Speaker: Dr. Kenneth Feeley, University of Miami
Dr. Kenneth Feeley discusses some of the possible responses of tropical rainforests to anthropogenic climate change. He describes ongoing research that he is leading to determine if tropical trees can: tolerate rising temperatures through adaptation or acclimation, avoid rising temperatures through species migrations, and/or if climate change puts tropical tree species at risk of extinction. This research, which is being conducted throughout the Americas, combines various methodological approaches including long-term forest monitoring, species distribution modeling, physiological measurements, and large-scale experimental manipulations.
In addition to research, Dr. Feeley and his team are developing new environmental education activities and resources that can be used to help increase public awareness about climate change and tropical rainforests.