NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2013

一个多变的世界：综合人口水平的变化和气候变化，以预测气候变化的影响该项目探讨了热生理和气候变化的差异如何影响气候变化对温带和热带地区人口和物种生存能力的影响的预测。利用蜣螂，将在广泛的纬度和海拔梯度的物种之间和物种内的热生理变化进行量化。这些详细的生理数据将被纳入一个改变气候变化幅度和时间进程的模型，从而能够评估生理变化和气候变化如何影响对气候变化影响的预测。该模型将被应用于评估人口在其他系统中的生存能力，其中人口增长率的温度依赖性是已知的，或可以从生物缩放的原则计算。培训目标包括成为流利的发展和应用数学模型的生态研究。通过将详细的生理数据与气候变化相结合，研究金期间开发的数学模型将对整个纬度的气候变化影响进行更现实的评估。该项目将为美国和国外的甲虫收藏增加标本，提供可用于教学和研究的基于本地的记录。国际工作将允许与外国学生和同事的互动和合作，为所有相关方提供独特的教学，培训和学习机会。研究结果将通过科学出版物、演示和宣传传播，并通过了解哪些物种在变暖的世界中可能面临最大的风险，帮助指导国家和国际的保护工作。第三年的教学选择将通过整合和评估主动学习技术来支持本科课堂有效教学的发展。

A variable world: Integrating population-level variation and climatic variation to predict climate change impactsThis project examines how differences in thermal physiology and climatic variation affect predictions about impacts of climate change on population and species viability in temperate and tropical regions. Using dung beetles, variation in thermal physiology will be quantified among and within species across broad latitudinal and elevational gradients. These detailed physiological data will be incorporated into a model that alters the magnitude and time course of climatic variation, allowing for an assessment of how physiological variation and climatic variation affect predictions about the impacts of climate change. The model will be applied to assessing population viability in other systems where the temperature dependence of population growth rate is known or can be calculated from principles in biological scaling.Training objectives include becoming fluent in developing and applying mathematical models to ecological studies. By combining detailed physiological data with climatic variation, the mathematical model developed during the fellowship will provide a more realistic assessment of climate change impacts across latitude. The project will add specimens to beetle collections in the USA and abroad, providing a locality-based record that can be used for teaching and research. Working internationally will allow interaction and collaboration with foreign students and colleagues, offering unique opportunities for teaching, training and learning for all parties involved. Results will be disseminated through scientific publications, presentations, and outreach and help guide national and international conservation efforts by providing an understanding of which species may be most at risk in a warming world. The third year teaching option will support the development of effective teaching in undergraduate classrooms by incorporating and assessing active learning techniques.