Tracy Melvin on Climate Change in Alaska

Tracy studies climate-induced ecological transformation, which is how climate change is causing ecosystems to change into new ones, really rapidly – and how to manage those transformations with a lens towards global biodiversity conservation. She uses a changing grassland on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, as a case study for stewarding ecological transformation.

Show Notes

This week on The Sci-Files, Chelsie and Danny interview Tracy Melvin.

Tracy is a graduate student in the Fisheries and Wildlife program at Michigan State University.

Tracy studies climate-induced ecological transformation. In other words, how climate change is causing ecosystems to change into new ones, really rapidly – and how to manage those transformations with a lens towards global biodiversity conservation. She uses a changing grassland on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, as a case study for stewarding ecological transformation. Specifically, she takes a look at what is living in the grassland using Next Generation Sequencing, and rapid biodiversity plots. She also measures tree rings for native and non-native trees throughout the peninsula (it’s about 6 million acres). Tracy has also taught a study abroad about climate change to Fiji. She is part of the Women in Nature Network and the Nature Conservancy, Michigan Chapter, and she got Masters in Science at MSU studying turtles.

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