The evolution of mammalian diversity in a changing environment

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The rate of recent climate warming is unprecedented and has already impacted biological systems at many levels. Recently, the need for information on current biodiversity status and how it will change with climate change has emerged.******My research program is to seek a stronger understanding of the conditions underlying responses to environmental change through the study of temporal and spatial variation in mammalian diversity. My research integrates a number of tools for studying the impacts of environmental changes on multi-species assemblages, considering simultaneously the effects of the physical environment, biotic interactions, as well as the evolutionary context, on these assemblages under global change. ******My research has some important practical implications for understanding the patterns of loss and gain of mammalian (inter and intraspecific) diversity under climate change. More generally, my work will help to improve our knowledge of the adaptive limits of species in rapidly changing environments. At present, such data are not available for most non-model mammal species. A better understanding of the evolutionary potential of species is a question under intense study given the current extent of biodiversity loss. In this context, my research is significant because it enlarges the scales at which the evolution of biodiversity is studied, as I generate data from the recent and historical records. I apply a range of methods to enhance the strength of inference, which lays out a conceptual and methodological framework for interpreting and predicting changes in mammalian diversity under climate change.**