dirt/rock roads, the talus of graded substrates, and trails. We report the species grows up to 5.5 m tall and at 98 to 263 m elevation. In consideration of the life history traits used by Anacker et al. (2013) for rare plants in California, Indian Knob mountainbalm would be considered highly vulnerable to climate change. Using the international standards of IUCN, Indian Knob mountainbalm meets the criteria for classification as endangered including the following: geographic range, fragmented; extent of occurrence, 34 km² (<100 km²); area of occupancy, <2.3 km² (<10 km²); and quality of habitat, continuing to decline (dense vegetation, lack of recent fire). Coordinated conservation and research are needed to further understand the species, and to restore and maintain the five extant occurrences.

Microalgae photobioreactors are among the most effective systems for capturing gaseous CO₂, the main contributor to global warming. Their capacity to generate massive amounts of biomass has been exploited serendipitously to sequester CO₂ and explicitly to remove nutrients from municipal wastewater. Unfortunately, research in this area has not included merging these dual capacities to address global warming. Instead, most are focused on thermolytic conversion of biomass into energy which in end returns CO₂ to the atmosphere. In this study, we investigated the potential of combining the two microalgal capacities (that of deriving nutrients from municipal wastewater and metabolic carbon from atmospheric or industrial CO₂ supplies), into an integrated means of reducing nutrients in ocean-bound wastewater and CO₂ in the atmosphere simultaneously. The test species used in this study was Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris); the turbidity of C. vulgaris was used as a measure of yield in biomass. Our results show (i) that an open photobioreactor, and not a closed one, is the most productive, especially when augmented with industrial CO₂ (hence making a strong case for scrubbing CO₂ gas from industrial sources), (ii) that a mechanically agitated C. vulgaris culture is more productive than a static one, (iii) that without mechanical agitation, 32 ± 3 days of incubation are needed to reach the maximum yield of an open photobioreactor, (iv) that the optimal proportion of wastewater (%WW) required to support C. vulgaris growth is 80 ± 3%; at least 33%WWis required to observe growth above background, and (v) that without intervention, the upper pH limit of a WW-based C. vulgaris culture is 8.69 ± 0.09. Two mutually independent models are proposed to aide in scaling up an open WW-based C. vulgaris photobioreactor.

The eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis (EGS) has been introduced to California and has expanded its geographic range since initial introductions. In this study we projected the potential future geographic range of the EGS in California using Maxent to create an ecological niche model. Location data were obtained over the time period of 2004–2015 from museum specimens, wildlife rehabilitation centers, the California Department of Public Health, the California Roadkill Observation System, and non-iNaturalist citizen science observations. Research grade data from iNaturalist was obtained over the time period of 2004–2018. Range and habitat suitability maps were developed by mapping in ArcGIS. Three threshold selection methods were used to create different estimates of the potential future range of the EGS in California. The first method used the 10th percentile logistic threshold, the second used the minimum training presence logistic threshold, and the third used Jenks Natural Breaks. We propose that Jenks Natural Breaks has distinct advantages over the other two methods for estimating the potential future range of the introduced EGS in California, because it provides information on the habitat suitability ranking throughout California, whereas the other methods only provide a binary suitable/unsuitable map.