Research
As the effects of anthropogenic stressors (fragmentation, habitat degradation, climate change, etc.) on natural populations increase, it is essential that we understand the factors governing population persistence and resilience. The overarching research goal of my lab group is to link genetic and genomic factors with other aspects of an organism’s biology, life history, and demography to help predict population persistence. More specifically, we conduct research that aims to understand: 1) spatial patterns of an organism’s genetic and phenotypic diversity, 2) whether translocation is an effective practice to enhance persistence probabilities ("genetic rescue"), 3) effective population size as a predictor of persistence probability and 4) adaptive dynamics and mechanisms. We also develop and test general tools that will help advance the field and be used to help conserve a wide variety of taxa.