Sedgwick Reserve & UC NRS Publications
Sedgwick Reserve Zotero bibliography.
UC Natural Reserve System Zotero bibliography
Paper of the Month
Bark traits and fire vulnerability in three California foothill oak species
Researchers tested fire resistance in Quercus douglasii, Quercus lobata, and Quercus agrifolia by measuring bark thickness, moisture, and density and conducting heating experiments on live trees to estimate time to cambium kill (τ). They evaluated how τ relates to trunk diameter and bark thickness to define “safe” size thresholds and compared observed values to existing predictive models. Bark thickness emerged as the strongest predictor of fire resistance, far outweighing moisture and density. Among the species, Q. agrifolia showed the greatest fire-adaptedness, with thicker bark relative to stem size and lower thresholds for survival. Models improved when species differences were included, though overall predictive power remained moderate. The results indicate that bark traits—especially thickness—play a central role in fire resilience, with Q. agrifolia better adapted to fire than the other species, and highlight the need for more accurate models linking bark properties to fire damage. Click the link to read the full paper!
Research Data
Sedgwick researchers have published selected data sets at public repositories. You can discover many of these datasets by searching DataOne or KNB. Selected examples are included below.
Claudia Tyler, Bruce Mahall, and Frank Davis. 2019. Oak seedling and sapling survival and growth in a California savanna under four herbivore treatments. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity. doi:10.5063/F1QF8R5T.
NCEAS 8980: Orrock: Interactions between mammalian herbivores and associated plant communities, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, and John Orrock. Sedgwick rodent data on gopher plots. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity. doi:10.5063/AA/nceas.234.1.
Elizabeth Borer. Sedgwick Reserve Aphid Population Growth Rate Experiment. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity. doi:10.5063/AA/borer.4.4.
Sedgwick Reserve, University of California Natural Reserve System, and John W Carson. Insect and Spider Survey of Sedgwick Reserve. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity. doi:10.5063/AA/nrs.643.2.
NCEAS 2090: Burton: Immunological response to environmental conditions, Rebecca Burton, and National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. Trapping locations, animal body mass, and breeding conditions of Neotoma fuscipes on Sedgwick Reserve. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity. doi:10.5063/AA/nceas.104.24.
NCEAS 2094: Seabloom: Restoration of invaded California grasslands, Eric Seabloom, and National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. Trajectories of restored California grassland communities: plant biomass data. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity. doi:10.5063/AA/nceas.164.2.