Achievements

Monica Sheffer & Benjamin Hanlin

Biological Sciences

Dr. Monica Sheffer and master’s student Benjamin Hanlin received funding to investigate how spider communities reflect the health of California's redwood forests. The project will compare spider diversity in old-growth, unthinned second-growth, and restoration-thinned forests in Redwood National and State Parks. Because spiders play important roles as predators and prey, changes in their communities could provide valuable clues about how redwood forests recover after restoration. Led by Hanlin with Sheffer serving as faculty mentor, the research will establish baseline biodiversity data to help evaluate restoration efforts and support monitoring of redwood forest ecosystems.

Funding comes from Save the Redwoods League.

Dr. Oscar M. Vargas, Eli Allen

Biological Sciences

Oscar Vargas, Associate Professor of Botany in the Biological Sciences Department, along with M.Sc. graduate Eli Allen (currently a PhD student at UC-Santa Cruz), published an article documenting a case of budding speciation in the California Floristic Province. This mode of speciation, thought to be rare in nature, is being found in plants, especially regions with high biodiversity. The article "A case of budding speciation in the California Floristic Province and infraspecific divergence in Abronia villosa" is available at the following link https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70234

Allison Bronson

Biological Sciences

Cal Poly Humboldt Biological Sciences Professor Allison Bronson was awarded the American Society of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists “Best Paper by a Young Scholar in Ichthyology” award for her work titled “Novel Nasal Anatomy Suggests Enhanced Olfactory Acuity in Auchenoglanidid Catfishes (Siluriformes: Auchenoglanididae)." The annual prize honors the best publications from the society’s peer-reviewed journal Ichthyology & Herpetology. Bronson received the award at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) held in New Orleans this July. Ten students from the Bronson lab on campus also presented their research at the meeting. 

Cort Glosli, Andre Giraldi, Silvia Pavan, Pedro Peloso, Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy

Biological Sciences

Wildlife undergraduate students Cort Glosli and Andre Giraldi, together with Biological Sciences faculty Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy, Silvia Pavan, and Pedro Peloso, recently published a research article in the journal Herpetology Notes documenting the rediscovery and species identification of a previously unassigned population of Black Salamanders (Aneides). The population they report, from Glenn County, California, had not been documented since the early 1970s and occurs in a region that has long represented a major gap in our understanding of the distribution of the Black Salamander complex. Using a combination of field surveys, morphology, and genetic analyses, the team identified the population as the Speckled Black Salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus), extending the known range of the species and helping clarify the biogeography of this complex group of California salamanders. The study highlights the important contributions of Humboldt students and faculty to biodiversity discovery, systematics, and conservation research in California.

The paper is available from the publisher’s website: https://herpetologynotes.org/index.php/hn/article/view/382/186

Pedro Peloso

Biological Sciences

Dr. Pedro Peloso, along with collaborators, recently published a research article in Diseases of Aquatic Organisms examining infection dynamics of the deadly amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) based on field studies conducted at multiple sites in Alabama, USA. The study integrates ecological, environmental, and host-specific factors to better understand patterns of disease prevalence and intensity, contributing to broader efforts in amphibian conservation. The paper highlights how temperature and host ecological traits influence Bd infection dynamics, advancing our understanding of host–pathogen interactions in a region of high amphibian diversity. This research is part of the PhD work of Camila Moser, conducted under Dr. Peloso’s supervision through his Adjunct Faculty appointment at the Universidade Federal do Pará (Brazil), reflecting ongoing international collaboration and mentorship connected to his research program at Cal Poly Humboldt. The paper is available from the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03911

Oscar Vargas

Biological Sciences

Dr. Oscar M. Vargas, along with collaborators, published a paper in the Journal of Biogeography about the geographical history of the Brazil Nut family of plants (Lecythidaceae) in the tropical Americas. The study was led by Diana Medellin, a collaborator of Dr. Vargas, from the University of Michigan. The paper can be freely downloaded from the following link: https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.70225

Amy Sprowles

Biological Sciences

Dr. Amy Sprowles has received the prestigious CSU BIOTECH Andreoli Faculty Service Award, which honors a CSU faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to biotechnology programs across the California State University system. Dr. Sprowles was recognized for her exceptional leadership and impact on students through her role as Director of the CIRM Bridges Program, which provides Humboldt students with research experiences in regenerative medicine, and for her leadership in the design of Humboldt's PBLC first-year experience. She is continuing to grow biomedical research and education on our campus as the director of the new Humboldt-CIRM Shared Resources Laboratory.

Kaci Dodd, Natalie Swearingen, Isamar Lopez-Argueta, Allison Bronson

Biological Sciences

Students Natalie Swearingen and Kaci Dodd, alumnus Isamar Lopez-Argueta, and Assistant Professor Allison Bronson presented their research on the ear anatomy of cartilaginous fishes at the Northeast Pacific Shark Symposium in Newport, Oregon.

Catalina Cuellar-Gempeler

Biological Sciences

Professor Catalina Cuellar-Gempeler's BIOL 412 General Microbiology class has published another successful volume of the Humboldt Journal of Microbiology, accessible at https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/hjm/. Congratulations to student authors Natalie S. Kozlowski, Leighanna Jake, Theo P. Murphy, Eve Wendley, Justice Laskowski, Tyler Paredes, Quigley D. Espinola, Scarlet Renner, Curtis Cline, Sophia Lopez-Orenday, Alex Yasumatsu, Mariska M. Kessler, Jocelyn Wolfinger, Destiny S. Alcaraz, Isabella N. Cerrone, Brooke Pirkle, Danielle Williamson, Gianna Vendrell, Chloe Kraft, Ryan A. Solorzano, Justin Paulin, Grayson Prater, Michael Lanier, Noah S. Schuhmann, Andrew McLaughlin, and Julian Barreran.

Ismael Chowdhury & Dana Johnstun

Biological Sciences

Two graduate students from Dr. Sean Craig's lab in Biology have won awards at the International Bryozoology Association (IBA) meeting in Tokyo, Japan! Current student Dana Johnstun won an "outstanding presentation" award, while former student Ismael Chowdhury won a "travel award" to go to the meeting and give 2 presentations.  Both students will publish their work in the Conference Proceedings (along with 1 additional former student from Sean Craig's lab, Sheena Stephens-Norton)