Research |
Current Research
1. Small mammals response to glacial cycles
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I examined the response of two small mammals-- Neotoma fuscipes and Peromyscus maniculatus--to the glacial cycles of the Pleistocene in North America. Overall, I showed that both species had dynamic histories, with complex spatial processes, and multiple likely areas of refugia contributing to diversity across the landscape today. This illustrates that the spatial and temporal complexity of climate changes today will shape future diversity. |
2. Predicting future genetic change
I developed an integrative research project to examine the rules governing interactions between genomes, environment, and phenotypes and to investigate how evolutionary history constrains population-level functional diversity and future diversity of Peromyscus maniculatus across its entire range. I am using high-coverage whole genome sequencing to increase our understanding of how phylogeographic history impacts how deer mice respond to climate change in North America.
3. Urban evolution
Small mammals are great indicators of ecosystem health and global change. We will study how urbanization in the San Francisco Bay Area has affected the distribution of small mammal diversity. We will look for changes from the community down to the population level. Initially, our focus will be: 1) What are the genetic differences between mice found in rural and urban habitats ? 2) Are there any identifiable dispersal barriers between rural and urban environments?
