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Associate Professor Biological Sciences katelyons@unl.edu Manter Hall 004

Research Interests

I am interested in the factors affecting and controlling species diversity at multiple scales across both space and time. Moreover, I am particularly interested in the effects of global climate change on species diversity and use the fossil record of mammals to evaluate how current changes in global climate may affect diversity patterns in the future. Because it provides a useful way to compare modern species and communities to fossil species and communities, I focus on the similarities and differences in macroecological patterns across space and time.

The major themes in my research are:

  1. Species and community level responses to climate change
  2. Extinction and extinction risk
  3. Macroecological patterns across space and time
  4. Macroevolution of body size in mammals
  5. Biases in the mammalian fossil record
  6. Latitudinal gradients in species richness.

Recent Publications

Follow Dr. Lyons on Google Scholar

Specialization:
  • Species and Community Level Responses to Climate Change; Extinction and Extinction Risk; Macroecological Patterns Across Space and Time; Macroevolution of Body Size in Mammals; Biases in the Mammalian Fossil Record
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Education:
  • Ph.D. University of Chicago
  • M.S. University of Chicago
  • M.S. Texas Tech University
  • B.S. Wayland Baptist University