EPSCoR Awards and Grants
Awarded to David Tallmon and Kari Dammerman
Assistant Professor of Biology David Tallmon has received $30,000 in EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) funding to examine the behavioral and evolutionary means by which the coastrange sculpin, a good colonizer of recent deglaciated streams, is able to quickly colonize and adjust to newly created freshwater habitat. “One of the striking things about this sculpin is that it can quickly adjust its color to match the substrate of its stream,” said Tallmon. “We are examining the genetic structure of our focal organism, including the rangewide genetic relationships among different populations of coastrange sculpins and looking at candidate genes which may underlie their ability to quickly adjust their color to match the substrate they find themselves on. We think this is a good model organism to examine how species might adjust to rapid climate change and create new habitats.” The research is being conducted in Glacier Bay National Park.
Marine Biology major Kari Dammerman is the recipient of an $8000 undergraduate EPSCoR grant to study genetic diversity and gene flow within coastrange sculpin in the park. Dammerman recently won a $1000 prize and award for the best undergraduate poster at an EPSCoR all-hands meeting in Anchorage.