Vulnerability to climate change



Science Advances, In press

     Extinction rates are predicted to accelerate over the next 100 years due to human-caused climate change. Most of these predictions are unable to incorporate the ability of plants and animals to respond to warming by changing their physiology or behavior. My research program focuses on the physiological and behavioral traits that are necessary to make predictions about extinction risk under climate change. For instance, which traits make animals more vulnerable to warming and does their ability to change these traits influence extinction risk? To answer these questions, I combine experimental data with computer simulations of warming to understand how animals might deal with stress in the future. Contrary to previous research, I have found that the global hotspot of salamander diversity exhibits resistance to extinction under climate change (In press). More recently, I am have been using these approaches to understand the vulnerability of desert endotherms to climate change during my postdoc at UC Berkeley.

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Functional traits underlying species distributions



in Ecological Monographs and Ecology Letters

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​     A fundamental problem in ecology is to explain the uneven distribution of a species through space and time. To tackle this problem, ecologists use species range models to understand where and why organisms are found in certain areas. My research incorporates physiology and biophysics into simulation-based models to identify the mechanisms that determine a species geographic range. I have primarily used these methods to identify the importance of water loss physiology in structuring the geographic range of salamanders. These approaches can then used to answer questions about the ecological impact of climate change. Read more here.

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Plastic responses to environment




in Ecosphere and Functional Ecology

   
​    Animals can adjust their physiology in ways that helps them live in different environments. My research explores the potential for animals to adapt or acclimate to stressful environments by adjusting physiological traits. I began studying geographic variation in water loss rates in salamanders to identify whether salamanders could reduce water loss rates in drier climates. My studies suggest that salamanders are very capable of acclimating to their environment by adjusting water loss rates and metabolic rates in ways that improve their ability to tolerate harsh climatic conditions. Further studies like these will help to make more realistic predictions on the capacity to avoid extinction under climate change. Read more here.