Utilizing Historical Biodiversity Data to Infer Climatic Shifts in California Coastal Environments
Terrance Gosliner
Senior Curator and Dean of Science and Research Collections, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, California Academy of Sciences
The California coast includes some of the most diverse marine habitats in the world, but the health of our coastal habitats is at risk. Climate change, pollution, and overfishing threaten to diminish the vitality of the marine ecosystems which play an important role in San Francisco Bay Area life.
Join the California Academy of Sciences to learn about the amazing diversity of life just off our coast and how local researchers are working to understand the effects of global climate change on intricate species interactions.
What are the challenges we face as ocean conservators and educators, and what actions can we take?
Join Cal Academy to find out what is needed to allow life on our shores to thrive.
Bio
Terrance Gosliner
Dr. Terrence Gosliner is Senior Curator and Dean of Science and Research Collections at the California Academy of Sciences where he has worked since 1982. His research on the systematics, phylogenetics and comparative biology nudibranchs and other sea slugs, has focused on the implications of phylogenetic studies to understanding the evolution of shell-loss, mimicry and other comparative aspects of the evolution of this group of marine organisms. He has studied the diversity of these mollusks along the California coast for more than forty years. Most recently, this work employs evolutionary studies to develop new strategies for conservation of Philippine reefs in the center of the center of marine biodiversity. He has developed key collaborations with research institutions, conservation organizations and large public exhibits to bring these findings to diverse audiences.
Rebecca F. Johnson
Dr. Rebecca F. Johnson is an invertebrate zoologist at the California Academy of Sciences.
Any marine gastropod in the order Nudibranchia. Most nudibranchs lack a shell, mantle cavity (seemollusk), and gills, and breathe through the body surface. The delicately colored body, up to 16 in. (43 cm) long, has bizarre defensive outgrowths, called cerata, that discharge nematocysts ingested from cnidarian prey. Antennalike organs arise from the head. Nudibranchs occur in shallow waters of all oceans, where they feed chiefly on other invertebrates, particularly sea anemones. Some species can swim; others are bottom creepers. The term sea slug sometimes refers to all members of the subclass Opisthobranchia.
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