Plants and Animals

Project Overview Seagrass meadows support island communities by sustaining fisheries and protecting shorelines. However, some species, such as tape grass, may lack the genetic variation needed to survive and adapt to warmer, saltier ocean waters. Researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will sequence the tape grass genome and assess genetic variation across Micronesia...

Birds provide ecosystem and human services by pollinating wildflowers, consuming invasive insects, and providing recreation opportunities like bird watching and hunting. Over the past half century, bird populations in North America have declined substantially due to environmental change. To cope with warming temperatures, for example, birds might be able to track the climate by moving...

Species distributions are changing in response to climate change. By harnessing diverse data sources, including citizen science data, (e.g., iNaturalist and eBird), this project aims to quantify the magnitude and frequency of species’ range shifts in response to climate change. By collaborating with stakeholders, including local and state managers, the research team will identify...

Animal migration over the North American continent is contingent in many ways on the predictability of weather conditions along the route. Yet, climate projections suggest that seasonal patterns in temperature, pressure, and precipitation are likely to change. For iconic migratory species, such as the Monarch Butterfly, these climatic changes could undercut their ability to maintain...

Pollinators are essential for biodiversity and agricultural production, which underlies the sense of urgency to protect declining populations and support their range shifts under climate change. A large proportion of pollinator conservation efforts are based on planting ‘pollinator friendly’ flowering plants. However, these efforts have largely overlooked climate-smart initiatives that...

A key assumption behind many predictions of ecosystem response to climate change is that plant species will track their suitable climates through space and time. However, climate connectivity – the ability of a landscape to facilitate or impede climate-induced movement – will strongly influence how plants are able to move through the landscape. Forward-looking, climate change-informed...

Climate change is projected to redraw the boundaries between grassland and forest ecosystems in the Midwest. However, Midwestern landscapes are among the most fragmented in the nation, and this fragmentation could impede natural range change in some species. Current models of range shifts often focus exclusively on climate variables, neglecting how land use patterns could modulate...

Declines in many barren-ground caribou herds across North America have coincided with the ‘greening of the Arctic’, raising concerns about the influence of changing summer habitat conditions on caribou, and the subsequent effects on Indigenous communities that rely on caribou for subsistence. These cocerns have been compounded by plans and proposals to expand energy development into...

Project Overview As the climate continues to warm, managers are faced with challenges in providing suitable habitat for cold-water fish to increase their adaptive capacity. While the removal of barriers to fish movement, such as culverts and dams, would provide a rare opportunity to increase their adaptive capacity, managers currently have a limited number of resources to anticipate the...

Project Overview Terminal lake systems, water sources that are confined to streams, wetlands, and seasonal lakes that do not flow into the ocean, are greatly impacted by climate effects such as drought, reduced snowpack and increased wildfire activity. As a result, managers are faced with a lack of resources to study these aquatic habitats and the residing native fish. Researchers...

Project Overview First foods are integral components of the culture, spirituality, medicine, well-being, and health of the Klamath people. Throughout the Klamath Basin, climate change has substantially impacted the seasonality, abundance, and quality of first foods and other culturally important resources. These impacts compound with long-term challenges to food security and food...

Project Overview The biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert has been impacted by more frequent and more intense wildfires, as many of the plant species are unable to withstand nor regenerate after a severe fire. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will aid managers by addressing knowledge gaps in ecological restoration, as well as the challenges that come with restoration in...