The Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML), a research unit of the University of California, is situated on a 326 acre multi-habitat ecological reserve, part of the UC Natural Reserve System. For the past 20 years, researchers from throughout the UC system and elsewhere around the world have worked at BML on terrestrial and marine research topics. UC Davis is currently carrying out a major continuing commitment of support for BML both in terms of construction of new facilities and recruitment of new faculty and support staff. In addition, the Natural Reserve System is substantially increasing its support of BML. As a result, the number of current and proposed research projects utilizing the terrestrial portions of the Reserve has increased significantly. This proposal will facilitate three activities at BML: establishment of a surveyed, permanently marked and photo-mapped, standardized grid system; development and expansion of portable, microclimate datalogger monitoring stations; and renovation and expansion of an avian research laboratory. These improvements will facilitate studies of plant and insect community ecology, physiological ecology and ecological genetics of plants, avian ecology, competition, and plant-insect interactions.
