Channel Islands: A Living Laboratory

large, long-tailed bird

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center scientists study the island scrub-jay to learn more about island adaptations and conservation strategies for these ecosystems.

The eight California Channel Islands are home to native populations of several bird species, including the orange-crowned warbler and song sparrow. The endemic island scrub-jay is endemic to this area and exists exclusively on Santa Cruz Island. Bird species and populations on islands are often at risk. Island-specific species are up to 40 times more likely to go extinct than their mainland counterparts.

Temperature and moisture levels vary dramatically from east to west and north to south on the Channel Islands, providing a wonderful, living laboratory to study local adaption. So far, research has found that Channel Island bird populations show strong evidence of local adaptation, even within islands. If these adaptations are not identified and incorporated into management plans, restoration efforts could fail and waste already limited resources.

Researchers have also found that island scrub-jay populations live longer and produce fewer young each year than their mainland counterparts. Current research is investigating how this "slower life history" affects this species' ability to adapt to rapid environmental change.

Survival and reproductive success of Channel Islands birds are linked to rainfall, similar to populations on the coast of mainland California and in other "Mediterranean" environments. In wet years, more insects and seeds are available for the birds to eat. Relationships between weather and population dynamics are easier to study in places with relatively low species diversity, like the Channel Islands. This makes the islands an ideal system to investigate how future climate changes could affect wildlife.

SMBC researchers work with scientists from The Nature Conservancy, Channel Islands National Park and Catalina Island Conservancy to study and protect the unique island scrub-jay.

Additional Species

Channel Island scrub-jay

Song sparrow

Continue Exploring

A whiteboard from a scenario planning workshop with x-and-y graphs with axes representing "political will" and "population size" and colorful dots added to sections

Case Study: Scenario Planning in Northwestern Virginia

Virginia Working Landscape

Case Study: Land Use Modeling in Northwestern Virginia
A researcher stands among tall trees in a sunlit forest in Virginia.

Changing Landscapes Initiative
Smithsonian scientists work alongside community members in Northwestern Virginia to evaluate the impacts of land-use change on wildlife, ecosystem services and community health.
Corals

Coral Biobank Alliance
Smithsonian scientists are part of the Coral Biobank Alliance, a global network of coral experts preserving corals for restoration and research.
coral reef

Coral Cryopreservation Training Course
An underwater photo of a coral reef with a large coral in the foreground surrounded by smaller corals and fish swimming in the distance

Coral Species Cryopreserved with Global Collaborators​
View a list of the coral species that have been cryopreserved using a technique developed by Smithsonian scientists.
Herd of wildebeest grazing on an open grassy plain with one tree

Wildebeest Conservation
Conservation Ecology Center scientists are tracking the movements of white-bearded wildebeest to understand how changes across the landscape impact the species.
A small bird called a piping plover stands on a sandy shore

Protecting Piping Plovers in the Great Lakes
In 2022, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center will begin a new research project to help protect endangered piping plovers from predation by merlins.
A swift fox wearing a tracking collar is released at Ft. Belknap

Swift Fox Recovery
Smithsonian scientists, in collaboration with the Fort Belknap Fish and Wildlife Department, are embarking on a five-year swift fox reintroduction project to restore swift foxes to tribal lands and to help reestablish connectivity between disjointed swift fox populations.
A large leafy tree growing adjacent to a body of water, with cattle grazing in the grass underneath its canopy

Conserving the World’s Largest Working Wetland
Conservation Ecology Center researchers are collaborating with institutions in Brazil and other Smithsonian colleagues to support sustainable cattle ranching in the Pantanal wetland.