climate change

Caterpillar Growth, Feeding and Survival Patterns Shift Due to Warming Climate

As climate change drives up temperatures around the clock, warmer nights may be especially dangerous for caterpillars – causing them to grow fast but die young. University of California, Davis, researchers used hand warmers, a novel approach to warm field plots, to test the effects of higher temperatures at night.

Studying Plant and Insect Interactions in a Changing Climate

The plants in our backyards do more than add beauty – they support local insects and thrive, or struggle, depending on the climate. As temperatures shift and rainfall patterns become less predictable, the timing of when plants bloom and insects emerge is changing.

Gift Extends UC Davis Pistachio Research: In Search of New Scions, Rootstocks

Warming weather, water scarcity and a loss of winter fog threaten pistachio production in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, potentially disrupting one of the state’s most valuable crops.  

The University of California, Davis, is enhancing and expanding its Pistachio Breeding Program after a generous gift from philanthropist and pistachio farmer Rod Stiefvater, who is donating more than $335,000 over three years to develop new rootstocks that thrive under changing climate conditions. 

Extreme Weather Accelerates Nitrate Pollution in Groundwater

Extreme weather spurred by climate change, including droughts and heavy rains, may increase the risk of nitrates from fertilizers ending up in groundwater, according to a recent study from researchers at the University of California, Davis. The study found heavy rains after a drought caused nitrates to seep 33 feet under farm fields in as little as 10 days. The study was published in Water Resources Research.

USDA's New Research Center Set to Advance Innovation in Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, broke ground this week on its new Agricultural Research and Technology Center – a facility located in Davis that will feature specialized labs, greenhouses and research space to tackle key issues in agriculture. In this new center, UC Davis and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will continue its long-standing collaboration to advance projects in sustainable agriculture, invasive species, water management, soil health and more.

Student Entomologists Gain Hands-On Skills in Insect Biology

Distinguished Professor of Entomology Jay Rosenheim noticed a trend during his office hours a few years ago: Many of his undergraduate students wanted research lab experience but were unsure how to get started. Alongside colleagues Louis Yang and Joanna Chiu, they collectively decided to try something different in 2011.

“Our basic idea was to get students into the labs really early in their undergraduate programs,” Rosenheim recalled. “There’s a whole new set of skills that are very different from what students are typically working on in their formal coursework.”

Mapping the Future’s Sweet Spot for Clean Energy and Biodiversity

Climate change is driving both the loss of biodiversity and the need for clean, renewable energy. It is also shifting where species are expected to live in the future. Yet these realities are rarely considered together. Where can clean energy projects be built without impacting the future habitat ranges of threatened and endangered species?