Adaptation Content

Genetic Diversity of Wild North American Grapes Mapped

Emily C Dooley — December 19, 2023 - 8:00am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis mapped the genetic traits of wild North American grapes, which will help breeders tackle challenges like climate change.

‘We Have a Chance.’ Climate Scientists Weigh in on IPCC Report

Katherine E Kerlin — August 30, 2021 - 5:38pm

51�ԹϺ�� Davis climate scientists voiced their thoughts today about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment in a webinar hosted by the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Climate Adaptation Research

Turning Mud Into Wildfire-Resilient Housing

Katherine E Kerlin — June 30, 2021 - 1:00pm

Wildfire, in one way or another, touches nearly everyone who lives in California and, increasingly, the West. How do you make your home where disaster is a given? How do you learn to live with it?

California’s Climate Refugia: Mapping the Stable Places

Katherine E Kerlin — June 08, 2020 - 10:30am

Some landscapes can hold their own against climate change better than others. A study from the University of California, Davis, maps these places, called “climate refugia,” where existing vegetation is most likely to buffer the impacts of climate change through the end of the century.

Native Wildflowers Bank on Seeds Underground to Endure Drought

Katherine E Kerlin — March 01, 2018 - 4:15pm

Native wildflowers were surprisingly resilient during California’s most recent drought, even more so than exotic grasses. To see this resilience, 51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers of a new study had to look underground to the seed bank. Native wildflowers increased the seeds they stored underground by 201 percent during the drought.

Species May Appear Deceptively Resilient to Climate Change

Katherine E Kerlin — November 22, 2017 - 11:15am

Nature itself can be the best defense against climate change for many species — at least in the short term — according to a study published today (Nov. 22) in the journal Ecology Letters from the University of California, Davis.

Can Corals Adapt to Climate Change?

Katherine E Kerlin — November 01, 2017 - 4:05pm

Cool-water corals can adapt to a slightly warmer ocean, but only if global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. That’s according to a study published Nov. 1 in the journal Science Advances of genetic adaptation and the likely effects of future warming on tabletop corals in the Cook Islands.

The Last Stop: When There’s Nowhere Colder to Go

Katherine E Kerlin — October 18, 2017 - 4:22pm

Fish have been migrating to cooler water over the last several decades as the ocean warms. But in Antarctica, the coldest place on the planet, polar species have nowhere to go.

Marine life in Antarctica is especially vulnerable to climate change, which is warming oceans throughout the world. Anne Todgham, an animal scientist at the University of California, Davis, is studying how — and whether — polar fish will adapt to the changing conditions.

Sea-Level Rise and the Governance Gap in the San Francisco Bay Area

Katherine E Kerlin — June 27, 2017 - 4:12pm

Most San Francisco Bay Area policymakers understand that sea-level rise is a serious threat to the region, agree that preparing for it should be a priority, and have a basic understanding of solutions that would help the region adapt to sea-level rise.

But they do not agree on who should lead a coordinated planning effort to address it. A visioning task force could help move the process forward, according to a report from the University of California, Davis, which analyzes this governance gap and suggests steps forward.

Against the Tide: A Fish Adapts Quickly to Lethal Levels of Pollution

Katherine E Kerlin — December 08, 2016 - 9:46am

Evolution is working hard to rescue some urban fish from a lethal, human-altered environment, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis, and published Dec. 9 in the journal Science. Atlantic killifish living in four polluted East Coast estuaries have adapted to levels of highly toxic industrial pollutants that would normally kill them.