Over the last century, the earth's climate has indisputably changed causing lasting effects on biodiversity including increased extinction rate, habitat reduction, and decreased dispersal and gene flow as a result of habitat change. Broadly, I am interested in understanding how climate and geography impact intra- and inter-specific patterns of genetic variation. A central issue in modern wildlife management and conservation is building robust models of how species may respond to future climate change. Examining how past environmental fluctuations have impacted the current distribution, adaptation, and morphology of a species can help us predict how species may respond to future climate and habitat change.
Explore some of the past research I've been involved in exploring genetics and biogeography!
Explore some of the past research I've been involved in exploring genetics and biogeography!
Townsend's big-eared bat research
The Townsend's big-eared bat is easily recognizable by its extremely long ears and glandular lumps between the eyes and nostrils. They are called whispering bats, as they echolocate with low-intensity calls while foraging for insect prey. There are currently five recognized subspecies of Townsend's big-eared bats, with evidence of up to two subspecies occurring throughout California. This bat species roosts in caves and other cave-like habitats, including abandoned mines and buildings, which are increasingly limited or altered across the landscape. The Townsend's big-eared bat is designated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) as a Species of Special Concern throughout its range in California. Despite this species' protected status, there is still much unknown about the demography and population structure of colonies within California. I have been in the unique situation where I was able to integrate several data types and projects to aid in the conservation of this species.
Species Distribution Modeling
Effective management decisions depend on knowledge of species distribution and habitat use. Maps generated from species distribution models are important in predicting previously unknown occurrences of protected species. However, if populations are seasonally dynamic or locally adapted, failing to consider population level differences could lead to erroneous determinations of occurrence probability and ineffective management. Townsend's big-eared bats and many other temperate bat species roost in separate locations during the summer (when they are raising their young of the year) and winter (when they are hibernating).
The goal of our research was to understand how modeling based on seasonal occurrences impacted assessments of habitat loss under future climate change scenarios. Comparison of phenologically explicit models with combined models indicates the combined models better predict the extent of the known range of C. townsendii in California. However, life-history-explicit models aid in understanding of different environmental needs and distribution of their major phenological stages. This is important to note, as a species may be extirpated from an area if the ecological needs of one season (i.e., hibernation) are not met.
Check out the publication in Ecology and Evolution to learn more!!
Population Genetics
I have been working on several population genetics projects with collaborators, exploring different aspects of Townsend's big-eared bat ecology. 1) First, we aim to understand why bats are choosing to roost in specific groups. Although individual Townsend's predictably return to the same maternity colonies and hibernacula each year, hibernacula consist of individuals from several maternity colonies. There is evidence in mammals that these sorts of long-term relationships in fission-fusion societies is driven by kinship (i.e., associations are correlated with genetic relatedness). We use genetic and mark-recapture data to understand if Townsend's big-eared bats choose seasonal roosts based on kinship. 2) We also aim to understand if there is gene flow between hibernacula of Townsend's big-eared bats in eastern California and western Nevada. Previous research has indicated panmixia among maternity colonies in eastern California, but research on the population genetics of hibernacula is limited in bats generally. Understanding the population structure of hibernacula is especially important as white-nose syndrome spreads across western United States - patterns of gene flow between hibernacula has been linked to the patterns of WNS spread in Myotis species in North America. This manuscript is in review and I hope to share it soon! 3) Finally, we are using our generated data to understand how drift may be impacting pelage phenotypes in our study populations.
California Conservation Genomics Project
I am collaborating with researchers at California Department of Fish and Wildlife and UCLA on an exciting genomics project. The CCGP aims "to produce the most comprehensive multispecies genomic dataset ever assembled to help manage and protect regional biodiversity in the face of climate change." Townsend's big-eared bats are one of two species chosen for this project. The Townsend’s big-eared bat is designated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) as a Species of Special Concern throughout its range in California. The extent to which Townsend’s big-eared bat populations in California are genetically structured, locally adapted, and possess unique functional genomic variation is currently unknown. Such data would greatly aid the management of this species by allowing the establishment of Management Units designed to maximize conservation of the remaining genomic variation (neutral and adaptive) distributed throughout California. Currently, we have a reference genome in review at the Journal of Heredity.
The Townsend's big-eared bat is easily recognizable by its extremely long ears and glandular lumps between the eyes and nostrils. They are called whispering bats, as they echolocate with low-intensity calls while foraging for insect prey. There are currently five recognized subspecies of Townsend's big-eared bats, with evidence of up to two subspecies occurring throughout California. This bat species roosts in caves and other cave-like habitats, including abandoned mines and buildings, which are increasingly limited or altered across the landscape. The Townsend's big-eared bat is designated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) as a Species of Special Concern throughout its range in California. Despite this species' protected status, there is still much unknown about the demography and population structure of colonies within California. I have been in the unique situation where I was able to integrate several data types and projects to aid in the conservation of this species.
Species Distribution Modeling
Effective management decisions depend on knowledge of species distribution and habitat use. Maps generated from species distribution models are important in predicting previously unknown occurrences of protected species. However, if populations are seasonally dynamic or locally adapted, failing to consider population level differences could lead to erroneous determinations of occurrence probability and ineffective management. Townsend's big-eared bats and many other temperate bat species roost in separate locations during the summer (when they are raising their young of the year) and winter (when they are hibernating).
The goal of our research was to understand how modeling based on seasonal occurrences impacted assessments of habitat loss under future climate change scenarios. Comparison of phenologically explicit models with combined models indicates the combined models better predict the extent of the known range of C. townsendii in California. However, life-history-explicit models aid in understanding of different environmental needs and distribution of their major phenological stages. This is important to note, as a species may be extirpated from an area if the ecological needs of one season (i.e., hibernation) are not met.
Check out the publication in Ecology and Evolution to learn more!!
Population Genetics
I have been working on several population genetics projects with collaborators, exploring different aspects of Townsend's big-eared bat ecology. 1) First, we aim to understand why bats are choosing to roost in specific groups. Although individual Townsend's predictably return to the same maternity colonies and hibernacula each year, hibernacula consist of individuals from several maternity colonies. There is evidence in mammals that these sorts of long-term relationships in fission-fusion societies is driven by kinship (i.e., associations are correlated with genetic relatedness). We use genetic and mark-recapture data to understand if Townsend's big-eared bats choose seasonal roosts based on kinship. 2) We also aim to understand if there is gene flow between hibernacula of Townsend's big-eared bats in eastern California and western Nevada. Previous research has indicated panmixia among maternity colonies in eastern California, but research on the population genetics of hibernacula is limited in bats generally. Understanding the population structure of hibernacula is especially important as white-nose syndrome spreads across western United States - patterns of gene flow between hibernacula has been linked to the patterns of WNS spread in Myotis species in North America. This manuscript is in review and I hope to share it soon! 3) Finally, we are using our generated data to understand how drift may be impacting pelage phenotypes in our study populations.
California Conservation Genomics Project
I am collaborating with researchers at California Department of Fish and Wildlife and UCLA on an exciting genomics project. The CCGP aims "to produce the most comprehensive multispecies genomic dataset ever assembled to help manage and protect regional biodiversity in the face of climate change." Townsend's big-eared bats are one of two species chosen for this project. The Townsend’s big-eared bat is designated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) as a Species of Special Concern throughout its range in California. The extent to which Townsend’s big-eared bat populations in California are genetically structured, locally adapted, and possess unique functional genomic variation is currently unknown. Such data would greatly aid the management of this species by allowing the establishment of Management Units designed to maximize conservation of the remaining genomic variation (neutral and adaptive) distributed throughout California. Currently, we have a reference genome in review at the Journal of Heredity.
Phylogeography and Species Delimitation
My research career began with phylogeography and species delimitation in the circumtropical sexy shrimp: Publication here!
Species boundaries and phylogeography are topics that continue to fascinate me, as species' evolution is also driven by stochastic forces, not just selection. I am currently working on a project with Jessica Light and Sharon Jansa to untangle the complex history of speciation in the North American Deer Mouse. We are utilizing ultra-conserved elements and broad geographic sampling to understand species distribution and boundaries.
My research career began with phylogeography and species delimitation in the circumtropical sexy shrimp: Publication here!
Species boundaries and phylogeography are topics that continue to fascinate me, as species' evolution is also driven by stochastic forces, not just selection. I am currently working on a project with Jessica Light and Sharon Jansa to untangle the complex history of speciation in the North American Deer Mouse. We are utilizing ultra-conserved elements and broad geographic sampling to understand species distribution and boundaries.
Landscape Genetics
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