News

Tony Barnosky is a coauthor on a study published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that examines how Earth’s climate may stabilize given different scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions. The study, which was reported widely in the media throughout the world, considers ten natural processes which can result in “tipping points” that would markedly influence... more

It might seem an unlikely place to find a native plant that is new to Jasper Ridge, but the former Searsville beach is where docent Diane Renshaw discovered a species of suncup that was previously unreported at Jasper Ridge or anywhere in San Mateo County. Identified as Camissoniopsis intermedia (“intermediate suncup”) by Renshaw and docent John Rawlings, this member of... more

As part of a new experiment aimed at reducing fire fuels and controlling invasive species, goats temporarily will be filling the ecological niche of grazing megafauna at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve at the old Boething nursery site located in the northeastern edge of the preserve. This is part of a larger Stanford University effort to reduce fire-fuels in the area,... more

Thanks to quick action by JRBP staff and the fire crews from Woodside, Menlo Park, Redwood City, and CAL FIRE, what could have been a major wildfire just across the border of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve was quickly brought under control on a windy Monday morning. The fire broke out just across the northeastern boundary of the preserve due to... more

The June 7th JRBP picnic marked the end of the 2017-18 academic year at Jasper Ridge and the graduation of the 2018 docents who were cheered by an enthusiastic crowd as they kazooed Pomp and Circumstance and received their Jasper Ridge hats! The ceremony was the culmination of the two-quarter course Ecology and Natural History of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve... more

A central goal of ecology is understanding the factors that sustain and control biodiversity, and in particular, determining what prevents one species from outcompeting another. In a new publication , postdocs Andrew Letten and Manpreet Dhami, doctoral student Po-Ju Ke, and professor Tad Fukami dissect the roles of two mechanisms that maintain coexistence in two pairs of yeast species found... more

Pathogens are ubiquitous. If pathogens increase with preferred host(s), they may suppress common species and benefit rare species, promoting species diversity. Despite their proposed importance, the impacts, identities, and host ranges of pathogens in natural communities are relatively unknown. In a new publication in Ecology, postdoctoral fellow Erin Spear (now a faculty member at Regis University) and Stanford assistant professor... more

On the evenings of May 30 and 31 Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve will be the venue for the performance of Liriope , a site-specific retelling of the Narcissus myth. Tickets are available here: http://bit.ly/Liriope . The performance is an interactive, immersive experience in nature, with audience watching the performance outdoors and walking through the preserve as the play unfolds. The... more

On May 12, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve hosted a community open house for the first time in more than a decade. Visitors were treated to a day of perfect weather and the opportunity to hike around Searsville Lake and along part of San Francisquito Creek, talk with researchers who set up hands-on displays around Sun Field Station and along the... more

Education Coordinator Cindy Wilber was honored today with the Arnice P. Streit Service of Excellence Award for her two decades of dedicated and inspirational teaching and mentoring at Jasper Ridge. The award is one of the highest honors for staff in the School of Humanities and Sciences. It was presented by H&S Dean Richard Saller, after Senior Associate Dean Steve... more