NightSchool: Home on the (Tiny) Range

Meet three species whose entire ranges are confined to an (almost unbelievably) small area — whether that's a single Bay Area hilltop or just one pool of water in the middle of a desert.

• Dr. Adriana Hernandez: Mariposa lilies bloom all over California, but some — like the Tiburon mariposa lily — are only known to be found on singular hilltops. A postdoctoral researcher at the California Academy of Sciences, Dr. Adriana Hernandez will share about these incredibly special lilies (among the many others she studied for her PhD), and why certain organisms exist exactly where they do.

• Dr. Jennifer Gumm: The Devils Hole pupfish is small, blue(ish), and critically endangered. Its home is a specific, water-filled limestone cave in Nevada — the entire population of Devils Hole pupfish live their lives in about 20 square meters. Dr. Jennifer Gumm, a fish biologist and facility manager with the Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility, will share about efforts to protect this unique fish and help its population recover.

• Ruben Tovar, M.S.: After generations of cave-dwelling in Texas, salamanders in the central Texas Eurycea clade rely on other senses to navigate their environments. Ruben Tovar, PhD candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, studies this stunning group of groundwater salamanders to understand how evolutionary forces shaped their eye loss over time.

Видео NightSchool: Home on the (Tiny) Range канала California Academy of Sciences