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DiscoverBiodiversity.com bridges the gap between scientific researchers and educators through the discovery of modern and ancient biodiversity!
In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.
Research Program
As a Ph.D. Candidate in Zoology (with a minor in Botany) at the University of Florida, I aim to understand both ancient and modern ecological dynamics. By uniting the fields of paleontology, ecology (ecosystem ecology, community ecology, landscape ecology, etc...), climatology, and geochemistry, I can better understand both modern and ancient environments. My research goals are as follows:
1) Reconstruct ancient forested environments using modern ecological studies to help constrain paleoecological hypotheses.
2) Understand how mammalian communities and their floral environments have responded to climate change during the late Cenozoic.
I also maintain active in education and outreach, communicating my research and that of others to the public and K-16 students.
Reconstructing ancient environments 
Using stable isotopes, dental microwear, and morphology, I infer mammalian dietary categories and subsequent floral environments. With a focus on understanding the diets of extinct and extant tapirs, I have documented stable isotope variation of modern tapirs (DeSantis 2005). Subsequently, I have examined tapir diets over time using stable isotopes and craniodental morphology in order to model ancient forested environments (DeSantis & MacFadden 2007). Additionally, I have examined the paleoecology of the most fossiliferous tapir site in the world, to date - The Gray Fossil Site (DeSantis & Wallace 2008). In the near future I will complete a similar study to that of the Gray site, examining the paleoecology of the second most fossiliferous site, a late Pliocene Florida fossil site - Haile 7G.
Effects of climate change on late Cenozoic mammalian communities
The fossil record provides an invaluable record, documenting floral and faunal responses to environmental change. I use stable isotopes within mammal teeth to understand the diet of fossil animals and how they responded to climate change during the late Cenozoic. Currently, I am comparing fossil mammalian communities under glacial and interglacial conditions in Florida during the late Pliocene (~2 million years ago) to early Pleistocene (~1.5 million years ago). Additionally, I am examining how marsupial mammal communities responded to environmental change during the late Pleistocene (400 to 36 thousand years ago) in southeastern Australia - using stable isotope and dental microwear analyses. This work has the potential to inform ecologists and conservation biologists about how mammalian communities may respond to current global warming.
My undergraduate and graduate background in environmental management has prepared me to assess floral responses to short-term climate change. Recently, I and others documented how sea-level rise and drought accelerated forest decline on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We used both traditional forest mensuration tools and innovative stable isotope analyses to help understand the effects and potential reasons for such dramatic forest decline in both species richness and abundance. This work was recently featured in Global Change Biology (DeSantis et al. 2007).
While at the
Currently, I am involved in developing science education materials for K-12 teachers that correspond with both my research and that of a temporary museum exhibit that I helped develop – Megalodon: The Largest Shark that Ever Lived . These resources, in addition to others, are available on the Educator Resources page.
As a Nature Conservancy employee I have also extend science to managers through the Global Marine Initiative. I have helped develop the following websites, with the goal of bringing relevant science to “on the ground” Marine Protected Area managers:
Please also see the following website to become more familiar with The Nature Conservancy's Global Marine Initiative.
I enjoy communicating my science and that of others to the public through both peer-reviewed journals and mainstream media. Please see my CV for a list of these manuscripts.
Below are links to representative publications and news articles. Note, some journal articles may require subscriptions and are unavailable to the general public.
Ecology & Evolution:
DeSantis, L.R.G., Wallace, S.C. 2008. Neogene forests from the Appalachians of Tennessee, USA: geochemical evidence from fossil mammal teeth. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 266: 59-68 (PDF)
DeSantis, L.R.G., MacFadden, B.J. 2007. Identifying forested environments in Deep Time using fossil tapirs: evidence from evolutionary morphology and stable isotopes. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 258: 147-157 (Special Issue: Advances in Angiosperm Paleobotany and Paleoclimatic Reconstruction, Contributions Honoring David L. Dilcher and Jack A. Wolfe; PDF)
DeSantis, L.R.G., Bhotika, S., Putz, F.E., Williams, K. 2007. Sea-level rise and drought interactions accelerate declines on the Gulf Coast of Florida, USA. Global Change Biology 13: 2349-2360 (PDF)
Education:
DeSantis, L.R.G. 2007. Clarifying tropical cyclone activity in centuries past. Science Teacher 74(6): 78-84 (peer-reviewed; PDF)
MacFadden, B., DeSantis, L.R.G. 2007. No more ivory tower: communicating geoscience to society. Geotimes 52: 42-43
link to Geotimes
DeSantis, L.R.G. 2007 Reconstructing the ancient ecology of the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee. Now & Then 23(1): 22-24
link to Now & Then
News Stories:
Rising seas may be killing Florida palms.
Mongabay News
Palm deaths accelerating on Florida coast; likely cause is rising seas.
University of Florida News
UF students spend spring course helping ready museum for display about megalodons.
The Gainesville Sun
Fla. Museum April 9 lecture explores fossil teeth research on ancient ecology.
The Gainesville Sun
Study: Key part of evolution eludes museums' guests.
The Gainesville Sun
Fossils reveal details of Gray's ancient ecosystem.
Johnson City Press
Portions of long-extinct mammal unearthed at Gray site.
Johnson City Press
Tennessee Tapirs and Rhinos, Too.
Pony Express
Teachers become students of science in Peabody program
Yale Bulletin
Evolution confusion: Human vs. geological time scales.
Florida Citizens for Science
