Blue Iguana Day: Ļć½¶Ö±²„biologist brings awareness to endangered species
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.āA Ļć½¶Ö±²„ biological sciences faculty member is using Blue Iguana Day on May 8 to bring awareness to the endangered species and highlight the universityās role in an international collaboration to protect the reptile.
Professor Mark E. Welch in MSUās Department of Biological Sciences works in partnership with the Cayman Department of the Environment and the Cayman National Trust, an organization seeking to preserve the history and biodiversity of the Cayman Islands.
Welch and his students conduct genetic research on iguana species present in the Cayman Islands, including the blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi), and have studied 10 of the 12 known living iguana species in the Caribbean. Cyclura is widely considered by scientists to be the most endangered genus of reptiles in the world.
āBlue iguanas are an incredibly charismatic flagship species for the conservation of species in the Caribbean,ā said the iguana conservation genetics expert. āThis is a broader initiative. By protecting them and their natural habitat, we also are bringing awareness toāand contributing toāthe conservation of other native species, such as birds and plants.ā
The blue iguana once numbered in the tens of thousands in the Caribbean, but by 2001, because of habitat loss and introduced species, fewer than 30 were estimated to remain in the wild. The species was listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in the early 2000s. By 2018, because of conservation efforts, more than 1,000 blue iguanas were restored to the wild population.
āBlue Iguana Day is an opportunity to engage the publicāespecially in the Caymans, their natural habitatāto help the species survive,ā Welch said. āUnderstanding what makes populations thrive and allowing them to adapt to changing climates or go extinct is fundamental to population biology.ā
Welchās research explores how natural populations respond to changes in their environment and how population dynamics and size interact to influence the evolutionary potential of natural populations.
Welch earned his bachelorās in biological sciences and masterās in ecology from the University of Tennessee and he holds a Ph.D. in biology from Indiana University. Before joining MSUās faculty in 2007, he completed postdoctoral work at Vanderbilt University.
Part of MSUās College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Biological Sciences may be found at . Ļć½¶Ö±²„is Mississippiās leading university, available online at .