Taking Inspiration from Nature

Her research on wildlife populations has given Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Tanya Lama a more hopeful lens on climate change.

“When we talk about endangered species and conservation strategies, a lot of it is gloom and doom,” says Lama. “But there are ways we can take inspiration from nature.”

For Lama, that inspiration comes from studying the “climate adaptation” abilities of various wild species using the science of genomics. For example, a study she completed earlier this year, of Canada lynx—a threatened species protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act—uses genetics to show how lynx populations are adapting to climate shifts in northern Maine and eastern Canada. (Visiting Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Blair Bentley, and Smith students Andrea Batista ’26 and Andrew Spencer, S.M. ’27 also contributed to the study.)

In responding to rising temperatures, extreme weather, and other effects of climate change, living creatures essentially have three options, Lama explains: 1) disperse elsewhere; 2) change behavior or physiology in response to the environment; 3) achieve rapid (over a few generations) genetic changes that allow the population to persist.

Lama examines the genetic makeup underlying an animal’s “life history traits”—features such as lifespan and body size—for clues to their climate resilience. The lynx study identified 379 genes of animals living at the limits of their geographic territory that are associated with how they respond to the environment.

“We can take those [genetic] connections and project them onto future climate scenarios,” Lama says. “We’re looking for genes that are evolving. How much do lynx need to change genetically in order to maintain those important connections under future conditions?”

Digital research tools have expanded the number of living creatures whose genomes (DNA “instruction manuals” for sustaining life) are available for study. More researchers are also looking at species beyond the National Institutes of Health’s 13 “model organisms”—those, such as zebrafish and mice, considered useful for biomedical studies because they have similar genetic pathways to humans.

Lama, who holds a Ph.D. in conservation biology, is interested in “non-model species”—less studied animals who need to adapt to climate change, and whose genetic mechanisms might hold new lessons about their ability to do so.

The lynx, for example, are facing warming temperatures and changes in precipitation in their northeast habitats. Lama’s study used samples collected by state wildlife agencies and recreational trappers to analyze how the genetic makeup of different lynx populations might predict their ability to withstand those impacts. The research identified lynx populations in Western Newfoundland and the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec whose genetic traits make them more vulnerable to future climate-related conditions.

Such findings have important policy implications for conservation, Lama says. She has published a book chapter and a 2023 article in Science about the future role that genomics could play in decision-making within the framework of the landmark U.S. Endangered Species Act.

“Wildlife conservation benefits from an evolutionary perspective,” Lama says. “We now have all of these incredible genomic tools to quantitatively describe how populations are doing. We should designate our resources to populations that need it most, so we can help them help themselves.”

It was the monarch butterfly that first sparked Lama’s interest in life science.

“One of my early nature experiences growing up in Mexico was when we went to see the overwintering grounds of the monarch butterfly,” she recalls. “As a second grader, just seeing the weight of those butterflies on the tree branches…. And now those populations have declined by 90 percent in my lifetime.”

Among her favorite subjects for genetic study are bats. “They are just a natural evolutionary lab,” Lama says. “There is so much variation in their life history traits. There are bats that drink nectar and ones that eat scorpions. Many of them have extraordinarily long lifespans.”

In her Wildlife Genomics Lab at Smith, students grow bat cell cultures and design and run experiments to identify the proteins expressed in those cells. “It’s like being on a quest,” Lama says. “The genes are like little lighthouses that can lead to discovering pathways”—the interactive networks that determine how cells behave.

Applications of genetic research include expanding scientific understanding of diseases such as Parkinson’s, and ongoing drug development work inspired by genetic adaptations seen in wild animals, Lama says.

“The goal of this work is to make connections with biomedical applications and human health,” she adds. “That’s why we get such a fun blend of students in my classes. You have the ecology oriented, the computational person, and others interested in cell biology.”

In all of her work, Lama aims to close what she describes as the “research-implementation gap” by finding more ways to connect scientific discoveries to real-world needs.

Regarding climate change, “the last thing we need is another scientific publication telling us things are bad,” Lama says. “The writing I do is geared toward a mix of people. We need to find ways to intersect with policy. That’s one of the missions of my lab.”