Toni Lyn Morelli
Staff
Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Research Interests
After her Ph.D., Toni Lyn Morelli obtained a National Science Foundation Bioinformatics Postdoctoral Fellowship, collaborating with Steve Beissinger and Craig Moritz on an extension of the Grinnell Resurvey Project; she continues these collaborations examining climate refugia under funding she obtained from the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative. She has also worked for the U.S. Forest Service, both as a research ecologist at the Pacific Southwest Research Station and as the Technical Advisor to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In her role as USGS Research Ecologist for the NE CSC, Toni Lyn uses geospatial analysis, species distribution modeling, occupancy modeling, and population and landscape genetics techniques to facilitate natural resource management and habitat and species conservation in the face of climate and land use change. Currently she is investigating how climate change is affecting boreal communities in the northeastern United States.
If you want to know more about Toni Lyn's previous research, including her work with lemurs, follow this link to a comic of her research.
Expertise
- Landscape and species conservation
- Climate adaptation
- Translational ecology
- Mammal vulnerability
- Decision analysis
Education
Ph.D.: Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 2008
B.S.: Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Affiliations
U.S. Geological Survey
Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center
Media Coverage
- Amherst Wire: Massachusetts 2050: A Warming State--Shifting Species in Local Ecosystems, April 6, 2021
- The Wildlife Society: Researchers Craft Roadmap for Studying Wildlife Communities, March 31, 2020
- Science Daily: The Do's and Don'ts of Monitoring Many Wildlife Species at Once, February 25, 2020
- New England Public Radio: Consevationists Try To Thwart Climate Change by Planting in Cold Spots, June 21, 2017
- Wildlife Conservation Society Magazine: Steps to managing climate change refugia for wildlife, August 24, 2016
- New England Public Radio: Researchers At UMass Look For The Places That Climate Change Forgot, August 23, 2016
- UMass Press Release: Managing Climate Change Refugia to Protect Wildlife, August 10, 2016
Projects
Impact of red squirrel distributional shifts on resiliency of birds in the face of climate changeAssessing potential impacts of climate change on carnivore occupancy and snowshoe hare demography along elevational and latitudinal gradients in the Northeastern U.S.Conservation of Climate Change Refugia
Effects of arctic ground squirrel abundance and distribution on carbon cycling and ecosystem dynamicsRegional Effort on Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) ManagementBiodiversity Findings and Outreach Impact from National Park Service BioBlitzesA monarch's view of the city: urban monarch landscape conservation designAssessing the Vulnerability of Northeastern Wildlife to Climate ChangeIncreasing the resilience and resistance of climate-vulnerable northeastern species and ecosystemsEvaluation of Downscaled Climate Modeling Techniques for the Northeast U.S.: A Case Study of Maple Syrup ProductionIdentifying Vulnerable Ecosystems and Supporting Climate-Smart Strategies to Address Invasive Species Under Climate Change
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Publications
Lessons learned in knowledge co-production for climate-smart decision-makingClimate change and maple syrup: Producer observations, perceptions, knowledge, and adaptation strategiesGlobal environmental changes more frequently offset than intensify detrimental effects of biological invasions
RISCC Management Challenge: Embracing the Future--Promoting Adaptation and Resilience to Invasive Species and Climate ChangeToward climate change refugia conservation at an ecoregion scaleAbiotic stress and biotic factors mediate range dynamics on opposing edgesHabitat use as indicator of adaptive capacity to climate changeTranslational invasion ecology: bridging research and practice to address one of the greatest threats to biodiversityIdentifying climate‐resistant vernal pools: hydrologic refugia for amphibian reproduction under droughts and climate changeVernal Pool Inundation ModelsMapping Climate Change Resistant Vernal Pools in the Northeastern U.S.Final Report: Examining the mechanisms of species responses to climate change: Are there biological thresholds?Sugar maple responses to climate change: We'll boil it down for youRegional Effort on Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) ManagementClimate RefugiaAdjusting the lens of invasion biology to focus on the impacts of climate-driven range shiftsManaging interactions between invasive species and climate changeIncorporating climate change into invasive species management: insights from managersMulti‐species occupancy models: review, roadmap, and recommendationsInteractive range-limit theory (iRLT): An~extension for predicting range shiftsMapping Climate Resistant Vernal Pools of the Northeastern U.S.Mapping Climate Change Resistant Vernal Pools in the Northeastern U.S.Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change Management Challenge: Taking Action by Managing Invasive Species in the Context of Climate ChangeClimate‐change refugia: biodiversity in the slow laneFinal Report for USGS-NECSC and USFS-NRS Cooperative Research on Climate-Vulnerable Habitats and Species in the NortheastFinding the sweet spot: Shifting optimal climate for maple syrup production in North AmericaIncorporating climate change into invasive species management: insights from managersLocal climate determines vulnerability to camouflage mismatch in snowshoe haresHow climate change could affect farming in New EnglandEmpowering well-informed decisions: Making invasion science accessible for policy and management (S&T)Double Trouble: Understanding Risks from Invasive Species + Climate ChangeChapter 7 : Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity. Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: The Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume IIFinal Report for Climate Effects on the Culture and Ecology of Sugar MapleLooking beyond wildlife: using remote cameras to evaluate accuracy of gridded snow dataNew England and northern New York forest ecosystem vulnerability assessment and synthesis: a report from the New England Climate Change Response Framework projectBalancing research and service to decision makersClimate change refugia and habitat connectivity promote species persistenceDeveloping a translational ecology workforceErosion of refugia in the Sierra Nevada meadows network with climate changeFoundations of translational ecologyNavigating translational ecology: creating opportunities for scientist participationVulnerabilities to climate change of Massachusetts animal species of greatest conservation needThe connections between invasive species and climate changeClimate Change and the Backyard GardenerManaging Climate Change Refugia for Climate AdaptationNortheast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management Workshop ReportWhen Does Choice of Downscaling Method Matter in Decision Making? A Case Study with Maple Syrup ProductionIntegrating Climate Change into Northeast and Midwest State Wildlife Action Plans
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