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

生物多样性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关键问题。化石为了解物种在不断变化的环境中的长期反应提供了无与伦比的洞察力，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代生物多样性的特征，并量化人类在该岛殖民之前和之后的环境变化如何塑造生物多样性。该研究旨在指导支持野生动物和人类多样性的生态系统中的保护策略。该项目还通过对美国和牙买加学生进行古生物学研究方法培训，增加了对古生物学的了解。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。在与国际合作伙伴的合作下，这些课程计划将部署在一系列针对儿童及其教师的STEM营地中。这项研究将现有的博物馆藏品和新颖的古生物发掘与地理学理论和生态建模相结合，通过分类和功能丰富度的镜头来量化生物多样性。主要研究三个问题：（1）什么是前人类的基线生物多样性？(2)非生物过程（气候）和/或生物过程（人类殖民化）是否会引发群落结构和/或功能性状多样性的变化？(3)引入的物种是否能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旨在通过为项目参与者提供真实的、基于地方的经验来建立STEM研究能力和素养。这些活动的有效性将通过衡量参与者对STEM的信心和归属感的调查进行评估。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.