The Valdovinos lab was recently awarded the NSF grant: “BoCP-Design: Developing network-based models to evaluate functional biodiversity responses to climate change and species invasions” DEB-2224915. This project will evaluate how species invasions and climate change affect coastal ecosystems at ecological and evolutionary timescales with network models. It will build an interdisciplinary team of network ecologists, theoreticians, oceanographers, paleontologists, empiricists, and experts in rocky intertidal ecology. The research will take place in three of the four major upwelling zones: California (CA, US), Humboldt (Chile-Peru), and Benguela (South Africa).
The three principal investigators of this project are all from UC Davis: Fernanda Valdovinos (lead-PI, left), John Largier (co-PI, center; oceanographer), and Geerat Vermeij (co-PI, right; paleontologist); while the three international collaborators (see below) are: Sergio Navarrete (left; marine ecologist, Catholic University, Chile), Evie Wieters (center; marine ecologist, Catholic University, Chile), and Tamara Robinson (right; Stellenbosch University, South Africa).
This project will train numerous graduate and undergraduate students in our three countries, and will promote collaboration among researchers and students across the three countries.
View from Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Las Cruces, Chile; one of our study sites. Photo taken by Valdovinos Lab member, Sophia Simon, during our first Workshop under this project Interdisciplinary approaches for the sustainable development and conservation of marine ecosystems in Chile and California"(January 3-7, 2023). More on this successful and inspiring workshop posted HERE.
