About

Bruce Kendall is a quantitative ecologist whose research in population dynamics involves modeling and analysis of abundance (the number of individuals in a plant or animal population) and demographic (birth and death rate) data. He applies the science of population ecology both to the conservation of rare species and the management of harvested populations. His specific research interests include processes that cause population abundances to fluctuate over time; predicting the extinction risk of rare species; patterns of individual growth in fluctuating environments and how they affect population growth rates; and the effects of current-driven dispersal on marine fish species. His funded research has included investigations into fish growth in estuaries and rivers, marine fisheries management, invasion biology, and the population consequences of among-individual heterogeneity in birth and death rates.

Research topics

• Environmental science
• Environmental resource management
• Geography
• Ecology
• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Biology
• Geology
• Oceanography

Selected publications

• Bark traits and fire vulnerability in three California foothill oak species

  Fire Ecology · 2026-04-28

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Background Bark serves an important function in protecting trees from heat damage in fire-prone ecosystems. As fire increases in Mediterranean-climate systems, so does the need to understand fire adaptations of associated tree species, especially in important but understudied groups such as oaks ( Quercus spp.). To determine what bark traits contribute to fire resistance in two widespread California white oak species ( Q. douglasii and Q. lobata ) and one red oak species ( Q. agrifolia ), we measured bark thickness, moisture content, and density, and related these variables to Time to Cambium Kill (τ), a metric that quantifies vulnerability to fire-induced trunk tissue death. We conducted heating experiments on the bark of live trees to record τ. We assessed τ as a function of tree trunk diameter and bark thickness, determining “safe” size thresholds for each species. We also compared our field measurements to predictions from two frequently applied τ models. We searched for evidence of species’ fire-adaptedness by comparing bark thickness:size allometry patterns at 50 cm and 137 cm heights. Results Bark thickness was a much stronger predictor of τ than moisture content or density. Q. agrifolia had a higher bark thickness:stem diameter ratio, lower safe diameter threshold (17.2 cm), and higher safe bark thickness threshold (2 cm) than Q. douglasii and Q. lobata . Existing models that predict τ as a function of bark properties had modest skill, and our fitted models that accounted for species differences performed better. Q. agrifolia most strongly manifested bark allometry indicative of fire-adaptedness. None of the species showed a fire-adapted pattern of bark tapering with height. Conclusion Bark traits and growth patterns can confer fire adaptation in tree species. Q. agrifolia showed stronger evidence of fire-adapted bark traits than Q. douglasii or Q. lobata . More work is needed to develop reliable general models relating time to trunk tissue kill to bark traits for oaks in fire-prone ecosystems.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Suppression of ovarian cancer -related angiogenesis processes by cannabis extract fraction in vascular endothelial cells is associated with reduced F-actin and focal adhesion points reorganization

  Pharmacological Research - Natural Products · 2025-11-05

  articleOpen access

  Angiogenesis, the growth of new vessels from existing ones to supply oxygen and nutrients requirement for tissue, is essential for tumor growth and development. Cannabis sativa extract fraction (F7) was shown previously to be cytotoxic to ovarian cancer (OC) cells. Here we examined the effect of F7 on angiogenesis-related processes in HUVEC cells. Gene expression profiles were determined by quantitative PCR. Microscopy was used to determine actin arrangement and protein localization, a scratch and sprouting assay to determine cell migration and sprouting, respectively. Western blotting was used to determine protein levels . F7 treatment reduced HUVEC cell migration and sprouting, yet increased VEGF expression in HUVEC and OC cells. HUVEC sprouting and expression of regulatory and structural components of F-actin and focal adhesion point reorganization were increased by co-culturing of HUVEC with OC cells. F7 treatment reduced in HUVEC gene and protein expression related to F-actin and focal adhesion point reorganization. Confocal microscopy verified the reduction in stress fiber and focal adhesion points formation at protruding edges of the cells. Despite the increase in VEGF expression, F7 treatment reduced in vitro angiogenesis-related processes induced by OC cells in HUVEC. F7 suppressed F-actin and focal adhesion point reorganization, necessary for endothelial cell migration and sprouting. • F7 treatment increases VEGF gene expression in vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) and ovarian cancer cells (OC). • F7 treatment reduces HUVEC cell migration and OC-induced sprouting. • F7 treatment reduces HUVEC F-actin and focal adhesion point-related gene expression and their reorganization, necessary for endothelial cell migration and sprouting. • Since angiogenesis is a vital process in solid tumor development, F7 treatment may be applicable as an anti-angiogenesis agent.

  PublisherDOI

• Triangulating habitat suitability for the locally extirpated California grizzly bear

  Biological Conservation · 2025-02-07 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Integrated transcriptome and cell phenotype analysis suggest involvement of PARP1 cleavage, Hippo/Wnt, TGF-β and MAPK signaling pathways in ovarian cancer cells response to cannabis and PARP1 inhibitor treatment

  Frontiers in Genetics · 2024-01-23 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: Cannabis sativa is utilized mainly for palliative care worldwide. Ovarian cancer (OC) is a lethal gynecologic cancer. A particular cannabis extract fraction ('F7′) and the Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitor niraparib act synergistically to promote OC cell apoptosis. Here we identified genetic pathways that are altered by the synergistic treatment in OC cell lines Caov3 and OVCAR3. Materials and methods: Gene expression profiles were determined by RNA sequencing and quantitative PCR. Microscopy was used to determine actin arrangement, a scratch assay to determine cell migration and flow cytometry to determine apoptosis, cell cycle and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. Western blotting was used to determine protein levels. Results: Gene expression results suggested variations in gene expression between the two cell lines examined. Multiple genetic pathways, including Hippo/Wnt, TGF-β/Activin and MAPK were enriched with genes differentially expressed by niraparib and/or F7 treatments in both cell lines. Niraparib + F7 treatment led to cell cycle arrest and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, inhibited cell migration, reduced the % of ALDH positive cells in the population and enhanced PARP1 cleavage. Conclusion: The synergistic effect of the niraparib + F7 may result from the treatment affecting multiple genetic pathways involving cell death and reducing mesenchymal characteristics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The role of geophysics in the discovery of the Gonneville PGE-NiCu-Co-Au Deposit, Julimar, Western Australia.

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2021-09-15

  paratextOpen accessSenior author

  The Gonneville deposit is a significant new PGE-nickel copper-cobalt-gold sulphide deposit discovered by Chalice Mining in 2020. Located only 70 km northeast of Perth, Western Australia, it represents the first major discovery of a PGE-rich orthomagmatic sulphide deposit hosted in the Julimar Complex of the newly defined Western Yilgarn Ni-Cu-PGE Province. Geophysics has played a significant role in the targeting, discovery, delineation and understanding of the Gonneville deposit under shallow cover. Chalice staked the project in 2018 on the basis of a previously unrecognised, 26 km long, mafic-ultramafic intrusive complex interpreted from open-file aeromagnetic surveys. In 2019, a moving-loop electromagnetic (MLEM) survey undertaken over a discrete 1.6 km x 0.8 km magnetic anomaly detected multiple EM conductors, some of which were modelled to be consistent with a massive sulphide source. A maiden RC drilling program in March 2020 targeting the strongest MLEM conductor intersected massive, matrix and stringer sulphide mineralisation which reported 19 m @ 8.4 g/t Pd, 1.1 g/t Pt, 2.6% Ni, 1.0% Cu and 0.1% Co from 48 m downhole. Multiple high-grade massive-matrix-heavy disseminated sulphide zones have now been intersected in the Gonneville intrusion, along with widespread, low-grade disseminated sulphide mineralisation. The Gonneville intrusion has been surveyed with a wide variety of geophysical methods which include ground gravity, MLEM, downhole electromagnetic (DHEM), airborne magnetic, and airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys. DHEM has identified multiple conductors associated with known, and potentially mineralised zones. Gravity and magnetic survey data and inversions have improved the understanding of the geology and structure of the intrusion. A maiden AEM survey flown in late 2020 highlighted known mineralisation at Gonneville as well as identifying multiple new anomalies to the north within the broader Julimar Complex. Geophysical techniques will continue to provide a key role in exploring the Gonneville deposit including targeting extensions of known mineralisation as well as delineating new areas for continued exploration elsewhere within the Julimar Complex.

  PublisherDOI

• Atlas of the shallow-water benthic habitats of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands

  AquaDocs (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) · 2021-06-24

  bookOpen access

  Digital maps of the shallow (<~30m deep) coral reef ecosystems of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, were created through visual interpretation of remote sensing imagery acquired between 2004 and 2006. Reef ecosystem features were digitized directly into a Geographic Information System. Benthic features were categorized according to a classification scheme with attributes including zone (location such as lagoon or forereef, etc.), structure (bottom type such as sand or patch reef, etc.) and percent hard bottom. This atlas consists of 27 detailed maps displaying reef zone and structure of coral ecosystems around Majuro. Adjacent maps in the atlas overlap slightly to ensure complete coverage. Maps and associated products can be used to support science and management activities on Majuro reef ecosystems including inventory, monitoring, conservation, and sustainable development applications. Maps are not to be used for navigation.

  Publisher

• Issue Information

  Ecology · 2020-05-01

  paratextOpen access

  18 years of data to show that the stability of the emblematic marine foundation species, the giant kelp M. pyrifera, can benefi t the stability of the diverse assemblage of understory algae and sessile invertebrates that compete for space beneath the giant kelp canopy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Locating gaps in the California Current System ocean acidification monitoring network

  Science Progress · 2020 · 11 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Environmental science
  • Oceanography
  • Environmental resource management

  Ocean acidification is a global issue with particular regional significance in the California Current System, where social, economic, and ecological impacts are already occurring. Although ocean acidification is a concern that unifies the entire West Coast region, managing for this phenomenon at a regional scale is complex and further complicated by the large scale and dynamic nature of the region. Currently, data collection relevant to ocean acidification on the West Coast is piecemeal, and cannot capture the primary sources of variability in ocean acidification through time and across the region, hindering collaboration among regional managers. We developed a tool to analyze gaps in the West Coast ocean acidification monitoring network. We describe this tool and discuss how it can enable scientists and marine managers in the California Current System to fill information gaps and better understand and thus respond to ocean acidification through the implementation of management solutions at the local level.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Within Reach? Habitat Availability as a Function of Individual Mobility and Spatial Structuring

  The American Naturalist · 2020 · 21 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Ecology

  Organisms need access to particular habitats for their survival and reproduction. However, even if all necessary habitats are available within the broader environment, they may not all be easily reachable from the position of a single individual. Many species distribution models consider populations in environmental (or niche) space, hence overlooking this fundamental aspect of geographical accessibility. Here, we develop a formal way of thinking about habitat availability in environmental spaces by describing how limitations in accessibility can cause animals to experience a more limited or simply different mixture of habitats than those more broadly available. We develop an analytical framework for characterizing constrained habitat availability based on the statistical properties of movement and environmental autocorrelation. Using simulation experiments, we show that our general statistical representation of constrained availability is a good approximation of habitat availability for particular realizations of landscape-organism interactions. We present two applications of our approach, one to the statistical analysis of habitat preference (using step-selection functions to analyze harbor seal telemetry data) and a second that derives theoretical insights about population viability from knowledge of the underlying environment. Analytical expressions for habitat availability, such as those we develop here, can yield gains in analytical speed, biological realism, and conceptual generality by allowing us to formulate models that are habitat sensitive without needing to be spatially explicit.

  PublisherDOI

• Issue Information

  Ecology · 2020-06-01

  paratextOpen access

  Parameterized maximum entropy

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Demographic Heterogeneity within Populations and its Consequences

  NSF · $202k · 2006–2011

• Collaborative Research: Demographic heterogeneity in landscapes and communities

  NSF · $261k · 2011–2015

Frequent coauthors

• Gordon A. Fox

  University of South Florida

  27 shared

• Cheryl J. Briggs

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  25 shared

• William W. Murdoch

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  24 shared

• Edward McCauley

  University of Calgary

  20 shared

• Stephen P. Ellner

  20 shared

• Simon N. Wood

  20 shared

• Peter Turchin

  18 shared

• Fiorenza Micheli

  Stanford University

  15 shared

Labs

• Bruce Kendall's Research GroupPI

Education

• PhD, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

  University of Arizona

  1996

• BA, Physics

  Williams College

  1986