Submitted by Stephanie Carlson on
Description: A major research theme in the Carlson Lab involves the study of so-called "intermittent" streams that dry for a portion of the year, typically during the summer. Remnant pools that persist during the dry season provide habitat for aquatic organisms, including several fishes. The fall rains raise water levels and reconnect the stream. Intermittent streams thus cycle between fragmented (dry season) and connected (wet season) states.
Members of the Carlson Lab are exploring different aspects of intermittent stream ecology, including mapping the extent of wetted habitat, characterizing the biodiversity (with a focus on fishes) in remnant pools, and understanding the distribution of key taxa including imperiled organisms. As part of a new effort, we want to characterize the suite of terrestrial consumers (birds, mammals, herps) visiting isolated pools during the summer dry season. We hypothesize that as pools become isolated, a variety of terrestrial animals may predate and scavenge fish opportunistically, and that the visitation rate might increase over the summer as pools become smaller and smaller. In our study, we are using footage from camera “traps” set up in a number of isolated pools within Coyote Creek’s headwaters, which are located in Henry Coe State Park (Santa Clara County).
Student’s Role: This position is for an assistant to help with the camera-trapping project described above, with a focus on reviewing footage and identifying frames with a visible consumer visiting our study pools. The student's time will primarily be spent analyzing camera trap data, though there will also be an opportunity for the student to assist with setting up and maintaining cameras.
Desired Qualifications: No prior experience is required, but skills and/or coursework in any of these areas will be advantageous and should be mentioned and described in your application: general ecology, freshwater ecology, fish ecology, field ecology, photography, video-editing, coding.