This dissertation enhancement award will provide support for doctoral student Mr. Timothy Bonebrake, to conduct research on microclimate effects on ecophysiology and evolution within a checkerspot butterfly population in a broad geographic range in El Salvador, under the guidance of Drs. Carol Boggs and Paul Ehrlich, of Stanford University. Data will be gathered through biophysical modeling, thermocouple experimentation and genetic analysis. Field work will be based near the El Imposible National Park in El Salvador, with a strong international collaboration between the U.S. investigators and El Salvadoran ecologists Dr. Oliver Komar (Salvanatura) and Dr. Francisco Serrano (Bioproductores). Results will be compared to past and present research in Costa Rica and North America, and will be disseminated through a Stanford University bilingual website.
The research will enhance current biodiversity inventory efforts and monitoring capacity in an area where there is a dearth of empirical data. A strong international collaboration will be fostered between U.S. researchers and those in El Salvador. Research on anthropogenic effects on biodiversity will benefit both the U.S. and El Salvador.
