From Data to Decisions: A Theory of Change for Conservation Science

Conservation science is often judged by its outputs—papers published, datasets generated, tools released. But conservation outcomes are not produced by academic activity alone. They emerge from a longer causal chain of events that connect research with real-world decisions about how we engage with the natural world. ​ This post outlines how we think about this chain of events: how conservation-minded biological research can translate, over time, into meaningful conservation impacts.

Kartzinel Lab Postdoc Ezequiel Vanderhoeven, DVM, Ph.D. (left), works with a non-profit to facilitate a jaguar capture / translocation in Argentina. Photo: Proyecto Yaguareté

Reconstructing 10,000 Years of Caribou Diets from Melting Yukon Ice Patches

Dr. Carson Hedberg and team on an expedition to the Gladstone Ice Patch

A prestigious NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Office of Polar Programs that was awarded to Carson Hedberg is powering a new Kartzinel Lab project in the Yukon: using ancient DNA preserved in towering alpine ice patches to reconstruct thousands of years of change in caribou diets since the end of the last Ice Age. By sequencing genetic traces of food that have been locked inside caribou dung and literally frozen in time, Carson is asking how these animals have weathered past climate shifts—and what this can tell us about prospects for their future.

Metabarcoding vs Microhistology: Comparing Dietary Analysis Methods

Tyler Kartzinel

Originally posted 1/6/2026.

At First Bite: Why Do Animal Diets Matter?

Understanding what animals eat is central to ecology, evolution, and conservation. Diets shape species interaction networks, how energy flows through food webs, and what animals can do when environments change. For decades, ecologists have inspected animal scats using microscopes to identify what they have been eating. Today, DNA-based approaches offer a powerful alternative. So how do these two methods stack up—and when should you use each?

Savanna elephant eating from the understory at Mpala Research Centre in Kenya. Photo credit: Tyler Kartzinel

Story behind the science: Yellowstone wildlife diets

Rethinking how we classify animals based on what they eat—and what it means for wildlife management

Research highlight: Apportionment of Dietary Diversity in Wildlife published in PNAS (Hannah Hoff et al.)

Interview: DNA barcoding and conservation (Mongabay)

DNA sequencing to meet global biodiversity goals: Interview with Tyler Kartzinel

Research highlight: giraffe diets and microbiomes (Videvall et al.)

Research highlight: what fuels wildlife migrations across Yellowstone?

Research highlight: News & Views published in Molecular Ecology (Bethan Littleford-Colquhoun et al.)

Research highlight: review about dietary DNA published in Molecular Ecology (Bethan Littleford-Coluqhoun et al.)

Papers on diet-microbiome linkages in humans and wildlife published in tandem 

A pair of recent papers were highlighted for the creative ways the Kartzinel uses DNA metabarcoding to solve problems and ask new questions in fields that span ecology and biomedical science. This post highlights connections between our developing knowledge of diet-microbiome linkages in both humans and wildlife.

Research highlight: paper featured on the cover of Nature (Robert Pringle et al.)

New research combining large field experiments and molecular ecology published today in Nature. The paper is featured in a Nature News & Views article by Oswald Schmitz, a 3-min Nature Video, a great PBS NOVA article by Katherine Wu, among others.

Feature: Tyler Kartzinel's research as an HHMI textbook example

​Research highlight: experimental work to rewild sick lab mice published (Sarah Budischak et al.)