The Anderson Lab

In the Anderson lab, we conduct interdisciplinary biogeographic research at various levels of biological organization, as well as promote human diversity in environmental biology. The overreaching research theme is to characterize the spatial configuration of environmental suitability for species, and study its ecological, evolutionary and practical consequences. This includes applications to conservation as well as the effects of climate change on biodiversity. To do so, we have been deeply involved in the development and use of methods for modeling species niches and distributions. Our current projects focus on the small mammals of the northern Neotropics and development of software for ecological modeling, the latter currently funded by the National Science Foundation. Recently, we have extended into the study of organismal traits in biogeography (as drivers of community composition; and with regard to local climatic adaptation). We embrace human diversity; our ‘home base’ is the highly multicultural CCNY, part of one of the most diverse, tolerant, and intellectually vibrant cities in the world.