Seminar with Kenneth J. Feeley, professor in tropical biology at the University of Miami
Dr. Kenneth J. Feeley is a distinguished expert in tropical biology, currently serving as the Smathers Professor of Tropical Biology at the University of Miami, a position he has held since 2017, and as a Full Professor in the Department of Biology since 2023. He also directs the University of Miami’s John C. Gifford Arboretum (since 2022) and works as a Conservation Scientist at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (since 2009). Dr. Feeley earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Duke University in 2005, with a dissertation exploring the effects of habitat fragmentation on tropical floral and faunal communities. His professional trajectory includes roles as an Associate and Assistant Professor at the University of Miami and Florida International University, as well as postdoctoral research fellowships at Wake Forest University and Harvard University.
Throughout his career, Dr. Feeley has accumulated numerous accolades, including multiple University of Miami Research Awards (2019, 2022, 2024), recognition as a “Distinguished Alumnus” from Wake Forest University (2024), and the University of Miami Graduate School’s “Faculty Mentor of the Year” award (2020). He has been recognized as a Fulbright International Research Scholar (2016) and a National Geographic Explorer (2012). His extensive research contributions are evidenced by >190 peer-reviewed publications, boasting a total of >14,000 total citations and an h-index of >60. Dr. Feeley’s work primarily investigates the impacts of climate change on tropical forests, focusing on themes such as species migrations, plant thermal tolerances, habitat fragmentation, and the broader field of biodiversity conservation. His research has been supported by significant grants from organizations including the US NSF, US National Park Service, and National Geographic Society.
Abstract)
For tropical forests to survive anthropogenic global warming, the trees that comprise them will need to avoid rising temperatures through range shifts and “species migrations”, or they can stay and tolerate the newly emerging conditions through adaptation and/or acclimation. In this seminar I will show that while many tropical tree species are now shifting their distributions to higher, cooler elevations, the rates of these migrations are mostly insufficient to offset ongoing changes in temperatures, especially in lowland tropical rainforests where thermal gradients are shallow or nonexistent. Since the rapid pace and extreme severity of global warming also make it unlikely that tropical tree species can adapt (with some possible exceptions), I argue that the best hope for tropical tree species to avoid becoming “committed to extinction” is acclimation. While several new methods are being developed to test for acclimation, we unfortunately still do not know if tropical tree species can acclimate, or what factors may prevent or facilitate acclimation. Until these questions are answered, our ability to predict the fate of tropical trees and tropical forests – and the many services that they provide to humanity – remains critically impaired