Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) produce large, indehiscent fruits that contain numerous large seeds. Seed dispersal in this species depends on rodents to dismantle fruits and extract the seeds which they disperse tens of meters from the source. Using camera trapping and fruits tied to bobbins, I show that white-tailed antelope squirrels (Ammospermophilus leucurus) and kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) moved intact, fallen fruits 6 to 7 m from trees before opening them. Pocket mice (Chaetodipus fallax and Perognathus longimembris) and pinyon mice (Peromyscus trueii) dismantled fruits and harvested loose seeds but did not appear to move them although they readily harvested loose seeds. Mobilizing fruits may be an important, overlooked step in the seed dispersal process, especially if the fruits are indehiscent. Fruit-carrying behavior of rodents described in this study adds to the dispersal distance of Joshua tree seeds.

Chorro Creek bog thistle Cirsium fontinale var. obispoense (Asteraceae) is a biennial or short-lived perennial plant up to 2 m tall that occurs only in San Luis Obispo County, west of the outer coast ranges. It was listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act in 1993 and the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1994. Chorro Creek bog thistle is a serpentine endemic, occupying perennial seeps and springs in serpentine soil and rock in western San Luis Obispo County from north of San Simeon Creek to south of the city of San Luis Obispo. At federal listing in 1994 Chorro Creek bog thistle was known from nine occurrences (one of these presumed extirpated) and with an estimate of <3,000 individuals. In 2016 the conservation status of Chorro Creek bog thistle is substantially improved because of an increased number of known occurrences along with an increased number of occurrences that are protected. Only two of nine known occurrences were protected in 1994, whereas 10 of 21 occurrences are protected in 2016. There are many other locations with habitat that have not been searched, in particular on private land. It is highly likely that additional unknown occurrences exist in San Luis Obispo County, and possibly also in Monterey County to the north and Santa Barbara County to the south. In consideration of the available information, we conclude that Chorro Creek bog thistle is still endangered. However, when using the international standards of IUCN, we assign the category data deficient because of the limitations of our data.

The blackeye goby is a protogynous reef fish common to the northeastern Pacific Ocean. While this ubiquitous species has been the focus of numerous studies, there are several aspects of its reproductive ecology that are unknown. By directly quantifying reproduction from digital photographs of blackeye goby nests in the field, this study aimed to determine whether reproductive patterns were linked to 1) lunar phase or 2) ambient water temperature; and 3) whether the behavior of gobies changed when a nearby conspecific had eggs in his nest. At Santa Catalina Island, California, twenty 2.25-m² artificial reefs were established and stocked with similar numbers and size-distributions of blackeye gobies during the summers of 2012 and 2013. Photographs of nests were taken weekly for ∼3 months each summer. Through analysis of photographs, incubation time was found to be more than 7 days but less than 14 days. Nests, each guarded by one male, contained an average of 8664 eggs, in an area of 43.8 cm², with 215 eggs cm⁻². Blackeye gobies laid eggs during all lunar phases and the number of eggs produced was not related to lunar phase. Reproductive output, however, was negatively correlated with water temperature, with populations on reefs that experienced cooler temperatures producing more eggs. The presence of eggs in a nest had little effect on behavior of blackeye gobies on that reef. Additional observations made outside of summer months indicated that blackeye gobies can reproduce year-round in southern California. These results suggest a reproductive strategy aimed at maximizing total reproductive output by spreading the risk of reproductive failure throughout the year rather than optimizing the timing of reproduction.