Come spend Memorial Day weekend with us at the 40th annual I-Madonnari street festival in Santa Barbara!
Everyday from Saturday May 23rd to Monday May 25th, we will be painting a sidewalk chalk square that highlights the incredible biodiversity of the Southern California kelp forests.
On May 25th, we will be hosting an event at M. Special Brewery on State Street. Join us for scientific lightning talks and kelp forest trivia!
Meet Our Featured Local Scientists
Skylah Reis (she/her)
Investigating Environmental and Human Drivers of Cryptic Biodiversity in Kelp Forest Ecosystems with ARMS (Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures)
Kelp forests are iconic biodiversity hotspots. Yet, the biodiversity that underpins these vital ecosystems remains poorly documented because traditional sampling approaches overlook cryptic species. My research expands the Global Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) program to assess biodiversity in local kelp forests. Through a collaborative effort, we have categorized over 4,320 mobile organisms! I will use this and other data to describe spatial patterns in biodiversity and evaluate how giant kelp abundance, temperature, freshwater runoff, and marine protected areas (MPAs) affect marine communities. In order to appropriately protect and conserve kelp forest ecosystems, it is crucial to understand the complexities of the system – especially, the cryptic biodiversity that has been missed from traditional survey techniques.
Come to Skylah’s 5 minute talk at M. Special on State St. on Monday the 25th around 6pm, or check out this article to learn more!
UCSB PhD Student 
Sibelle O'Donnell (she/her)
Genetic Diversity: The Key to Population Level Resilience
It is commonly known in the world of ecology that higher biodiversity levels lead to more resilient ecosystems, but did you know that the same is true for genetic diversity? From coral reefs to kelp forests, high genetic diversity helps to boost a population’s resilience to environmental disturbances like marine heat waves and disease outbreaks. In this talk, I’ll be discussing the importance of considering genetic diversity when planning restoration efforts.
Come to Sibelle’s 5 minute talk at M. Special on State St. on Monday the 25th around 7pm, or go to the Vega Thurber lab website to learn more!
UCSB Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology PhD Student
