Dr. Button joined the lab as an Associate Professor in 2024. Sky attended Washington State University in the USA and received a Ph.D. in Biology for their thesis entitled “Identifying Groundwater Refugia in the Pacific Northwest and Key Conservation Issues for Their Associated Amphibians”. Sky’s research broadly spans topics related to amphibian and conservation biology, with an emphasis on developing new methods to study and conserve secretive species under anthropogenic threats like climate change. Within the Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation, Sky is currently developing projects to (1) map global patterns of biodiversity for climate refugium-dependent species, (2) improve technology-driven monitoring capabilities for caecilians, and (3) identify patterns of refugial (e.g., karstic) biodiversity and stability within biodiverse landscapes in southern and central China.
Button博士于2024年以副教授身份加入实验室。他在美国华盛顿州立大学获得了生物学博士学位，论文题为《美国太平洋西北地区地下水生物避难所识别及其关联两栖动物关键保护问题》。研究领域广泛涵盖两栖动物与保护生物学，尤其专注于开发新方法研究受气候变化等人为威胁的隐秘物种。目前，在动物行为与保护实验室主导三大研究方向：（1）绘制全球依赖气候避难所的物种生物多样性格局；（2）提升蚓螈监测的技术驱动能力；（3）解析中国中南部生物多样性热点区域中喀斯特等避难所生态系统的生物多样性特征及稳定性
Proficient in spatial analyses and specializing in species distribution, occupancy, and habitat modelling, Sky recently worked on identifying the distribution of cliff-face seep microrefugia in the Pacific Northwest USA, as well as potential trajectories of their inhabiting species under climate change. As part of this work, Sky also developed aquatic eDNA assays for two secretive species of Plethodon salamanders—a primarily terrestrial group that is often overlooked in eDNA-based monitoring. In the future, Sky is interested in applying tools like eDNA, ground-penetrating radar, and ecological modelling to improve climate-smart conservation planning on both regional and global scales, such as by identifying geographic overlaps between climate-sensitive biodiversity and protective climatic refugia.
Button博士精通空间分析技术，专攻物种分布、栖息地占有及生境建模。近期研究聚焦于识别美国太平洋西北地区悬崖渗流微生境避难所的空间分布，并预测其栖居物种在气候变化下的潜在分布轨迹。作为该研究的延伸，开发了针对无肺螈属（Plethodon）两种陆栖隐秘蝾螈的水生环境DNA（eDNA）检测技术——该属作为典型陆生物种群体，常被传统eDNA监测方法忽视。未来拟整合eDNA、探地雷达与生态建模等技术工具，通过识别气候敏感生物多样性区域与保护性气候避难所的地理重叠，推动区域至全球尺度的气候智能型保护规划。
Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation 