Determining the strongest environmental drivers of genetic differentiation in Pacific white-nose dolphins along the Japanese coast

Started Oct. 28, 2022

Abstract or project description

Climate change affects marine ecosystems globally through temperature, salinity, and other nutrient shifts. Understanding how organisms are genetically adapted to their local environments is essential to forecasting the effects of global change. This project will use a published genetic dataset to determine what drives differences in Pacific white-nose dolphins along the coast of Japan. By using various machine learning and statistical techniques, we will predict genetic distance using environmental and spatial data (such as sea temperature, currents, and nutrients). These results will present a new angle on existing data and determine how important environment is to dolphins.