Thursday 19 October 2017

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 12 October 2017

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2017
12 October 2017 - 1pm - Zoology Museum



Potential Oscillators and Keystone Modules in Food Webs

Dr Taku Kadoya

Photo by David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes

We are delighted to be treated to a double seminar today, thanks to Dr Taku Kadoya, researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (Japan)Taku is a quantitative ecologist interested in how the interactions of life histories and behavioral responses of animals with landscape structure determine their abundances and population persistence. Particularly, Taku has a special fondness for dragonflies (Odonata).



Abstract
Food web module theory predicts weak interactions can govern stability by acting as “keystone interactions” that prevent collapse. However, this connection between weak interactions, derived from modular theory, and keystone species, derived from empirical result, is not yet well understood. In this talk, I will show that indeed these two research results are connected by a simple mathematical example and propose a simple framework to pull apart complex whole webs into smaller sub-webs, and to identify where weak interactions may be placed to mediate stability.



Hope to see many of you - everyone most welcome to attend!


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

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