University at Buffalo (UB)
Paleogenetic investigation of life and climate history in Southeast Alaska
Do you wonder how you can get DNA from ancient animals (incl. humans!) and plants and what you can learn from them, and do you want to acquire or use your skills in bioinformatics? Come join our team and help make discoveries about life and climate history in Southeast Alaska and beyond!
Project description
Global warming is occurring at an unprecedented rapid pace in the history of Earth. However, fundamental questions are left unanswered concerning how quickly an ecosystem responds to climate change, and the long-term effects of abrupt and sustained climate change on animal and plant diversification, genetic diversity, migration and extinction.
This project focuses on prehistoric climate perturbations in Southeast Alaska, a hotspot of biological diversity that hosted remarkable shifts of native species over the past ~40 thousand years and served as a crucial gateway for early human migration into the New World. The project is part of a larger, interdisciplinary research team at UB that integrates data from paleogenomics, ecology, and paleoclimatology to examine how Southeast Alaskan ecosystems responded to Ice-Age and Holocene environmental change. Ancient DNA from lake sediments is a powerful proxy to describe past ecosystems and track long-term changes, and through analysis of lake sediment cores, we will reconstruct floral and faunal paleo-communities to identify shifts in response to climate change. The project also takes advantage of a remarkable collection of mammal bone remains that have previously been recovered from Southeast Alaskan caves, and using paleogenetic analyses, we reconstruct evolutionary histories and provide accurate species identifications. Through this research we will provide important insights into how rapid climatic shifts can serve as triggers for dramatic and irreversible downstream impacts on both native and colonizing species.
Project outcome
Students will receive training in state-of-the-art paleogenetic lab activities and analysis of genomic data. They will learn to critically read and comprehend original research papers in biology and develop skills in written and oral communication of scientific information and their own research. Students will also have the chance to create and present a poster and may be included in the writing of scientific publications that result from data collected.
Project details
| Length of commitment | Longer than a semester; 6-9 months |
| Start time | Fall (August/September) Summer (May/June) |
| In-person, remote, or hybrid? | In-Person Project |
| Level of collaboration | Individual student project |
| Benefits | Academic credit Stipend |
| Who is eligible | All undergraduate students Students with interest in and knowledge of evolutionary biology, motivation to be involved in scientific discovery, and strong organizational and communication skills are preferred. |
Project mentor
Charlotte Lindqvist
Professor
Biological Sciences
Phone: (716) 645-4986
Email: cl243@buffalo.edu
Start the project
- Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
- After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.)
Preparation activities
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.
Standard EH&S lab training
Reading relevant articles and other literature
Meet with PI and students/postdoc
Keywords
Biology, evolution, bioinformatics, speciation, DNA, climate, Biological Sciences