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Lauren M. Lyon
PhD (May 2024),
2023 USFWS Directorate Fellow
2022 USGS Science to Action Fellow
Research and Consulting
Niche Modeling
Research Interest | Niche Modeling
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
For my Directorate Fellowship Program project with the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture my focus was drafting a conceptual model to identify priority areas for wetland complexes beneficial to wintering waterfowl in the lower portion of the Mississippi Flyway. Post-fellowship, volunteer work continues to produce these models.
Supervisor: Dr. Steven (Keith) McKnight
United States Geological Service
For my Science to Action Fellowship in conjunction with the Southeastern and Northeastern Climate Adaptation Science Centers, my goal was to translate my first chapter of my doctoral work on climate change refugia into a useable product for practitioners in climate adaptation planning.
Supervisors: Dr. Toni Lyn Morelli & Dr. Monica Papes
Doctoral Work
For my dissertation, I am working on niche models for local Appalachian species, particularly those species of greatest conservation need. It is important to understand the distribution of endangered and keystone species in "our own backyard" given the diversity of this region both in the past and in the present. Even into the future the Appalachians are predicted to serve as refugia for many taxa, and I am working with local stakeholders to best protect these biodiversity hotspots. Chapter 1 is in review with Conservation Science and Practice.
Committee chair: Dr. Monica Papes
Master's Work
My Master's thesis focused on creating species distribution models (SDMs) for the red panda, Ailurus fulgens (a musteloid), and the giant panda bear, Ailuropoda melanoleuca (an ursid). Some key factors in the SDMs were the use of variables that actively contributed to the models (versus a traditional "kitchen sink" approach that uses every variable to generate models).
Committee chair: Dr. T. Andrew Joyner
Consulting
Additionally, I have worked on contracts for academics through NIMBios at the University of Tennessee on plant taxa niche models (supervised by Dr. Monica Papes).
Other projects include work in creating interactive and static maps for the non-profit company Homegrown National Park.
Comparative Anatomy
Research Interest | Comparative Anatomy
During my academic career I have been fortunate enough to gain experience with gross muscle dissection and osteological comparisons. Though my research focuses on mammals, I have had the opportunity to work with both muscular and skeletal material from the following taxa:
Mammalia:
ursids, felids, mustelids, procyonids, ailurids, mephitids, canids, a macropodid, dasypodids, megalonychids, myrmecophagids, murids, sciurids, leporids, cervids, talpids, vespertilionids, and a tapirid
Other:
(Aves) phasianids; (Reptilia) alligatorids; (Amphibia) proteids; (Actinopterygii) salmonids, centrarchids; and (Chondrichthyes) squalids
All animals are treated in the most respectful of manner and are invaluable to numerous researchers in their forever home in ETSU's museum of modern osteology (in association with the Gray Fossil Site).
Ailuridae
Ongoing Research | Ailuridae
Research is two-part, with focal areas being (1) conservation of the extant red pandas through climate modeling and work with local zoos (particularly Zoo Knoxville), and (2) lineage driven questions posed by the Fossil Red Panda Research Group that will aide in our understanding of the extant members of the family. Notable contributions include publications in the book Red Panda utilized by experts globally leading in red panda conservation and the Red Panda Network (https://redpandanetwork.org/)
The Fossil Red Panda Research Group is a global team of researchers that focus on the comparative anatomy and paleoecology of fossil ailurids (red pandas). Current projects include the first in-depth description of the postcrania of the most complete fossil red panda skeleton in the world, Pristinailurus bristoli (Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee, USA). Research centers on identification of characters that define the simocyonine pandas versus ailurine pandas, characters of Ailuridae as a whole, and characters unique to the last living members of the once widespread family Ailuridae, Ailurus fulgens and Ailurus styani.
The Fossil Red Panda Research Group is active on ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Fossil-Red-Panda-Research-Group
Research in this area is ongoing.
Xenarthra
Undergraduate Research | Xenarthrans
Research conducted in the lab of Dr. Tim Gaudin at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, focused on the comparative anatomy of various fossil xenarthran taxa and their extant relatives. My first research project resulted in a publication on the cranial anatomy of megalonychid sloths. Isolated premaxillae of various megalonychids were discovered as unidentified material in several museum collections, and had yet to ever be described until Lyon et al. 2015 (Journal of Mammalian Evolution). Another project resulted in a PeerJ publication, which is the most detailed description of a pampathere skull to date (Gaudin and Lyon 2017).
Research has concluded in this area for the time being. However, I am not opposed to pursuing more xenarthran projects in the future.
Questions? Interested in collaborating on a project?
