Assistant Adjunct Professor
Email: gbucciarelli@ucdavis.edu
Phone: 530-752-6586
Personal Professional Website:
http://www.garybucciarelli.org/
Research:
Dr. Bucciarelli holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, while also serving as the Director of Lassen Field Station and Director of Strategic Engagement for the UC Davis Natural Reserve System. Currently, he also hold the elected Chair of the California Sentinel Site Network within the California Biodiversity Network.
Dr. Bucciarelli is broadly interested in freshwater ecosystems and amphibians. Most of his work is focused on amphibian ecology, evolution, and conservation. His research straddles both applied and basic science, with the aim of understanding how species and populations will respond to the ecological tensions occurring in freshwater ecosystems. Dr. Bucciarelli is drawn to both field and laboratory work to help answer questions in line with their research interests, especially those that can be answered using long-term data.
Gary is generally excited to couple this approach with molecular, statistical, and bioinformatic tools to identify what processes shape the patterns we observe. Most of his work is based in California to study and help conserve endemic newt species. However, he also work with collaborators to help answer pressing questions in other amphibian systems.
Research Areas:
Amphibian Conservation, Amphibian Ecology, Amphibian Genomics, Biodiversity Monitoring, Evolution of Chemical Defenses, Freshwater Ecology, Invasive Species Ecology, Long-term Data
Education and Experience:
- BA, Cultural Interdisciplinary Studies, 2002, Antioch College
- PhD, Biology: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 2015, UCLA
- Postdoctoral Fellow, 2015-2018, UCLA & National Park Service
- Director, Stunt Ranch Field Station, 2015-2022, UC Natural Reserve System
- Adjunct Professor, 2018-2022, UCLA
- Director of Strategic Engagement, UC Davis Natural Reserves, 2022-present, UC Natural Reserve System
- Director, Lassen Field Station, 2022-present, UC Natural Reserve System
- Adjunct Professor, 2023-present, UC Davis
- Chair, California Sentinel Site Network, 2024-present, California Biodiversity Network
Current Projects:
- Build-out of the California Sentinel Site Network for long-term biodiversity monitoring,
- Use of AI to track biodiversity and assess ecosystem health,
- Eradication and long-term management of invasive crayfish to promote recovery of endangered amphibians,
- Genomics as a tool to manage amphibian populations with emergent diseases and conserve critically endangered amphibians,
- Ecological effects of amphibian chemical defenses and their origin,
- Leverage long-term data to predict population outcomes under future climate conditions