Sustainability Leadership Fellowship Cohort: 2012-2013

Ph.D Candidate, Department of Biology

Research Summary: Most species are rare, and all species occupy a limited space, yet we do not fully understand why species differ in their geographic distributions. Understanding the factors that govern where species occur improves our ability to prioritize species and areas of conservation concern, forecast vulnerability to climate change, and predict the spread of invasive species. Further, understanding whether populations at the peripheries of species’ geographic ranges can adapt to marginal environments is crucial to predicting how species may shift with environmental change.