News Tools for Conservation Paleobiology: Taphonomic Mismatch to Identify Degraded Habitats and Trait-Based Paleoenvironmental Inference Models

Michelson Andrew V, Akron OH

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Andrew V. Michelson has been granted the NSF Earth Sciences postdoctoral fellowship to carry out a research and education plan at the University of Chicago. Why species live in one area and not another is a central question of ecology that has broad implications for conservationists, scientists, and entrepreneurs. The investigation will explore the hypothesis that that certain species no longer live in areas near human settlement, while different species may have invaded those same areas. This species turnover results in a mismatch between the species living in an area and the species preserved in the fossil record of the same area since fossil species lived in the area before it was modified by people. This hypothesis will be tested by sampling across lakes on three Bahamian islands that have experienced different levels of human settlement: New Providence (highest impact), San Salvador (intermediate impact), and Rum Cay (least impact) using small crustaceans that are easily preserved in lake sediments. In addition, he hopes to understand why certain species have invaded areas with high levels of human settlement and why others have gone locally extinct in those same areas. It is assumed that certain traits (such as body size and shape, presence of defensive structures, etc.) of species influence whether or not they can survive in modified environments. Dr. Michelson will use preserved records of the species (extending back about 5000 years) living in both modified and unmodified lakes to understand which traits of species allow them to live or go locally extinct in environments disturbed by people. By understanding the biological reasons for why some species can live in disturbed environments while other cannot will produce evidence-based conservation plans for species and ecosystems. This increased understanding will greatly improve conservation efforts in the Bahamas and be applicable to other areas across the globe. Finally, Dr. Michelson will create a freely-available podcast to broadcast widely the results of this research and the research of other scientists. He will interview scientists about their research and how it relates to issues of broader interest like conservation and energy exploration. Undergraduate and/or graduate students will be involved in all aspects of this project, so will receive valuable training and experience in scientific research and how to communicate to the public the results of scientific research.