Geologic Genomics and Amphibian Conservation
Dr. Deanna Olson
The intersection of the scientific studies of geology and genetics is central to understanding current patterns of biodiversity as well as emerging conservation priorities for unique and at-risk biota. The legacy of Earth’s history of mountain building and land movements over millennia, and their resulting effects on regional climates and habitats, are etched within species’ biology and ecology that we see today. Geologic genomics has helped explain both well-known biodiversity patterns from past scientific investigations and is providing hypotheses for new investigations. With amphibians being the most threatened group of vertebrates on Earth today, with 41% of known species at risk of extinction, there is a race to understand unique forms before inadvertent losses occur.
Tying the clocks of past geological processes to studies of amphibian molecular clocks that explain their genetic patterns is helping to define conservation priorities to conserve unique populations in a rapidly changing world. In the Pacific Northwest, 89% of amphibian species are endemic to the western region; their future relies on regional efforts for sustainability management. They often have strong ties to cool, moist microclimates and have dispersal constraints across both arid and montane landscapes. As more sophisticated scientific technologies are being developed in the arenas of both geology and genomics, their application to better understand regional patterns of amphibian biodiversity are at the forefront of research, as regional amphibians are still a science frontier in this regard. The unique palette of Pacific Northwest amphibian biodiversity shows how integration of geologic genomics can inform amphibian conservation priorities.
Deanna (Dede) Olson is an Emeritus Scientist with the US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, Oregon. She retired in March 2025 after a 35-year career in research with ~240 science publications. She earned her Bachelor’s degree (Biology, 1980) at University of California, San Diego, and her Ph.D. (Zoology, 1988) at Oregon State University, Corvallis. Her work has focused on advancing knowledge of ecology and conservation of forest biodiversity, often with one foot in water and one foot on land like the amphibians and reptiles of many of her projects. She is the incoming 2025 National Co-Chair of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, a stint she also served in 2009 to 2012. She also is a representative for the USA with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List and Amphibian Special Group, and past-President of the Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology. She and husband Mike have been married for 43 years, and they split their time between their Bend and Corvallis homes. They are busy keeping up with their daughter and son and their spouses, and two granddaughters. Dede hikes, downhill skis, attends circuit-weights conditioning class, gardens, and paints.