Evolution in a Changing World
Our Research
We live in a dynamic and ever changing world. The history of life is a story of persistence through ice ages, reorganization of the earth’s continents, and mass extinctions, in which species were faced with environmental changes that either prompted rapid evolutionary responses, or ultimately drove them to extinction. Modern day populations are by no means exempt from such change. We live in an age of pronounced change to our climate, exacerbated by natural and human induced modifications, including pollution, invasive species introductions, and habitat fragmentation. These factors have drastically altered the living conditions of many native species around the globe. Humans are also changing their own environments, including the foods we eat and lifestyles we live, in ways that differ markedly from those of our ancestors.
We are evolutionary biologists, who study the capacity for, and mechanisms by which, populations adapt and cope with environmental change over short and long time scales. Our goals are to understand how we, and the diversity of life that we share the planet with, respond in the face of change, and use these insights to inform predictions of ecosystem and population health outcomes under ongoing environmental stress.
Researchers
The following researchers study evolution in a changing world.
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