THE “RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION” PROGRAM: TRAINING THE FIRST GENERATION OF CONSERVATION PALEOBIOLOGISTS

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Biodiversity Conservation program conducted at University of North Carolina Wilmington, summers 2008-2010, provides a model for training students in conservation paleobiology: the application of geohistorical data to conservation and restoration of modern biodiversity and ecosystem services. This REU program brought together a multidisciplinary group (geology, paleontology, biology, environmental studies, archeology) of undergraduate students and faculty mentors to address anthropogenic biodiversity loss and ecosystem modification from a conservation paleobiology perspective. To understand the degree and ways in which humans are affecting ecosystems, students used geohistorical data to establish baselines and the natural range of variability of ecosystems in the coastal Carolinas and to understand the response of species and ecosystems to environmental change. Our goal was to build a diverse pool of students comfortable working in multidisciplinary teams who are aware of issues in biodiversity conservation and who can develop innovative approaches to addressing these issues. Students worked in teams and on individual projects to collect and analyze data from the paleontological and archeological record of marine systems (primarily molluscs) and compare these data with those from modern environments to understand anthropogenic ecosystem change. For example: 1) studies of diversity, ecosystem structure, and ecological interactions in the Plio-Pleistocene yielded information on natural baselines and variability and on response to environmental change; 2) archeological work on shell middens tested hypotheses about overharvesting of shellfish by coastal Carolina Native Americans; 3) “live-dead” analyses comparing time-averaged death assemblages and local living communities of molluscs examined anthropogenic change in coastal habitats. A racioethnically diverse group of REU participants learned the importance of geohistorical data to conservation efforts, and the need to bring together workers from disparate fields to address biodiversity issues.