Genetic Records of Climate Change
One of the greatest environmental disasters of our age is biodiversity loss. This problem is difficult to manage because it is a part of almost every other environmental challenge currently faced. Further, extinction in the oceans is particularly challenging to monitor and quantify but can potentially have a large impact on all other life on earth. In order to combat this problem it will be necessary to understand the mechanisms by which organisms react to changing climate, how resilient species are to habitat alteration or destruction, and how closely related taxa differ at a genetic level. This project utilized the tools of molecular ecology to begin to answer some of these questions. At the same time, results of this study may also help to elucidate early vertebral evolutionary pathways, impact a number of marine fisheries and provide the framework for identifying critical conservation units.
