Wallace Coffee Talks - Spring 2018
21 June 2018 - 1pm - Zoology Museum
David Gilljam (SwanseaUniversity, UK)
The colour of
environmental fluctuations driving terrestrial animal population dynamics
I'm an ecologist with a background in computer engineering whose
research focus lies on the effects of environmental variation and within and
between species interactions on the dynamics, stability and functioning of
ecological networks. As a NERC-funded postdoc here at Swansea University, one
of my lines of research investigates the drivers of fluctuations and cycles in
animal population dynamics. Fluctuations can be generated by many types of
biotic factors, such as density-dependence, age-structure and predator-prey
interactions. Abiotic factors, like the temporal structure (colour) of
environmental variables such as temperature and precipitation are also considered
to influence population dynamics. In this talk I will however propose that for
short time-spans typical for ecological time-series, the colour of the
environment is not as important as a driver of animal population fluctuations
as previously thought. These findings will, in turn, improve our ability to
incorporate appropriate environmental processes into predictive modelling
frameworks of ecological dynamics.
Stream fragmentation in
Great Britain: what, where and why?
The potential impact of river fragmentation
caused by in-channel obstacles on river ecosystems is enormous and includes
alteration of hydro-geomorphological processes, temperature regimes and
sediment loading, that affect river connectivity. Owing to these impacts, EU
member states are bound by the Water Framework Directive to maintain river
continuity as a crucial component to achieving “good ecological status”.
Despite this and plenty of other concern, the extent of river fragmentation in
Great Britain is unknown. In this talk I will briefly describe how I got here
and what I’ve been working on to address current knowledge gaps in river
fragmentation in Great Britain.
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