Dear N-GenHappy Summer!
With summer in full swing, we wanted to share relevant updates with the greater N-Gen Sonoran Desert Researchers community. In this update you will learn more about our ever-growing network – now over 500 people!, recent publications, and research advances related to the Sonoran Desert. Are you looking for research funding? Be sure to apply for a N-Gen Research Grant (deadline August 31).
We wish everyone a wonderful monsoon season.
Warmly,
The N-Gen Newsletter Team
Scott, Jennie, Ben, Ana Luisa, and Mirna
N-Gen Research Grants
Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers is please to announce the inaugural N-Gen Research Grants. They are designed to provide financial support for members of the N-Gen community conducting research in the Sonoran Desert.N-Gen invites proposals for original student and collaborative research, with preference always given to proposals that take a synthetic and transdisciplinary approach (perspectives that seek to transcend the boundaries of individual disciplines) to various topics in the larger Sonoran Desert region and associated marine and coastal areas.
Several Student Research Grants up to $1,500 (USD) and Collaborative Research Grants up to $5,000 (USD) will be awarded in Fall 2017.
Proposal deadline is August 31, 2017.
See the detailed call for proposals here.
N-Gen Network Exceeds 500 Members
Earlier this year, the N-Gen network reached a milestone of 500 members. Our network continues to catalyze research and biocultural collaborations and helps connect individuals and institutions committed to the rich social and ecological landscape that spans the mainland Sonoran Desert, the Baja California Peninsula, the Gulf of California, and the US-Mexico borderlands.Do you have a colleague who should join the network?
N-Gen is 500+ members in 40+ disciplines across 21 regions of the Sonoran Desert.
Baja California Pacific Islands Endemic Species Book now available in PDF
Get a glimpse and understanding of the plants and animals found only on Baja California’s Pacific Islands in the freely available publication, Unique Plants and Animals of the Baja California Pacific Islands.
Recent Publications
Molecular genetic analysis of two native desert palm genera, Washingtonia and Brahea, from the Baja California Peninsula and Guadalupe Island
Klimova et al. published a paper in Ecology and Evolution about the phylogeography of the iconic endemic palm species of northwest Mexico, quantifying the genetic diversity of five native palm species from Baja California, Sonora and Guadalupe Island and relating their observations to complex geological and ecological processes that have generated high levels of biodiversity and endemism.
Latest Miocene transtensional rifting of northeast Isla Tiburón, eastern margin of the Gulf of California
Bennett et al. published a paper in Tectonophysics about continental rifting preserved on northeastern Isla Tiburón that records how fault activity in the Gulf of California shear zone wrenched the Baja California microplate away from mainland Mexico several million years ago, and was immediately followed by the marine flooding of the northern Gulf of California and Salton Trough.
Quantitative argument for long-term ecological monitoring
Giron-Nava et al. published a paper in Marine Ecology Progress Series about the importance of long-term ecological monitoring programs to make better predictions about processes that occur in nature, which stresses the value of monitoring programs and the importance of implementing robust science in decision making.
Notes from [a different] field: The United Nations Oceans Conference
Get an insider view into the United Nations Oceans Conference, held this June (2017) at the UN Headquarters in New York City, by Andrés Cisneros-Montemayor.
Do you have a recent ‘Notes from the Field’ story to share with the N-Gen network?
Indigenous Community Research in Baja CaliforniaResearch by Dra. Claudia E. Delgado Ramírez regarding the history and ongoing change of indigenous native communities of Baja California was summarized by Ensenada newspaper El Vigia.
See the full story here.
Desert Skywatching
Artists Julie Anand and Damon Sauer uncover the history of calibration markers for U.S. Cold War era spy satellites that persist today in the Arizona desert. Their story, complete with field photos of many makers, can be found in Places Journal, a platform for interdisciplinary place-based research.See the complete story here.
MAHB feature on N-Gen 6&6 art-science collaboration
This spring the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere (MAHB) out of Stanford University did a seven-piece feature on the 6&6 project.See the introductory article here.
3rd Annual Society for Restoration Ecology SW Chapter Conference
The Society for Ecological Restoration, Southwest Chapter (SER-SW) was formed in 2011 to facilitate communication and encourage coordination among land managers, researchers, and restorationists working in the southwestern United States.
Mark your calendars for the SER SW Chapter Annual Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on December 6-8, 2017. Expect a program filled with informative talks and restoration field trips.See conference webpage for details.
Update your profile
Have you moved or changed positions or initiated new research projects you would like others to know about? To keep your N-Gen profile current simply email the changes to nextgensd2012@gmail.com.
