This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009. The fellowship supports a research and training plan entitled "Landscape study of the effects of climate change on Sierra Nevada mammals" for Toni Morelli. The host institution for this research is the University of California-Berkeley, and the sponsoring scientists are Steven Beissinger and Craig Moritz.
Understanding the effects of climate change on natural populations is quickly becoming a hallmark of 21st century conservation efforts. This research integrates microclimate and genetic data with ecological modeling and spatial analysis in order to make better predictions of the effects of climate change on Sierra Nevada mammal populations. Specifically this research is examining patterns of genetic variation and gene flow in relation to habitat heterogeneity, both geographical and climatic. This study utilizes and optimizes newly developed landscape genetics tools, spatial analysis software, and the latest climate models.
Training goals include remote sensing, spatial analysis and genomic sequencing techniques. The research results are being disseminated to the public and to governmental and non-governmental agencies in order to help conserve California's wildlife in the face of climate change.
