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Toni Lyn Morelli, Ph.D.

Toni Lyn Morelli is a Research Ecologist at the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, where she uses field studies, ecological modeling, genetics, and translational ecology to help resource managers conserve species in the face of global change. 

Toni Lyn grew up near Detroit and received a B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University. For her Ph.D. at Stony Brook University, she studied lemur behavior, ecology, and genetics in Madagascar. After her Ph.D., Toni Lyn worked as a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley to understand how climate change had affected small mammals and montane meadows over the last century. She has also worked for the U.S. Forest Service, both as a research ecologist at the Pacific Southwest Research Station and as the Technical Advisor to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Toni Lyn uses translational ecology, species distribution modeling, occupancy modeling, geospatial analysis, population and landscape genetics techniques, and decision analysis to facilitate natural resource management and habitat and species conservation in the face of climate and land use change and invasive species. Current projects include studying the impacts of climate change in boreal ecosystems; helping the National Park Service update its taxonomy and analyze citizen science data; organizing a continent-wide network on Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management; and a continued focus on operationalizing the concept of climate change refugia.

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D., Stony Brook University

  • B.S. in Zoology, Michigan State University

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Member of the USGS EMA DEIA Leadership Council, 2022 

  • Member of the NECASC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, 2021-2022 

  • Leader of the USGS CASC DEIA Recruitment and Retention Working Group, 2021-2022 

  • Member of the USGS CASC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Leadership Council, 2020-2022 

  • Co-Leader of the CASC Inclusive Mentoring Working Group, 2021-2022 

  • Associate Editor for Conservation Science & Practice, 2018-2022; recognized as 1 of 2 top CSP AEs 

  • Member of the American Geophysical Union 

  • Member of The Ecological Society of America 

  • Member of the Society of Conservation Biology 

  • Member of The Wildlife Society 

Honors and Awards

  • Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Broad Participation (to NE Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management Network) 

  • University of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Conservation (ECo) Inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Faculty Award, 2021 

  • USFWS Species Support Partnership (NE Region) Research Grant, 2021-2023

  • USGS Natural Resources Preservation Program (NE Region) Research Grant, 2019-21

  • USGS Ecosystems Mission Area Invasive Species Program Research Grant, 2020-2022 

  • National Climate Adaptation Science Center Research Grant (co-I), 2020-2022 

  • Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center Research Grant, 2019-2020

  • USGS-NPS Natural Resource Preservation Partnership, 2019-2020

  • Second Century Stewardship Fellowship 2018 (Postdoctoral Supervisee)  

  • Community for Data Integration, USGS, 2017 (Co-PI) 

  • Community for Data Integration, USGS, 2018 (Co-PI) 

  • National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants 2017 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources (awarded to the Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool Partnership) 

  • YES Internship Awards (x2), USGS, 2017 

  • USGS STAR Award, 2016 

  • National Park Service Grant, Bioblitz Analysis, 2016

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 20
Menabe, Madagascar

A Climate Risk Management Screening and Assessment Review for Madagascar’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy

Madagascar, a country rich in natural capital and biodiversity but with high levels of poverty, food insecurity, and population growth, faces a number of development challenges, including obtaining sustained financial support from external sources and building internal capacity to address the poor environmental, health, and socio-economic conditions. Climate change poses an increasing...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
A Climate Risk Management Screening and Assessment Review for Madagascar’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy

A Climate Risk Management Screening and Assessment Review for Madagascar’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy

Madagascar, a country rich in natural capital and biodiversity but with high levels of poverty, food insecurity, and population growth, faces a number of development challenges, including obtaining sustained financial support from external sources and building internal capacity to address the poor environmental, health, and socio-economic conditions. Climate change poses an increasing threat to
Learn More
A loan tree stands in a dry area of the Panoche Hills Management Area in California

A Synthesis of Climate Change Refugia Science and Management Actions to Inform Climate Adaptation in the Southwest

The impacts of climate change are widespread and accelerating. It is daunting for resource managers to determine how to use increasingly limited staff time and funding to conserve species and ecosystems. The Refugia Research Coalition is a national framework that brings together researchers and managers to identify and develop conservation strategies for “climate change refugia”, areas...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
A Synthesis of Climate Change Refugia Science and Management Actions to Inform Climate Adaptation in the Southwest

A Synthesis of Climate Change Refugia Science and Management Actions to Inform Climate Adaptation in the Southwest

The impacts of climate change are widespread and accelerating. It is daunting for resource managers to determine how to use increasingly limited staff time and funding to conserve species and ecosystems. The Refugia Research Coalition is a national framework that brings together researchers and managers to identify and develop conservation strategies for “climate change refugia”, areas that remain
Learn More
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management

Overview Invasive species and climate change represent two of the five major global change threats to ecosystems. An emerging initiative of the Northeast Climate Science Center aims to develop management-relevant research to improve invasive species management in the face of climate change. Through working groups, information sharing and targeted research, this project addresses the
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management

Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management

Overview Invasive species and climate change represent two of the five major global change threats to ecosystems. An emerging initiative of the Northeast Climate Science Center aims to develop management-relevant research to improve invasive species management in the face of climate change. Through working groups, information sharing and targeted research, this project addresses the
Learn More
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Effects of Climate, Disturbance, and Management on the Growth and Dynamics of Temperate and Sub-Boreal Forest Ecosystems within the Lake States and New England

Overview This project is using a combination of long-term data records and recently established large-scale adaptive management studies in managed forests across the Lake States, New England, Intermountain West, and Black Hills to identify forest management strategies and forest conditions that confer the greatest levels of resistance and resilience to past and emerging stressors and...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Effects of Climate, Disturbance, and Management on the Growth and Dynamics of Temperate and Sub-Boreal Forest Ecosystems within the Lake States and New England

Effects of Climate, Disturbance, and Management on the Growth and Dynamics of Temperate and Sub-Boreal Forest Ecosystems within the Lake States and New England

Overview This project is using a combination of long-term data records and recently established large-scale adaptive management studies in managed forests across the Lake States, New England, Intermountain West, and Black Hills to identify forest management strategies and forest conditions that confer the greatest levels of resistance and resilience to past and emerging stressors and their
Learn More
USGS science for a changing world logo

Workflows to Support Integrated Predictive Science Capacity: Forecasting Invasive Species for Natural Resource Planning and Risk Assessment

Insect pests cost billions of dollars per year globally, negatively impacting food crops and infrastructure and contributing to the spread of disease. Timely information regarding developmental stages of pests can facilitate early detection and control, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. To address this need, the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) created a suite of “Pheno...
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
Workflows to Support Integrated Predictive Science Capacity: Forecasting Invasive Species for Natural Resource Planning and Risk Assessment

Workflows to Support Integrated Predictive Science Capacity: Forecasting Invasive Species for Natural Resource Planning and Risk Assessment

Insect pests cost billions of dollars per year globally, negatively impacting food crops and infrastructure and contributing to the spread of disease. Timely information regarding developmental stages of pests can facilitate early detection and control, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. To address this need, the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) created a suite of “Pheno Forecast”
Learn More
O'Fallon Creek near Mildred, Montana

Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some species and not
Learn More

Model outputs highlighting how biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage based on climate and land-use changes projected for 2050 Model outputs highlighting how biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage based on climate and land-use changes projected for 2050

Carbon sequestration and biodiversity are tightly linked, but many models projecting carbon storage change do not account for the role biodiversity plays in the sequestration capacity of terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we link a macroecological model projecting changes in vascular plant richness with empirical biodiversity-biomass stock relationships, to assess the consequences of plant...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Sap Quantity at Study Sites in the Northeast Sap Quantity at Study Sites in the Northeast

Maple syrup is produced from the sap of sugar maple collected in the late winter and early spring. Native American tribes have collected and boiled down sap for centuries, and the tapping of maple trees is a cultural touchstone for many people in the northeast and Midwest. Because the tapping season is dependent on weather conditions, there is concern about the sustainability of maple...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Sap Quality at Study Sites in the Northeast Sap Quality at Study Sites in the Northeast

Maple syrup is produced from the sap of sugar maple collected in the late winter and early spring. Native American tribes have collected and boiled down sap for centuries, and the tapping of maple trees is a cultural touchstone for many people in the northeast and Midwest. Because the tapping season is dependent on weather conditions, there is concern about the sustainability of maple...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 81

Practitioners’ perceived risks to biodiversity from renewable energy expansion through 2050 Practitioners’ perceived risks to biodiversity from renewable energy expansion through 2050

Large-scale (e.g., > 1 megawatt capacity) wind and solar energy (hereafter, LSWS) developments are increasing to aid decarbonization. However, LSWS can also negatively affect biodiversity. Planners and other interested parties’ perceptions about the impact of LSWS on biodiversity will thus affect how trade-offs are managed during planning and buildout. We present a survey of...
Authors
Daphne Condon, Tyler Scott, Adam B. Smith, Toni Lyn Morelli, Uzma Ashraf, Alex Mojica, Hrithika Chittanuru, Rachel Luu, Rae Bear, Rebecca R. Hernandez
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Centering voices of scientists from marginalized backgrounds to understand experiences in climate adaptation science and inform action Centering voices of scientists from marginalized backgrounds to understand experiences in climate adaptation science and inform action

Identifying and building solutions to help people and ecosystems adapt to climate change requires participation of all people; however, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, including environmental sciences, continue to lack diversity. To address this issue, many institutions have increased programming to recruit and retain people from historically marginalized
Authors
Meghna N. Marjadi, Rebecca A. Smith, Hsin Fei Tu, Asha M. Ajmani, Addie Rose Holland, Bianca E. Lopez, Toni Lyn Morelli, Bethany A. Bradley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Does habitat or climate change drive species range shifts? Does habitat or climate change drive species range shifts?

A primary prediction of climate change ecology is that species will track their climate niche poleward and upslope. However, studies have shown species responding in surprising ways. In this study, we aim to understand the impact of global change on species ranges by considering both climate and habitat changes. Using occupancy analysis of acoustic survey data in the mountains of the...
Authors
Toni Lyn Morelli, Michael T. Hallworth, Timothy Duclos, Adam Ells, Steven D. Faccio, Jane R. Foster, Kent P. McFarland, Keith Nislow, Joel Ralston, Mary Ratnaswamy, William V. Deluca, Alexej P.K. Siren
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

A case for assemblage-level conservation to address the biodiversity crisis A case for assemblage-level conservation to address the biodiversity crisis

Traditional conservation efforts have centred on safeguarding individual species, but these strategies have limitations in a world where entire ecosystems are rapidly changing. Ecosystem conservation can maintain critical ecological functions, but often lacks the detail necessary for the effective conservation of threatened or endangered species. The conservation of such species is...
Authors
Michael W. Belitz, C.J. Campbell, Ryan G. Drum, Wendy Leuenberger, Toni Lyn Morelli, Kelly Nail, Vaughn Shirey, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Elise F. Zipken
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Monitoring animal populations with cameras using open, multistate, N-mixture models Monitoring animal populations with cameras using open, multistate, N-mixture models

Remote cameras have become a mainstream tool for studying wildlife populations. For species whose developmental stages or states are identifiable in photographs, there are opportunities for tracking population changes and estimating demographic rates. Recent developments in hierarchical models allow for the estimation of ecological states and rates over time for unmarked animals whose...
Authors
Alexej P.K. Siren, Michael T. Hallworth, Jillian R. Kilborn, Chris A. Bernier, Nicholas L. Fortin, Katherina D. Geider, Riley K. Patry, Rachel M. Cliche, Leighlan S. Prout, Suzanne J. Gifford, Scott Wixsom, Toni Lyn Morelli, Tammy L. Wilson
By
Cooperative Research Units

A regional synthesis of climate data to inform the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plans in the Northeast U.S. A regional synthesis of climate data to inform the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plans in the Northeast U.S.

The State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) are proactive planning documents, known as “comprehensive wildlife conservation strategies,” that assess the health of each state’s wildlife and habitats, identify current management and conservation challenges, and outline needed actions to conserve natural resources over the long term. SWAPs are revised every 10 years, with the last revision in...
Authors
Michelle Staudinger, Ambarish Karmalkar, Karen Terwilliger, Kevin Burgio, Alice Lubeck, Hanusia Higgins, Tracy Rice, Toni Lyn Morelli, Anthony D’Amato
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Climate Adaptation Options for Madagascar

Climate Adaptation Options for Madagascar

In a new article in Ecology and Society, CASC researchers synthesized the observed and projected impacts of climate change on water resources...

Read Article
Climate-Change Refugia Special Issue: Buying Time for Biodiversity to Adapt in a Changing World

Climate-Change Refugia Special Issue: Buying Time for Biodiversity to Adapt in a Changing World

A special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, organized by Northeast CASC Research Ecologist Toni Lyn Morelli, highlights a range of...

Read Article
Balancing Impacts of Range-shifting Species: Invasives vs. Biodiversity

Balancing Impacts of Range-shifting Species: Invasives vs. Biodiversity

In a new perspective paper published in Nature Climate Change and highlighted by EurekAlert!, the Northeast CASC’s Toni Lyn Morelli and coauthors...

Read Article
Maple Syrup Production to Decline in New England in the Next Century Says New Study by UMass Amherst and Northeast CASC

Maple Syrup Production to Decline in New England in the Next Century Says New Study by UMass Amherst and Northeast CASC

Climate change will move peak syrup yield northward and will cut New England’s yield by half.

Read Article
Scientist Spotlight: Toni Lyn Morelli: First-hand Approaches to Conservation in the Face of Climate Change

Scientist Spotlight: Toni Lyn Morelli: First-hand Approaches to Conservation in the Face of Climate Change

Toni Lyn Morelli has no shortage of enthusiasm for her job as a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Department of the Interior...

Read Article
Managing Climate Change Refugia to Protect Wildlife

Managing Climate Change Refugia to Protect Wildlife

Natural and cultural areas that will remain similar to what they are today -- despite climate change -- need to be identified, managed and conserved...

Read Article

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 20
Menabe, Madagascar

A Climate Risk Management Screening and Assessment Review for Madagascar’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy

Madagascar, a country rich in natural capital and biodiversity but with high levels of poverty, food insecurity, and population growth, faces a number of development challenges, including obtaining sustained financial support from external sources and building internal capacity to address the poor environmental, health, and socio-economic conditions. Climate change poses an increasing...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
A Climate Risk Management Screening and Assessment Review for Madagascar’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy

A Climate Risk Management Screening and Assessment Review for Madagascar’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy

Madagascar, a country rich in natural capital and biodiversity but with high levels of poverty, food insecurity, and population growth, faces a number of development challenges, including obtaining sustained financial support from external sources and building internal capacity to address the poor environmental, health, and socio-economic conditions. Climate change poses an increasing threat to
Learn More
A loan tree stands in a dry area of the Panoche Hills Management Area in California

A Synthesis of Climate Change Refugia Science and Management Actions to Inform Climate Adaptation in the Southwest

The impacts of climate change are widespread and accelerating. It is daunting for resource managers to determine how to use increasingly limited staff time and funding to conserve species and ecosystems. The Refugia Research Coalition is a national framework that brings together researchers and managers to identify and develop conservation strategies for “climate change refugia”, areas...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
A Synthesis of Climate Change Refugia Science and Management Actions to Inform Climate Adaptation in the Southwest

A Synthesis of Climate Change Refugia Science and Management Actions to Inform Climate Adaptation in the Southwest

The impacts of climate change are widespread and accelerating. It is daunting for resource managers to determine how to use increasingly limited staff time and funding to conserve species and ecosystems. The Refugia Research Coalition is a national framework that brings together researchers and managers to identify and develop conservation strategies for “climate change refugia”, areas that remain
Learn More
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management

Overview Invasive species and climate change represent two of the five major global change threats to ecosystems. An emerging initiative of the Northeast Climate Science Center aims to develop management-relevant research to improve invasive species management in the face of climate change. Through working groups, information sharing and targeted research, this project addresses the
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management

Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management

Overview Invasive species and climate change represent two of the five major global change threats to ecosystems. An emerging initiative of the Northeast Climate Science Center aims to develop management-relevant research to improve invasive species management in the face of climate change. Through working groups, information sharing and targeted research, this project addresses the
Learn More
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Effects of Climate, Disturbance, and Management on the Growth and Dynamics of Temperate and Sub-Boreal Forest Ecosystems within the Lake States and New England

Overview This project is using a combination of long-term data records and recently established large-scale adaptive management studies in managed forests across the Lake States, New England, Intermountain West, and Black Hills to identify forest management strategies and forest conditions that confer the greatest levels of resistance and resilience to past and emerging stressors and...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Effects of Climate, Disturbance, and Management on the Growth and Dynamics of Temperate and Sub-Boreal Forest Ecosystems within the Lake States and New England

Effects of Climate, Disturbance, and Management on the Growth and Dynamics of Temperate and Sub-Boreal Forest Ecosystems within the Lake States and New England

Overview This project is using a combination of long-term data records and recently established large-scale adaptive management studies in managed forests across the Lake States, New England, Intermountain West, and Black Hills to identify forest management strategies and forest conditions that confer the greatest levels of resistance and resilience to past and emerging stressors and their
Learn More
USGS science for a changing world logo

Workflows to Support Integrated Predictive Science Capacity: Forecasting Invasive Species for Natural Resource Planning and Risk Assessment

Insect pests cost billions of dollars per year globally, negatively impacting food crops and infrastructure and contributing to the spread of disease. Timely information regarding developmental stages of pests can facilitate early detection and control, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. To address this need, the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) created a suite of “Pheno...
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
Workflows to Support Integrated Predictive Science Capacity: Forecasting Invasive Species for Natural Resource Planning and Risk Assessment

Workflows to Support Integrated Predictive Science Capacity: Forecasting Invasive Species for Natural Resource Planning and Risk Assessment

Insect pests cost billions of dollars per year globally, negatively impacting food crops and infrastructure and contributing to the spread of disease. Timely information regarding developmental stages of pests can facilitate early detection and control, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. To address this need, the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) created a suite of “Pheno Forecast”
Learn More
O'Fallon Creek near Mildred, Montana

Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review

Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some species and not
Learn More

Model outputs highlighting how biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage based on climate and land-use changes projected for 2050 Model outputs highlighting how biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage based on climate and land-use changes projected for 2050

Carbon sequestration and biodiversity are tightly linked, but many models projecting carbon storage change do not account for the role biodiversity plays in the sequestration capacity of terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we link a macroecological model projecting changes in vascular plant richness with empirical biodiversity-biomass stock relationships, to assess the consequences of plant...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Sap Quantity at Study Sites in the Northeast Sap Quantity at Study Sites in the Northeast

Maple syrup is produced from the sap of sugar maple collected in the late winter and early spring. Native American tribes have collected and boiled down sap for centuries, and the tapping of maple trees is a cultural touchstone for many people in the northeast and Midwest. Because the tapping season is dependent on weather conditions, there is concern about the sustainability of maple...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Sap Quality at Study Sites in the Northeast Sap Quality at Study Sites in the Northeast

Maple syrup is produced from the sap of sugar maple collected in the late winter and early spring. Native American tribes have collected and boiled down sap for centuries, and the tapping of maple trees is a cultural touchstone for many people in the northeast and Midwest. Because the tapping season is dependent on weather conditions, there is concern about the sustainability of maple...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 81

Practitioners’ perceived risks to biodiversity from renewable energy expansion through 2050 Practitioners’ perceived risks to biodiversity from renewable energy expansion through 2050

Large-scale (e.g., > 1 megawatt capacity) wind and solar energy (hereafter, LSWS) developments are increasing to aid decarbonization. However, LSWS can also negatively affect biodiversity. Planners and other interested parties’ perceptions about the impact of LSWS on biodiversity will thus affect how trade-offs are managed during planning and buildout. We present a survey of...
Authors
Daphne Condon, Tyler Scott, Adam B. Smith, Toni Lyn Morelli, Uzma Ashraf, Alex Mojica, Hrithika Chittanuru, Rachel Luu, Rae Bear, Rebecca R. Hernandez
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Centering voices of scientists from marginalized backgrounds to understand experiences in climate adaptation science and inform action Centering voices of scientists from marginalized backgrounds to understand experiences in climate adaptation science and inform action

Identifying and building solutions to help people and ecosystems adapt to climate change requires participation of all people; however, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, including environmental sciences, continue to lack diversity. To address this issue, many institutions have increased programming to recruit and retain people from historically marginalized
Authors
Meghna N. Marjadi, Rebecca A. Smith, Hsin Fei Tu, Asha M. Ajmani, Addie Rose Holland, Bianca E. Lopez, Toni Lyn Morelli, Bethany A. Bradley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Does habitat or climate change drive species range shifts? Does habitat or climate change drive species range shifts?

A primary prediction of climate change ecology is that species will track their climate niche poleward and upslope. However, studies have shown species responding in surprising ways. In this study, we aim to understand the impact of global change on species ranges by considering both climate and habitat changes. Using occupancy analysis of acoustic survey data in the mountains of the...
Authors
Toni Lyn Morelli, Michael T. Hallworth, Timothy Duclos, Adam Ells, Steven D. Faccio, Jane R. Foster, Kent P. McFarland, Keith Nislow, Joel Ralston, Mary Ratnaswamy, William V. Deluca, Alexej P.K. Siren
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

A case for assemblage-level conservation to address the biodiversity crisis A case for assemblage-level conservation to address the biodiversity crisis

Traditional conservation efforts have centred on safeguarding individual species, but these strategies have limitations in a world where entire ecosystems are rapidly changing. Ecosystem conservation can maintain critical ecological functions, but often lacks the detail necessary for the effective conservation of threatened or endangered species. The conservation of such species is...
Authors
Michael W. Belitz, C.J. Campbell, Ryan G. Drum, Wendy Leuenberger, Toni Lyn Morelli, Kelly Nail, Vaughn Shirey, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Elise F. Zipken
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Monitoring animal populations with cameras using open, multistate, N-mixture models Monitoring animal populations with cameras using open, multistate, N-mixture models

Remote cameras have become a mainstream tool for studying wildlife populations. For species whose developmental stages or states are identifiable in photographs, there are opportunities for tracking population changes and estimating demographic rates. Recent developments in hierarchical models allow for the estimation of ecological states and rates over time for unmarked animals whose...
Authors
Alexej P.K. Siren, Michael T. Hallworth, Jillian R. Kilborn, Chris A. Bernier, Nicholas L. Fortin, Katherina D. Geider, Riley K. Patry, Rachel M. Cliche, Leighlan S. Prout, Suzanne J. Gifford, Scott Wixsom, Toni Lyn Morelli, Tammy L. Wilson
By
Cooperative Research Units

A regional synthesis of climate data to inform the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plans in the Northeast U.S. A regional synthesis of climate data to inform the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plans in the Northeast U.S.

The State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) are proactive planning documents, known as “comprehensive wildlife conservation strategies,” that assess the health of each state’s wildlife and habitats, identify current management and conservation challenges, and outline needed actions to conserve natural resources over the long term. SWAPs are revised every 10 years, with the last revision in...
Authors
Michelle Staudinger, Ambarish Karmalkar, Karen Terwilliger, Kevin Burgio, Alice Lubeck, Hanusia Higgins, Tracy Rice, Toni Lyn Morelli, Anthony D’Amato
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Climate Adaptation Options for Madagascar

Climate Adaptation Options for Madagascar

In a new article in Ecology and Society, CASC researchers synthesized the observed and projected impacts of climate change on water resources...

Read Article
Climate-Change Refugia Special Issue: Buying Time for Biodiversity to Adapt in a Changing World

Climate-Change Refugia Special Issue: Buying Time for Biodiversity to Adapt in a Changing World

A special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, organized by Northeast CASC Research Ecologist Toni Lyn Morelli, highlights a range of...

Read Article
Balancing Impacts of Range-shifting Species: Invasives vs. Biodiversity

Balancing Impacts of Range-shifting Species: Invasives vs. Biodiversity

In a new perspective paper published in Nature Climate Change and highlighted by EurekAlert!, the Northeast CASC’s Toni Lyn Morelli and coauthors...

Read Article
Maple Syrup Production to Decline in New England in the Next Century Says New Study by UMass Amherst and Northeast CASC

Maple Syrup Production to Decline in New England in the Next Century Says New Study by UMass Amherst and Northeast CASC

Climate change will move peak syrup yield northward and will cut New England’s yield by half.

Read Article
Scientist Spotlight: Toni Lyn Morelli: First-hand Approaches to Conservation in the Face of Climate Change

Scientist Spotlight: Toni Lyn Morelli: First-hand Approaches to Conservation in the Face of Climate Change

Toni Lyn Morelli has no shortage of enthusiasm for her job as a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Department of the Interior...

Read Article
Managing Climate Change Refugia to Protect Wildlife

Managing Climate Change Refugia to Protect Wildlife

Natural and cultural areas that will remain similar to what they are today -- despite climate change -- need to be identified, managed and conserved...

Read Article

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government

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