Speaker: Morgan Tingley, PhD, Associate Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA

Fire is a critical and natural part of California’s ecosystems, but the nature of fire here is rapidly shifting due to climate change. From a biological perspective, fire is a regular disturbance that affects the distribution and abundance of species and has shaped evolution for millions of years. Nevertheless, we are entering an unprecedented period where the dominant nature of fire is rapidly changing, disrupting both human and animal lives.

In this lecture, Morgan Tingley will discuss the myriad ways that fire has shaped the ecology of animals—particularly birds—in California and how the shifting nature of fire here is impacting our biodiversity. By learning how species are currently responding to a rapidly changing world, we are offered a glimpse into what our increasingly flammable future will hold.

This talk will be held in person and via Zoom.

Light refreshments will be served.