IntBio Project: Life as a Biology Researcher

Who Are We?

The IntBio Project is a group of interconnected labs associated with the College of Biological Sciences. The faculty in charge of the project are Dr. Julin Maloof, Dr. Jennifer Gremer, Dr. Denneal Jamison-McClung, and Dr. Troy Magney. We also have a research team of graduate students and post-doctorates including Maya Arakaki, Dr. Brandie Quarles Chidyagwai, Dr. Rishav Ray, and a handful of undergraduate research assistants.

What Do We Do?

IntBio is short for Integrative Biology, which essentially means the study of life using multiple scientific perspectives for a well rounded approach. Each of our project leaders specialize in their own field within biological sciences. With the broad range of expertise, we are able to use different skills in ecology, genomics, and plant science to understand populations of Streptanthus plants (1). Our team also works in a wide variety of locations including several labs, a controlled environment facility, greenhouses, gardens, and remote field sites. 

Since integrative biology is such a broad field, many different niches and skills are involved with this type of research. For example, majors that are associated with this sort of research include Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity (EEB), Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Environmental Science and Management, Genetics and Genomics, and Plant Sciences to name a few. Students with a passion for understanding how the biological world works, and those who want to broaden their skill set or learn from others with different skills should consider pursuing integrative biology research.

What is Next?

Currently, our lab has been studying how plants from different elevations may respond to climate change. The head of this project, Dr. Brandie Quarles-Chidyagwai, observed how plants from different climate distances reacted in terms of growth, mortality, and reproductive output, when all grown in the same location (2). Climate distance in this experiment refers to how different the common garden is climate-wise when compared to the original habitat of the plant. A greater climate distance means it differs more than a short climate distance.

To conduct this experiment, Streptanthus tortuosus plants from different populations were germinated and kept in the controlled environment facility to begin the process. Then, they were planted at a high elevation site in the Eldorado National Forest (near Wrights Lake) and were measured weekly. To measure the fitness of these plants, the research team counted flowers and fruits (e.g., seed pods), as well as the overall survival of each plant. These measurements were taken over the course of two years by our whole research team.

The results of this experiment concluded that adaptation was variable among populations, and that populations from higher elevations and lower temperatures had an adaptational lag. An adaptational lag is when an organism has a delay in its adaptation to a new environment, thus giving it a “lag.” Although all plants were grown at a high elevation site, recent climate change has made high elevations in the Sierras of CA warmer, potentially causing the adaptational lag found in the high elevation plants. Lower elevation populations survived better than high elevation populations in the first year and winter, and populations from warmer climates were more likely to reproduce. While high elevation plants had lower fitness in their first year, they did have higher survival to reproduction than low elevation plants in the second year.

This observed adaptational lag could be risky for a future where temperatures rise. If populations take too long to adapt to changing climates, it could be detrimental for the populations in question. The variability in different populations' ability to adapt to new environments is important for scientists to consider as we move forward and attempt to preserve at-risk species.

Life as an Undergraduate Researcher

As an undergraduate researcher, joining a lab was the best decision I have made during my time in college. Working as an undergraduate researcher has given me the opportunity to work alongside professionals that inspire me in my career, and has been a great way to gain experience for graduate school. 

Finding a position in undergraduate research can be a little intimidating, and many don’t know where to start. The best way to get a position in a lab is to reach out to professors that are working on projects that interest you. Building a connection with a professor you like is often the first step. Do a little research about your professor’s work, and go to office hours to show your enthusiasm. Professors love it when you show passion for their subject. You could also browse professors in your institution and reach out if you find their work interesting. That’s what I personally did with Dr. Jennifer Gremer to get a position in her lab.

Once you get a position in a lab, there is a huge array of work you may end up doing. In my lab, I started out by weighing Streptanthus tortuosus fruits and biomass, but since then I’ve done many other tasks. I’ve done watering, germination, pot transfers, DNA collection, planting, and my favorite task: fieldwork. Fieldwork is super exciting, and in my lab it involves traveling to a remote common garden site to collect data on our plants. Getting the chance to work on so many different tasks has been eye opening for me, and has helped me direct myself in my career interests.

I highly recommend incoming or current college students to investigate potential undergraduate research positions. Students with an interest in graduate school or research related jobs, and even those just experimenting with where to go in their careers, would benefit immensely from working with professionals in a lab. My experience in the Gremer Lab has helped me develop general skills like data analysis, teamwork, and project management. I’ve also learned more specific skills related to plant science like germination and managing plants. On top of that, I’ve also gained much in-depth knowledge related to evolution and ecology that I can use to build up on basic knowledge I’ve learned in my classes. Overall, undergraduate research is very rewarding, both in experience and in building connections in your field. 

References

(1) University of California, Davis. Integrative Biology Project (IntBio). UC Davis Biotech Program. https://biotech.ucdavis.edu/integrative-biology-project-intbio

(2) Quarles-Chidyagwai, B., Ashlock, S., Schmitt, J., Maloof, J., Gremer, J.R. 2025. Adaptational lag at high elevations depends on life stage in a California wildflower. bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.26.678840