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FIELD RESEARCHBird by Bird A Rochester biologist helps map the evolutionary forces affecting an endangered species of Florida birds. By Lindsey Valich
chenBIRD BIOLOGY: Chen travels annually to Venus, Florida, home to one of the largest populations of a species of scrub jays left in the world, for a long-running project to analyze the birds鈥� DNA and the factors affecting their evolution. (Photo: J. Adam Fenster)
chenDNA DATA: The project involves extracting DNA samples and tagging the birds in order to map their family trees. (Photo: J. Adam Fenster)

Evolutionary biologist and assistant professor of biology Nancy Chen analyzes how different evolutionary forces contribute to genetic patterns. A current project involves evaluating endangered, wild birds鈥擣lorida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens)鈥攖hat have been individually marked and studied since 1969.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to me to study organisms in their natural environment because selection pressures will be different in the lab versus in the field,鈥� says Chen, who annually travels to the Archbold Biological Station in central Florida to tag the birds and search for new nests.

Using 50 years of collected data, Chen creates family trees and develops pedigree simulations to analyze the ways in which the birds鈥� genetic material is changing due to habitat loss and a decrease in population.

Her research also has important implications for understanding human genetics and accurately predicting how public health interventions might affect the long-term genetics of human populations.