Advisory Board and Editors Climate Change Biology
Chris M Yeager
I am a broadly-trained microbiologist with a research background in molecular biology, microbial ecology, genomics and biogeochemistry. Over the past 12 years I have served as a Staff Scientist within the Department of Energy National Laboratory system, first in the Environmental Biotechnology Section at Savannah River National Laboratory (2005-2011) and then in the Biosciences and Chemistry Divisions at Los Alamos National Laboratory (2011-current). As a staff scientist, I developed and managed a variety of research programs, focusing on microbial communities involved in processes relevant to climate change, fate and transport of radionuclides in the environment and bioenergy production. I received a BS degree from the University of Wyoming in Biochemistry, after which I worked as a laboratory technologist at the University of Utah and the VA medical center in Salt Lake City, UT with a team investigating the molecular underpinnings of diabetes. I received my doctorate in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Oregon State University in 2001 under Drs. Daniel Arp and Peter Bottomley investigating biodegradation of toxic compounds, such as trichloroethylene and toluene, by soil microorganisms. I completed postdoctoral training (2001-2004) at Los Alamos National Laboratory under Dr. Cheryl Kuske examining how the microorganisms that build and maintain biocrusts in soils of arid environments might respond to climate change.
Nigel G. Yoccoz
Professor of Statistical Ecology at the Institute of Arctic and Marine Biology of UiT The Arctic University of Norway since 2003. Associate Editor of "Methods in Ecology and Evolution", "Ecography" and "Wildlife Biology", and former associate editors of Ecology and Ecology Letters.
Mark T Young
’m a Scottish evolutionary biologist and vertebrate palaeontologist. My research focus is on major evolutionary transitions: understanding both how and why the vertebrate body-plan radically transforms when adapting to new niches. My interdisciplinary approach including biomechanics, comparative anatomy, neuroanatomy, nomenclature, philosophy of biology, phylogenetics, and systematics/taxonomy.
My areas of research are:
(1) The land-to-sea transition of fossil marine crocodylomorphs. This focuses on the biology of Thalattosuchia (marine crocs that evolved flippers and a tail fin during the Age of Dinosaurs). My research includes understanding their endocranial anatomy, sensory systems, evolutionary relationships, and morphofunctional diversity. Finally, what do thalattosuchians tell us about common evolutionary pathways seen in secondarily aquatic vertebrates?
(2) The air-to-land transition within Columbidae (pigeons and doves). This focuses on the biology of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and the Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria). My research includes understanding their skeletal anatomy, locomotory biomechanics, and evolutionary relationships. Finally, what does the Dodo tell us about common evolutionary pathways seen in secondarily flightless birds.
(3) Philosophy of biology. The goal of the sciences is to cumulatively gather descriptive and ultimately causal understanding of objects and events. My research includes ensuring that my work is compatible with the goal of scientific inquiry, and to promote a view of biology and biological research that encapsulates biological theory, applied technological innovation, with a philosophical underpinning.
(4) Promotion of best practice in descriptive biology and zoological nomenclature. Given the current ‘age of extinctions’ we are living through and the dire shortage of trained taxonomists, there is a greater need than ever to ensure that taxonomic and descriptive research meets best practice and is compatible with the goal of scientific inquiry.
I am an ICZN Commissioner, a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, and a member of the Royal Society of Biology (RSB). I have Chartered Biologist status, registered with the RSB. I am a member of two IUCN Species Survival Commission groups: the Crocodile Specialist Group, and the Pigeon & Dove Specialist Group. I am the editor-in-chief of Historical Biology, and also an academic editor for PeerJ and PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology.
Le Yu
Associate Professor in the Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University.
Research interests include global land-use and land-cover change mapping, modeling and application; global cropland mapping and uncertainty analysis.
Lin Zhang
Dr. Lin Zhang is Associate professor within the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
His research interests focus on:
1）How ectotherms (with tropical lizard as subject) linking bioenergetics and overwintering strategy during global warming
2）Macro-evolution including activity, metabolism and reproduction in squamate
Matteo Zucchetta
Matteo Zucchetta obtained his PhD thesis entitled "Habitat distribution models for the management of fishery and conservation concern species in lagoon environment” at the University Ca’ Foscari Venice (Italy). He has previously covered the position of researcher University Ca’ Foscari Venice (Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics) and at the National Centre for Coastal Zone Protection and Characterization, Marine Climatology and for Operational Oceanography of the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). Since 2020 he is a researcher of the Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy. His work was carried out in the framework of different EU and Italian projects, and his main research topics are: 1) analysis of the spatial distribution of plant and animal species in coastal and transitional water bodies; 2) Community ecology in transitional water ecosystems; 3) Use of fish fauna assemblages as indicators of ecosystem ecological status; 4) Ecological models for food webs analysis; 5) Climate changes effects on aquatic ecosystems.