HONOLULU — The University of Hawaii at Hilo has received a second $5 million grant to study how plants, animals and microbes respond to climate change.
HONOLULU — The University of Hawaii at Hilo has received a second $5 million grant to study how plants, animals and microbes respond to climate change.
The school’s Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Program received the original $5 million National Science Foundation grant in 2009.
Researchers are studying how organisms respond to fluctuating environmental conditions in the short- and long-term.
They’re also looking at how behaviors central to the survival and reproductive success of animals evolve.
Program Director Donald Price said Thursday you need to start with life forms whose well-being is tied to their environment to fully understand the impact of climate change.
The university says the research is expected to produce a deeper understanding of how climate change will affect the geographic ranges of Hawaii and Pacific region species.