Vegetation change in Owens Valley, California (Project ID=tbgc-1)
Faculty Sponsor Diane Pataki
      Owens Valley is a closed hydrologic basin in central California at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In 1913, the City of Los Angeles began diverting water from this semi-arid basin, which now provides 30-40% of the drinking water supply of Los Angeles. There is an ongoing controversy about the effects of this water redistribution on local vegetation, which consists of species from the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts.
      This research project will involve measurements of plant physiology, soil nutrients, and ecosystem water sources in grassland and shrubland ecosystems in Owens Valley, with the goal of contributing to our understanding of the role of hydrology in influencing ecosystem processes. The project will involve at least one field trip to Bishop, California in the central Owens Valley to collect samples and measure plant processes. Applicants should be aware that this is a desert site with very hot and dry conditions in the summer. Accommodations will be provided in Bishop during field trips. Field trips will be followed by laboratory analysis of samples for chemical composition, isotopic composition, and plant hydraulic properties.

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