CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
SUMMER INTERNSHIP ADVISOR LIST
Botany
Dr. Frank Almeda, Senior Curator, McAllister Chair
415-379-5359
Frank Almeda received his Ph.D. from Duke University in 1975 and joined the Academy's staff in 1978. His current studies center on the systematics and phylogeny of Princess Flowers (Melastomataceae), a world wide family of tropical plants related to the evening primroses and the family that includes Eucalyptus, Bottlebrush, and guavas. He is using this family as a tool to understand biodiversity hotspots in wet tropical forests in the Old and New World with special emphasis on the floras of Brazil and Madagascar. He is also working with an international team on drug discovery and biodiversity conservation in the Ranomafana region of southeastern Madagascar.
1) Systematic significance of seed morphology among neotropical and paleotropical Melastomataceae (tribe Melastomeae). Analysis of the micromorphology of seeds using scanning electron microscopy to evaluate past and current classifications of a large pantropical tribe. Seed morphology has been an important character in assessing relationships within the family but no comprehensive survey has been accomplished to date.
2) Cladistic Analysis of Melastomataceae: Character study and cladogram generation using original observations and published data on vegetative and floral morphology focusing on tribes whose composition and circumscription has been controversial such as the Merianieae, Microlicieae, and Melastomaeae.
Peter Fritsch, Curator
415-379-5356
Peter Fritsch received his Ph.D. in 1995 from the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Program in Botany and the Claremont Graduate School. He joined the Academy's staff in 1996. His primary research focuses on the systematics, biogeography, and evolution of members of the primarily woody flowering plant order Ericales, a group that includes the snowdrops (Styrax), silverbells (Halesia), persimmons, blueberries (Vaccinium), and ebonies ( Diospyros ), among many others. Many of the plants in this order are disjunct relicts, which means that they were once (in the Miocene) widespread but are now restricted in range to discrete and widely separated areas of the earth due to climate change. Dr. Fritsch uses a combination of morphological and molecular approaches on these groups to understand their species diversity, evolutionary relationships, and adaptations to particular environments. The patterns of relictualism and speciation elucidated from these studies can eventually lead to a better overall understanding of the effects and significance of climate change on the world's biota.
1) Systematics of Cercis. The flowering shrub genus Cercis (redbud; legume family) is widely distributed but scattered across North America at mid-latitudes. In eastern North America, individuals of Cercis have leaves with sharp points or "drip-tips" presumed to more efficiently shunt water from the surface and thus diminish pathogen activity. In western dryer climates, the leaves of Cercis become more rounded and the drip tip eventually disappears in populations in New Mexico and western Texas and westward. Populations of Cercis in northeastern Mexico are poorly known, although extremes of leaf variation seem to parallel those of the U.S. Using GIS, we will conduct outline analysis on leaves of Cercis from a sample of herbarium specimens from Mexico and compare the pattern of change across geographic space to changes in elevation and climate across the Sierra Madre Oriental. We will ultimately interpret the results in the context of northern hemisphere biogeography and the taxonomy of Cercis.
2) Pollen morphology of Symplocos. The genus Symplocos (200 species) is disjunct to the tropics bordering the Pacific Rim. Pollen morphology has been thought to be useful for classification at the higher level in the genus, but no comprehensive sampling strategy has been used to estimate the consistency of pollen characters. We will sample Symplocos from throughout the geographical and morphological range of the group to determine the utility of pollen characters as phylogenetic characters.
Dr. Kim Steiner, Associate Curator
415-379-5357
Kim Steiner has been at the Academy since 2000. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis in 1982 and spent 17 years working at the National Botanical Institute in Cape Town, South Africa. Kim is interested in the evolution and ecology of plant-pollinator interactions and plant breeding systems. His primary focus is on the evolution of specialized pollination systems in the Scrophulariaceae and Orchidaceae, but he is also describing new species and preparing taxonomic revisions of Diascia and Nemesia. Using phylogenies derived principally from molecular data, he is studying the evolution of oil secretion in southern African Scrophulariaceae and Orchidaceae and the evolution of oil-collection in the solitary bee family, Melittidae.
Possible intern projects:
1) A scanning electron microscope survey of pollen grains in Nemesia.
2) A micro-morphological survey of seed coat morphology in Nemesia and/or Diascia
3) An SEM survey of vegetative trichomes and their taxonomic significance in Nemesia (Scrophulariaceae).
4) An SEM survey of floral trichomes and their taxonomic significance in Nemesia (Scrophulariaceae).
Entomology
Dr. David Kavanaugh, Senior Curator
415-379-5315
Biodiversity inventory of the predaceous ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) fauna of the Gaoligong Mountains of western Yunnan Province, China. Selected intern will assist with (1) the identification of species based on study of the existing literature, (2) description of newly discovered species, (3) development of an identification key for a selected group, and (4) development of a manuscript for publication of results.
Dr. Wojciech Pulawski, Curator
415-379-5313
A Revision of Crabronid Wasp Genus Tachytes Panzer of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae).
There are seven species of this genus recorded from Madagascar. They were revised by Arnold (1945), who however was unable to recognize the species oviventris described by de Saussure in 1891. We have the remaining six in the collection.
The student's goals will be:
1. to learn to recognize the species,
2. to generate an updated key to the Madagascan Tachytes, using characters from subsequent revisers of Tachytes (Pulawski, 1961; Bohart, 1979, 1994), and newly discovered characters,
3. to identify all Madagascan Tachytes from our undetermined material,
4. to clarify the identity of Tachytes oviventris by examined the type specimen(s) now housed in Geneva, Switzerland,
5. to redescribe all the Madagascan species.
I see a potential for a small paper "On the identity of Tachytes oviventris de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)" discussing the identity of oviventris. It may be a currently unrecognized species or a senior synonym of one of the established species.
Herpetology
Dr. Robert Drewes, Curator
415-379-5286
Since 2001, Dr. Drewes has been studying the unique, highly endemic fauna of the Gulf of Guinea Island, off the West African coast. The two central islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, are classic oceanic islands and have never been attached to the African mainland. We have shown that 100% of the amphibian species found on these islands (seven species of five families) are naturally occurring, endemic species of great age. Three previous SSI interns have been involved in this work.
We are now assessing the evolutionary status of some of the island reptile species. A widespread snake inhabiting both São Tomé and Príncipe Islands is currently assumed to be an endemic subspecies, Lamprophis lineatus bedriagae. We now have enough whole body and tissue samples from both islands to allow a preliminary morphological and molecular comparison of the two island populations relative to samples of mainland populations. I am seeking an intern willing to examine this material morphologically and at the same time to conduct a preliminary molecular analysis of the two island populations in comparison with DNA sequence from widespread mainland populations. The island project in general and the snake project in particular can be viewed on my blog: http://islandbiodiversityrace.wildlifedirect.org/
Invertebrate Zoology & Geology
Dr. Terrence M. Gosliner, Senior Curator
1) Systematics of the Indo-Pacific species of the nudibranch genus Cuthona. This large genus of nudibranchs has been poorly studied in tropical waters. Recent collections from several localities have yielded more than 25 undescribed species, and the project will focus on describing new taxa and developing a preliminary phylogeny for this group.
2) Systematics and phylogeny of the dendronotine nudibranch genus Doto. This genus contains many described species from temperate and tropical waters. Discovery of several undescribed species has prompted systematic and phylogenetic study of this clade and vicariance biogeographic analysis.
3) Systematics and phylogeny of the Indo-Pacific Tritoniidae. Members of this family are predators on soft corals and gorgonians and are especially abundant in tropical waters. Tritoniids are poorly known and many undescribed species are present in the Academy's collection. This project begins examination of this diverse and biologically important taxon.
4) Descriptions of three new species of Janolus (Nudibranchia: Zephyriinidae) from the Indo-Pacific. This project examines the anatomy and systematics of three new species and places the taxon in a modern phylogenetic context.
5) Descriptions of five new species of Aglajidae (Opisthobranchia: Cephalaspidea). This project will involve description and anatomical studies of Indo-Pacific aglajids including species description and construction of preliminary phylogenies.
Dr. Rich Mooi, Curator and Curriculum Coordinator, SSI
415-379-5270
Rich Mooi received his Master's and Doctoral degrees from the University of Toronto, Canada, and has been with the Academy since 1990. He studies the systematics, phylogeny, paleontology, and biogeography of echinoderms, particularly sea urchins and sand dollars. His field work has included submersible dives off the Bahamas, paleontology in Alaska, and ship-based collecting in Antarctica. He is also working on a theory that describes the homologies and evolutionary relationships among major clades throughout the phylum Echinodermata. More information about Dr. Mooi's research and academic interests can be found at http://www.calacademy.org/research/curators/mooi.htm
http://www.calacademy.org/research/izg/echinodermswebpaage.htm
Projects might include, but are not limited to:
1) Origin and evolution of the northeastern Pacific sand dollar fauna (Clypeasteroida: Echinoidea). An examination of both Recent and fossil genera to develop cladistic and morphometric analyses that will examine the origins of this fauna.
2) Phylogenetics of the clypeasterine sand dollars. Although there are over 40 nominal species in the genus Clypeaster, morphometrics will be necessary to determine validity of these with the hope of using specimens to develop characters for a phylogenetic analysis.
Dr. Peter D. Roopnarine, Curator
proopnarine@calacademy.org
415-379-5271
1) Morphological integration of venerid bivalves. Morphological integration describes the interdependence of difference regions or characters of the body during development. Many questions surround morphological integration, including its distribution among animal taxa, and its role in evolutionary change. We are using the morphologically simple bivalve skeleton to establish a new approach to the morphometric measurement of integration, its visualization, and the recognition of modularity in patterns of integration. We will do this using a diverse array of venerid bivalves to examine the phylogenetic distribution of the patterns.
2) Turnover of marine organisms in tropical America during the Pliocene. In collaboration with Dr. Carol Tang, the intern and I will examine the Neogene bivalve fauna of the Dominican Republic from both ecological and systematic perspectives. We are using this extremely diverse and well-preserved fauna to examine the relationship between variation of community structure (abundance, taxonomic composition, etc.) and ecological dynamics, notably predation. Interns will be involved in the identification and probably description of molluscan species, measurement of various aspects of predatory dynamics, and paleocommunity reconstruction for the purpose of modeling community dynamics.
3) Identification of speciation events in Devonian conodont. The rich and dense Paleozoic conodont record offers the opportunity to observe potential speciation events in detail. This project involves the morphometric description of Lower Devonian conodonts from Nevada, and the development of techniques for identifying the number of semi- or distinct groups in a collection of morphologically similar, complex skeletons. The latter question is a problem of great computation interest.
Dr. Gary Williams, Curator and Chair
415-379-5244
Information on research, academic interests, and background:
http://www.calacademy.org/research/izg/williams.htm
Octocoral Research Center Website:
http://www.calacademy.org/research/izg/orc_home.html
Coral Reefs Website:
http://www.calacademy.org/research/izg/CoralReefOrganisms/CoralReefs/CoralReefIndex.htm
Gary Williams received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Cape Town and has been with the Academy since 1990. He is an invertebrate zoologist and studies the systematics, biogeography and evolutionary biology of octocorals (soft corals, sea fans and sea pens) from a variety of marine realms - such as coral reefs and the deep sea. His recent field study locations include: Madagascar, the Gulf of Guinea, Palmyra Atoll, Philippines, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Palau, and Papua New Guinea. He has also recently studied the systematics of deep sea material that was trawled or dredged during survey cruises in Alaska and Antarctic seas.
Project: Systematics of barnacle/sea fan interactions (with Dr. Robert Van Syoc).
Dr. Robert Van Syoc, Senior Collections Manager
415-379-5259
Project: Systematics of barnacle/sea fan interactions (with Dr. Gary Williams).
Ornithology & Mammalogy
Dr. Jack Dumbacher, Associate Curator
415-379-5377
Information about Dr. Dumbacher's research and academic interests can be found at http://www.calacademy.org/research/bmammals/jdumbacher.php
Phylogeography of lowland New Guinea - Although the lowlands of New Guinea include large basins and continuous forest tracts, animals living there show tremendous geographical variation. We are studying the underlying genetic variation of six widespread and common lowland bird species to study the historical and population genetic origins of this variation. We have multiple samples from each species, representing most of the major geographical regions.