Evolution of high latitude birds

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DNA markers are becoming more widely used to study animal populations. Genetic markers act as tags that allow us to track individuals and their descendents over a long period of time. I will use DNA markers to study North American populations of chickadees and woodpeckers and examine how historical movements led to the patterns that we see today. My research focuses on how individuals isolated in ice-free refugia during the last glaciation expanded into previously glaciated areas as the climate warmed, and how their dispersal was affected by barriers. By understanding how these species of birds were able to respond to the change in climate, we can start to create models predicting future responses to habitat fragmentation and global warming. In addition, it will allow us to determine how effective barriers, such as the Rocky Mountains, are in preventing individual movement. If the barriers restrict dispersal between populations on either side of the barrier, they will be isolated from one another. Over a period of time isolated populations may give rise to new species. Determining what these barriers are, and how effective they are at limiting the movements between populations will give us a better understanding of how populations are connected to each other. The information that we learn from birds, can be applied to other species found in similar environments and species with similar characteristics.