Biology Professor Discusses Evolution, Climate Change and Animal Mass Die-Offs in 'Short Talks'

The latest edition of Short Talks From the Hill, a podcast from the University of Arkansas, features Adam Siepielski, assistant professor of biology in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Siepielski studies biological diversity, natural selection and how species are affected by climate change.

"Climate change is nothing new," Siepielski says in the podcast, "but the climate change that organisms are experiencing now is, especially in the rates that climates are changing."

Climate tipping points are a focus of Siepielski's research. He created models to determine how changes in temperature or precipitation can force species to adapt, and what happens to those species once they do. He has also studied mass-mortality events in animals, which are rapid, often catastrophic die-offs that can reduce the population of a single species by as much as 90 percent. The events, while rare, have increased in frequency since the 1940, and scientists are not sure why.

For more episodes of Short Talks From the Hill, go to ResearchFrontiers.uark.edu, the home of research news at the University of Arkansas, and then select the Multimedia link, or visit the "Local & Podcast" link at KUAF.com.

Short Talks From the Hill highlights research and scholarly work at the University of Arkansas. Each segment features a university researcher discussing his or her work. Thank you for listening!