Integrating Ecological and Genomic Predictions to Protect Foundational Oak Habitats

La Kretz Center Postdoctoral Fellow, Ryan Buck, is concerned about the resilience of oak ecosystems in a rapidly changing climate. Because oak trees provide the structural foundation and habitat for thousands of other species, their decline could lead to the cascading collapse of entire ecosystems. Understanding which populations are at risk and which populations can provide resilient acorns is integral to conservation management. During his fellowship, Ryan aims to integrate land cover vulnerability assessments, ecological niche modeling, and landscape genomics in five foundational oak species across California and within The Nature Conservancy’s conservation estates. This work will ultimately provide land managers with a unified tool to identify vulnerable populations and provide guidance on informed restoration through resilient seed sourcing.