NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2013

多变的世界：综合种群水平变化和气候变化预测气候变化影响本项目研究热生理和气候变化的差异如何影响气候变化对温带和热带地区种群和物种生存能力影响的预测。利用屎壳郎，将在广泛的纬度和海拔梯度上量化物种之间和物种内部的热生理变化。这些详细的生理数据将被纳入一个模型，该模型可以改变气候变化的幅度和时间进程，从而可以评估生理变化和气候变化如何影响对气候变化影响的预测。该模型将应用于评估其他系统中的种群生存能力，在这些系统中，种群增长率对温度的依赖性是已知的，或者可以根据生物标度原理计算出来。培训目标包括能够熟练地开发和应用数学模型进行生态研究。通过将详细的生理数据与气候变化相结合，在研究期间开发的数学模型将提供跨纬度气候变化影响的更现实的评估。该项目将为美国和国外的甲虫收藏增加标本，提供基于地点的记录，可用于教学和研究。在国际上工作将允许与外国学生和同事进行互动和合作，为所有相关方提供独特的教学、培训和学习机会。研究结果将通过科学出版物、演讲和推广等方式传播，并通过提供对在变暖的世界中哪些物种可能面临最大风险的了解，帮助指导国家和国际保护工作。第三年的教学选项将通过整合和评估主动学习技术来支持本科课堂有效教学的发展。

A variable world: Integrating population-level variation and climatic variation to predict climate change impactsThis project examines how differences in thermal physiology and climatic variation affect predictions about impacts of climate change on population and species viability in temperate and tropical regions. Using dung beetles, variation in thermal physiology will be quantified among and within species across broad latitudinal and elevational gradients. These detailed physiological data will be incorporated into a model that alters the magnitude and time course of climatic variation, allowing for an assessment of how physiological variation and climatic variation affect predictions about the impacts of climate change. The model will be applied to assessing population viability in other systems where the temperature dependence of population growth rate is known or can be calculated from principles in biological scaling.Training objectives include becoming fluent in developing and applying mathematical models to ecological studies. By combining detailed physiological data with climatic variation, the mathematical model developed during the fellowship will provide a more realistic assessment of climate change impacts across latitude. The project will add specimens to beetle collections in the USA and abroad, providing a locality-based record that can be used for teaching and research. Working internationally will allow interaction and collaboration with foreign students and colleagues, offering unique opportunities for teaching, training and learning for all parties involved. Results will be disseminated through scientific publications, presentations, and outreach and help guide national and international conservation efforts by providing an understanding of which species may be most at risk in a warming world. The third year teaching option will support the development of effective teaching in undergraduate classrooms by incorporating and assessing active learning techniques.