Assistant Professor
Department of Entomology
University of California, Riverside
jpurcell@ucr.edu
phone:951-827-7258
Blog
Lab Retreat at Sweeney Granite Mountain Desert Research Center
October, 2017Jessica Purcell
In mid-October, graduate students and PIs from the Purcell and Brelsford labs headed out on Friday afternoon to spend a weekend retreat at the beautiful Sweeney Granite Mountain Desert Research Center, which is adjacent to the Mojave Preserve. Our goal was to begin an annual tradition that will allow lab members to explore potential field sites, discuss scientific ideas, and generally hang out together outside of the university context. We arrived at Granite Cove around dusk with two dogs leading the van into the field station. After getting an introduction to the field station rules and regulations, the Brelsford lab prepared a feast while the Purcell lab engaged in a heated game of Sushi Go. The wonderful station managers Jim and Tasha provided lots of suggestions for activities, and we made a plan for several walks the following day.
Granite Cove Research Station
On Saturday, we checked out all of the trails around Granite Cove, starting with a morning stroll around the ½ mile nature loop. We found some great ant species, of which an Aphaenogaster species was a highlight. We then organized ourselves for a hike up towards the summit of Granite Mountain. We knew that the trail wasn't fully cleared or prepared, so we planned to get up to a ridge ("the chateau plateau") to cross the different biomes encompassed within the reserve. The trail was rough with lots of thorny plants, but it was a lovely half day hike with lots of fantastic views and interesting plants and rock formations along the way. Several of us turned back before reaching the top of the ridge in order to check out a new nature trail in the valley. It was a gorgeous day! Everyone came back for a late lunch and a siesta in the mid-afternoon. The late afternoon and evening were dedicated to discussions led by each participant. Each person came prepared to discuss some interesting scientific topic, either related to their research or just an idea that they found intriguing. Topics ranged from jumping spider phylogenetics to ants on tundra to hummingbird genomics to interpretation population genetic patterns, and all discussions were lively and engaging.
View from hike on Granite Mountain
We took a break from the discussions to go for a night walk. It was quite cold with a strong wind blowing, but beautiful to see the night sky so far from city lights. The group spotted an interesting phenomenon during the walk: we saw a small group of spiders attacking Veromessor harvester ants at their nest entrance. We filmed and observed many of their behaviors, and we collected spider vouchers for subsequent identification. Since ants generally have few predators, it's very exciting to see the strategies that predators employ to subdue ant workers. We came back to a warm kitchen and a meal prepared by Jay (on behalf of the Purcell lab). He was visiting PhD student Madison, and tagged along on this adventure.
Our final day in the desert, we decided to explore another area near the reserve: the Kelso sand dunes in the Mojave preserve. Here, Daniel left the group to seek out a sidewinder (snake) after we encountered its distinctive track along the sandy track. Amanda collected several ant species along the way for microbiome analysis, since the environment on the dunes is so distinctive. Most of the group proceeded up to the high point of the dune, where we had lunch and enjoyed the scenery. After playing on the steep slopes of the dunes, we enjoyed descending quickly down a steep sandy slope. All in all, it was a great weekend, and we're already discussing where next year's retreat should be!
Amanda Hale rolling done a sand dune
The crew running down the dune