Biodiversity Content

California a Botanical and Climate Change Hot Spot

Katherine E Kerlin — July 29, 2024 - 12:00pm

California's natural beauty and pioneering conservation efforts make it a test bed for protecting biodiversity in the face of climate change, says a 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study in PNAS.

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.

A Solar Project to Restore Prairie and Pollinators

Katherine E Kerlin — December 15, 2022 - 1:45pm

From solar panels and pollinators to salamanders and people, a restorative energy project takes shape in Rancho Seco near Sacramento with 51�ԹϺ�� Davis, EPRI and SMUD.

Malaria Spike Linked to Amphibian Die-Off

Katherine E Kerlin — September 20, 2022 - 9:00am

A 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study links an amphibian die-off in Costa Rica and Panama with a spike in malaria cases. The study demonstrates the importance of biodiversity to human health.

How the Earth BioGenome Project Can Untangle Mysteries of Life on Earth

Andy Fell — January 19, 2022 - 12:49pm

The Earth BioGenome Project, launched in 2018, is moving from planning and pilot projects to major production sequencing. The goal of the project is to complete reference genomes for all species of eurkaryotic life on Earth: animals, plants, fungi, algae and other organisms that package their DNA into a nucleus. The new phase of the project is marked with a special feature collection of articles in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Earth BioGenome Project Begins Genome Sequencing in Earnest

Andy Fell — January 18, 2022 - 11:30am

A global effort to map the genomes of all plants, animals, fungi and other eukaryotic life on Earth is entering a new phase as it moves from pilot projects to full-scale production sequencing. This new phase of The Earth BioGenome Project, or EBP, is marked with a collection of papers published this week (Jan. 17) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describing the project’s goals, achievements to date and next steps.

Expert Marcela Uhart on Wildlife Trade and Pandemics

Katherine E Kerlin — October 29, 2020 - 7:00am

Marcela Uhart, a wildlife veterinarian with the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, is available to discuss the intersections between pandemics, biodiversity loss and the wildlife trade. This is the focus of her expert contribution in a report released today by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

International Consortium Officially Launches Earth BioGenome Project in London

Andy Fell — November 02, 2018 - 9:13am

Key scientific partners and funders from around the globe gathered in London yesterday (Nov. 1) to officially launch the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), a global effort to sequence the genetic code of all the planet’s eukaryotes — some 1.5 million known species, including all plants, animals, protozoa and fungi.

Earth BioGenome Project Aims to Sequence DNA From All Complex Life

Andy Fell — April 23, 2018 - 10:32am

An international consortium of scientists is proposing what is arguably the most ambitious project in the history of biology: sequencing the DNA of all known eukaryotic species on Earth.

The benefits of the monumental initiative promise to be a complete transformation of the scientific understanding of life on Earth and a vital new resource for global innovations in medicine, agriculture, conservation, technology and genomics.

Climate Change and Habitat Conversion Combine to Homogenize Nature

Katherine E Kerlin — August 18, 2017 - 3:51pm

Climate change and habitat conversion to agriculture are working together to homogenize nature, indicates a study in the journal Global Change Biology led by the University of California, Davis.

In other words, the more things change, the more they are the same.

While the individual impacts of climate change and habitat conversion on wildlife are well-recognized, little is known about how species respond to both stressors at once.