CAREER: Quaternary paleontology of Jamaica: Colonization, extinction, and resilience in a biodiversity hotspot

生物多样性的丧失是当今人类面临的最大挑战之一，物种如何应对环境变化是一个至关重要的问题。化石提供了对物种在不断变化的环境中的长期反应的无与伦比的洞察，并可用于识别脆弱和有弹性的生态系统。该项目利用牙买加的化石记录来描述古老的生物多样性，并量化在人类殖民该岛屿之前和之后环境变化对其形成的影响。这项研究旨在指导支持野生动物和人类种群多样性的生态系统的保护战略。该项目还通过培训美国和牙买加的学生学习古生物学研究方法，增加了接触古生物学的机会。学生将利用他们的研究经验制定符合两国国家教育标准的K-12课程计划。与国际合作伙伴合作，这些教学计划将部署在一系列STEM儿童及其教师营地。这项研究将现有的博物馆藏品和新的古生物发掘与生物地理学理论和生态模型相结合，通过分类学和功能丰富度的透镜来量化随时间变化的生物多样性。主要研究三个问题：(1)前人类的基线生物多样性是什么？(2)非生物过程(气候)和/或生物过程(人类殖民)是否会引发群落结构和/或功能特征多样性的变化？(3)引入的物种是否会恢复因灭绝而丧失的功能多样性？这项研究的跨学科方法将提供关于分类学和功能多样性如何受到环境变化影响的关键信息，并与保护、生态学、进化生物学和古生物学有关。此外，这项研究的教育部分试图通过向项目参与者提供真实的、基于地点的体验来建设STEM研究能力和识字能力。这些活动的成效将通过调查来评估，以衡量参与者对STEM的信心和归属感。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity today, and how species respond to environmental changes is a crucial question. Fossils provide unparalleled insight into the long-term responses of species in changing environments and can be used to identify both vulnerable and resilient ecosystems. This project leverages the fossil record of Jamaica to characterize ancient biodiversity and quantify how it has been shaped by environmental changes before and after human colonization of the island. The research seeks to guide conservation strategies in an ecosystem that supports a diversity of wildlife and human populations. The project also increases access to paleontology by training American and Jamaican students in paleontological research methods. Students will use their research experiences to develop K-12 lesson plans that meet the national educational standards of both countries. In collaboration with international partners, these lesson plans will be deployed in a series of STEM camps for children and their teachers. This research integrates existing museum collections and novel paleontological excavations with biogeographic theory and ecological modelling to quantify biodiversity through time, measured through the lenses of taxonomic and functional richness. Three primary research questions are addressed: (1) What is the pre-human baseline biodiversity? (2) Do abiotic processes (climate) and/or biotic processes (human colonization) trigger changes in community structure and/or functional trait diversity? (3) Do introduced species restore functional diversity lost through extinction? The interdisciplinary approach of this research will provide critical information on how taxonomic and functional diversity is impacted by environmental change, and is relevant to conservation, ecology, evolutionary biology, and paleontology. Furthermore, the educational component of this research seeks to build STEM research capacity and literacy by providing authentic, place-based experiences to project participants. The efficacy of these activities will be assessed through surveys that measure participant confidence and sense of belonging in STEM.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.