California Mediterranean Research Learning Center

Research Categories:
Biological Cultural Fire Ecology	Paleontology Physical Science	Restoration Ecology Social Science

Orca (Orcinus orca) off of Channel Islands National Park

Channel Islands National Park Facts:

• Over 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found in Channel Islands National Park (145 of which are found nowhere else in the world)

• Seventeen animals and fourteen plants that occur in the park are on the federal list of threatened and endangered species

• The park, totaling approximately 250,000 acres, is ½ land and ½ marine water

• Created in 1980 because of its outstanding natural and cultural resources

• Designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976

• Recognized for its genetic diversity and importance for research

• The largest and most diverse island is Santa Cruz Island, with an area of 96 square miles (approximately one-fifth the size of the City of Los Angeles)

• The park receives 30,000 visitors and an additional 60,000 people visit its waters every year

Please contact the Channel Islands National Park for more information at (805) 658-5730, or visit their website at www.nps.gov/chis.

Restoration Ecology

Channel Islands National Park's restoration ecology program addresses erosion, elimination and control of non-native animals, control of non-native plants, modeling of non-native plant distributions in relation to environmental factors, native plant seed collection, propagation and out-planting, and prevention of new introductions of non-native plants and animals.

Current Research
Ongoing research in restoration ecology is performed by the park's ecologists, graduate students from local universities, interns, and other park partners. Current topics under study include:

• The relative impacts of different non-native invasive plant species on native species richness

• Experimental tests of the efficacy of different restoration practices (including planting practices and eradication practices)

• Investigations of the long-term stability and function of restored areas

• Examination of rates of spread of specific non-native invasive species

• The role of herbivores in the success or failure of grassland restoration projects

• Population biology and ecology of a number of federally listed plant species in an effort to design effective species-specific conservation and management strategies

Research Opportunities
We are particularly interested in research that helps us prioritize, design, and implement our restoration program. A wide variety of research falls into this category including:

• Non-native invasive species distribution, ecological impacts, and best management practices for eradication

• Native plant communities that identify successful ional trajectories, ecosystem characteristics, or abiotic determinants of community composition

• Research on trophic interactions, including the role of native insects and animals in restoration

• Research on the most effective and efficient monitoring strategies for evaluating management actions