Historical Biogeography and Extinction Risk Assessment of Recently Extinct Animals
Goals
This research project comprises five key components focused on understanding events related to
biodiversity loss.
- Data collection will focus on compiling lists of extinct animal species, along with their distribution data, natural history information, and phylogenetic data.
- GIS tools will be employed for landscape reconstructions, wherein human impact and geographical changes will be integrated into inferred species distributions.
- Phylogenetic methods, including ancestral range reconstructions, will be utilized to delineate the historical ranges of extinct species and their relatives.
- A comparative analysis will be conducted to test for distributional changes between extinct species and close relatives, with the aim of identifying potential drivers of extinction.
- Species Distribution Models (SDMs) will be incorporated to generate interpretations of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to recent extinction events.
Issues Involved or Addressed
• Climate change
• Species extinctions
• Biodiversity loss
Methods and Tech
• Machine learning
• Species distribution models
• Phylogenetic comparative methods
• GIS
• Programming
• R/Python
Academic Majors of Interest
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology BA & BS – College of Science
• Natural Resources: Conservation Biology BS – College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental
Sci
• Information Science: Data Science Emphasis BS—School of Information
• Bioinformatics BS – College of Science
• Environmental Science: The Biosphere Emphasis BSES -- College of Agriculture, Life &
Environmental Sci
• Geosciences: Earth, Ocean, and Climate Emphasis BS – College of Science
• Biosystems Analytics & Technology BS -- College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sci
• Bioystems Engineering BSBE --- College of Engineering
Preferred Interests and Preparation
• Basic programming skills (R/Python).
• Experience fitting and analyzing linear regression models.
• Completed an Intro Bio class.
• Interest for applied questions.
Application Process
To express interest in this team, please complete the VIP Interest Form and select "Historical Biogeography and Extinction Risk Assessment of Recently Extinct Animals"