Species Divergence Shaped by the Intersects of Ecology and Climate Change
March 17, 2014 @ 05:00 pm
to 06:00 pm
Lacey Knowles, University of Michigan
112 Borland
Event Website
Most species we study today have been subject to periods of rapid climate change of differing severity at some point in their past. The impact of rapid climate change, and specifically, its genetic consequences have been studied at large geographic scales (e.g., comparisons between low and high latitudes). In contrast, we have a limited understanding of the genetic consequences of rapid climate change for taxa within local communities beyond simply describing patterns of genetic variation within and between populations. Yet, such information about how climate change impacts species divergence is essential for understanding why patterns of genetic variation differs across a landscape and varies among species. With the application of recent developments at the molecular level, as well as computational advances, what is emerging is a story of how patterns of genetic variation are shaped by an intersection of species ecology and climate change. I will review the methodologies that are propelling this promising area of research through the testing of hypotheses that accommodate differences in species-specific ecologies. By reference to three examples - results from an analysis of an endemic lizard from southwest Australia, montane sedges from the Southern Rocky Mountains, and montane grasshoppers from the Northern Rocky Mountains - I discuss how these insights are useful for understanding not only how the divergence process may differ among geographic regions, but also why members of communities may respond differently to climate change.
Contact
Andrea Chan
anc164@psu.edu