Research
Current and Past Research
Vegetation Mapping
Click on image to view a larger aerial photo of Rush
Ranch
Wetland vegetation expert Diana Benner and GIS specialist Mami Odaya are
working with the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve to create
detailed maps of the vegetation communities within the wetlands at Rush Ranch
and China Camp. The vegetation maps, which are being created through analysis
of aerial photos and field survey methods, will help scientists choose the best
sites for their research, serve as a baseline data layer from which the Reserve
can quantitatively document future changes of vegetation communities, and assist
California State Parks and the Solano Land Trust to make informed management
decisions.
Eelgrass Restoration
Dr. Katharyn Boyer of San Francisco State University's Romberg Tiburon Center is experimentally evaluating restoration techniques for eelgrass (Zostera marina) at China Camp and several other sites in the San Francisco Bay. The primary technique involves collecting flowering shoots from existing eelgrass beds within the bay and transporting them to suitable habitat where eelgrass does not currently occur. In addition to evaluating the restoration techniques, Dr. Boyer and her colleagues are also studying existing eelgrass beds to better understand their ecology. An important aspect of this collaboration includes Dr. Sarah Cohen's (also of SFSU's Romberg Tiburon Center) work to evaluate genetic diversity of existing and restored eelgrass beds. Read more about Dr. Boyer's research.
Crab Population Monitoring
Carcinus maenas - European green crab
The San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of eight
reserves piloting a long-term biomonitoring project to assess estuarine crab
communities. Following the protocol developed at the Elkhorn Slough NERR, crab
communities are sampled quarterly across the estuarine gradient in China Camp
and Rush Ranch. Preliminary data from China Camp indicate that the invasive
European green crab (Carcinus maenas) represents 28-98% of crab catch per
transect by biomass and 5-75% by number of individuals. The native mud crab
(Hemigrapsus oregonensis) comprises the remaining catch. Data gathered during
the monitoring of abundance, sex, and size of the native and invasive crabs over
time, coupled with the NERR water-quality monitoring data, will provide an
"early warning" indicator of new invasions and test hypotheses about invasive
species and their relationship to environmental and biotic parameters. Over
time, the results will allow us to observe abundance trends and changes in intra-
site distribution and aggregation patterns. As this monitoring program is
adopted system-wide across all the 27 of the reserves, it will enable geographic
comparisons of the dynamics of these invasions.
Would you like your research highlighted on this website?
If you are scientist doing research within the Reserve, and would like to have a general summary of your research presented here, please contact our Research Coordinator (dtalley"at"sfsu.edu).