DISSERTATION RESEARCH: A Mechanistic Investigation of Range Limits Across Scales

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A basic ecological property of all species is the geographic range and physical conditions of the habitats in which they exist. However, our theoretical understanding of what determines species distributions is limited due to the difficulty of studying ecological processes occurring over large geographic scales. The focus of this project is to understand what determines the distribution of an ecologically important species, the mussel Mytilus californianus, from a scale of meters to hundreds of kilometers. This project will combine experimental and observational approaches to quantify survival, growth, and reproduction of individuals across the full range of the species. This species is ideally suited to a study of range limits because of its one dimensional coastal distribution, the ease with which individuals can be transplanted, and the capability of remote sensing to measure their distribution. Results from this project will indicate the relative importance of food web interactions and physical habitat conditions in restricting the distribution of this intertidal species. This research will address the broader topic of how species can adapt to changing environments through shifts in geographic range, and informs questions with practical implications such as how species extinctions occur and how climate change is likely to shift species distributions. Other broader impacts of this project include outreach activities to high school teachers and students on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, which is the location of the experimental work of this project. This outreach will include classroom presentations of the research being done as well as educational trips for high school students to the field sites. This project will also enhance the research training of a doctoral student.