Hastings Reserve Annual Report

Major Research Programs As a biological field station of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ), resident MVZ staff and research associates conduct the majority of the research program at Hastings. Researchers from other institutions from across the United States and several foreign countries are working at Hastings as well. Hastings continues to support internationally significant academic field research. In addition, several research projects are underway to meet the practical needs of the local and state community. Dr. Walter Koenig (Hastings, MVZ), his students, and colleagues continue to explore the social behavior and ecology of the acorn woodpecker. Dr. Koenig's work on acorn woodpeckers is funded by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Mark Stanback, an NSF postdoctoral fellow from the University of Washington, is studying hormone levels in these birds as they go through elaborate breeding behavior. Dr. Koenig added to a 20 year data base on the lineages of breeding groups and is investigating degrees of relatedness with DNA fingerprinting techniques. Six undergraduate field assistants worked seasonally, full time under the supervision of Dr. Koenig. Several were supported by the National Science Foundation program, "Research Experience for Undergraduates". During this last year, Dr. Koenig and his colleagues wrote several peer-reviewed publications from research on the acorn woodpeckers (below). Dr. Koenig, in association with Dr. Mark Stromberg (Hastings, MVZ) and Dr. Brad Shaffer (UC- Davis, Zoology), initiated a study of the endangered California Tiger Salamander. Presence of this rare salamander has postponed several suburban developments. even the most elementary aspects of the life history of this salamander are unknown. Owners of the adjacent Oak Ridge Ranch (Jim and Rebecca Kirk) along with the manager of Oak Ridge, Tim Curran, allowed Hastings researchers to fence an ephemeral pond (Blomquist Pond) to capture and study these salamanders. During 1992, we marked about 1,000 individual salamanders at one pond, and we documented some basic biological information which can be used in mitigation planning elsewhere in California. Limited funds from the California Department of Fish and Game supported this salamander research. Dr. Koenig and colleagues continued to work with funds from the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program (State of California) to determine environmental factors which influence acorn production in coastal oaks. Information from 15 years of acorn production from hundreds of trees is of great interest to wildlife managers and foresters working to restore or manage oaks in coastal California. Dr. Janis Dickinson (Hastings, MVZ) is studying patterns of breeding behavior in western bluebirds. Funds from NSF have allowed Dr. Dickinson to hire five undergraduate field assistants for seasonal, full time research. Working at the MVZ labs, Dr. Dickinson developed techniques to use DNA fingerprinting to analyze the breeding system of western bluebirds on Hastings and adjacent Oak Ridge Ranch. Dr. Mark Stromberg (MVZ, Hastings), working with Dr. John Menke (UC-Davis, Agronomy and Range Science), David Amme (California Native Grass Association) and Paul Kephart (Elkhorn Ranch) continued a five year study of native perennial grasses in grazing systems. Funding from PG