The evolution of mammalian diversity in a changing environment

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My research program to seeks a stronger fundamental understanding of the conditions underlying adaptive responses to environmental change through the study of temporal and spatial variation of morphological diversity. Contemporary changes in climate are happening at a greatly accelerated pace, and we urgently require a clear understanding of the potential impacts of these changes on living organisms. The current rate of climate warming is unprecedented on Earth, so the future state of evolving populations cannot be easily predicted. Morphological variation among individuals is linked to the environment through selection and adaptation. So similar conditions of the environment should lead to the evolution of similar phenotypes. The patterns of geographical morphological variation in relation with the local climate are well established among mammals and they constitute some of the few rules known to modern biology. My overarching hypothesis is that the patterns of morphological changes in time echo the patterns of morphological variation in space. Hence we can predict how populations will evolve in response to climate change from surveys of their current geographical variation. My research program is designed to reveal how small mammals in Québec have responded and will continue to respond to ongoing climate warming and fragmentation of their natural habitat. My work will contribute to enlarging the temporal scale at which the evolution of biodiversity may be studied. This research has some important practical implications, in the fields of species adaptation and long-term conservation. It will help to improve our knowledge of the adaptive limits and evolutionary potential of species in rapidly changing environments. At present, such data are not only clearly needed but are also not available for most species.