This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant, awarded under the Polar Programs (CFDA 47.078) federal grant program, will investigate how Arctic ground squirrels are responding to changing environmental conditions during hibernation as a result of climate warming. The $329,724 award to Colorado State University will extend a long-term study in northern Alaska to (1) analyze how hibernacula conditions affect survival and reproduction, (2) examine if personality, behavior, physiology, and life-history traits co-vary consistent with the pace of life syndrome hypothesis, and (3) manipulate individual access to food during development to understand how resource availability influences correlations among traits. The project will train graduate students in ecophysiology and behavioral ecology, provide undergraduate research opportunities, and develop educational outreach on climate change science for middle and high school students. No sub-awards are planned under this grant.
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