Biosciences Seminar Speaker 17 November 2016

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2016
17 November 2016 - 1pm - Zoology Museum (Wallace 129)

The diversifiers of life history strategies in animals and plants

Dr Roberto Salguero-Gómez

(University of Sheffield, UK)

Our speaker of this week, Dr Roberto Salguero-Gómez from the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield, will present his research on the drivers of differences in life history traits across plants and animals. Rob's research is wide-ranging, comprising animal and plant demography, including novel research on senescence (see here), drivers of variation in life history traits, causes of animal and plant performance, or effects of climate change on native biota. 

In addition to his association with Sheffield, Rob is also associated with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions at the University of Queensland, Australia, the Evolutionary Biodemography Laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, and the School of Natural Sciences at the Department of Zoology & Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Hence, this week's seminar at Swansea is a rare occasion to meet and chat to Rob in person somewhere else from an airport or a seat on a transcontinental flight :-)

Abstract

Life history traits are the events in our lives that control our demographic performance, our well-being and the well-being of societies. Examples include the age at maturity, reproductive window, mean and maximum longevity, post-reproductive lifespan, number of babies produced, and mortality rate, to mention a few. These factors, which are rather well understood and known to influence human population dynamics, our economics, insurance plans, and retirement funds, to mention a few, are not unique to Homo sapiens. Life history traits can be calculated for any population from any species where the individual can be clearly defined and where demographic information is available. The great potential for application of the tools that allow for the calculation of life history traits from a rich repertoire of organisms, from orchids to ferns to redwoods, to mice, bats, bears and C. elegans would allow evolutionary ecologists to tap into questions of global scope such as what strategies are most successful in what environments, what are the factors enhancing the diversification of life history strategies, and which one restrain them. 

Up until recently comparative studies examining variation in life history traits had been limited mostly to mammals and birds, mostly due to the lack of comprehensive repositories for other taxonomic groups. Here, I introduce the COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database and the COMADRE Animal Matrix Database (www.compadre-db.org), which together contain high-resolution demographic data in the shape of matrix population models for over 2,500 animal and plant species around the globe. I use the demographic machinery developed in the last years to decompose biologically meaningful life history traits from these matrices to examine what are the phylogenetic and environmental factors driving the diversity in life history strategies across plants and animals.

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

For the list of forthcoming seminars this term, see here.

BioMaths Colloquium - 28/10/2016

BioMaths Colloquium Series - 2016/17

28 October 2016 - 3pm Maths Seminar Room

(room 224 Talbot Building 2nd floor)

Modelling collective motion in animal groups

Dr. Daniel Strömbom

(Uppsala University, Sweden & Swansea University, UK) 

pic by Daniel Strömbom

We are delighted to welcome our speaker for the second Biomath Colloquium seminar of this term, Dr Daniel Strömbom from the department of Mathematics at Uppsala University in Sweden. We are especially excited as Daniel has now also joined us at Swansea University, as an Independent Research Fellow, hosted by the SHOALgroup of Dr Andrew King at the Biosciences Department. Thus, Daniel has also become our newest member of our Biomathematics Centre, so please do come to meet him this Friday! Daniel is keen to present his work and establish new collaborations.

Abstract

Flocks of birds and schools of fish are a common sight. They come in all shapes and sizes and exhibit a variety of dynamical behaviours at the group level. For decades, researchers have worked on isolating sets of biologically plausible local interaction rules, such that if each member of a group follow these rules, the resulting structure and behaviour of the group as a whole will be similar to that observed in real flocks, schools, and other moving animal groups. 

from: PInterest

These local interaction rules are often of the type ‘stay close to your neighbours (attraction), but avoid getting close enough for collisions to occur (repulsion), and take the average heading of your neighbours (orientation)’. Mathematical, and/or computational, methods are typically employed to determine the group level properties that will emerge from a given set of local interaction rules.

In this talk I will provide an introduction to collective motion in animal groups, with an emphasis on mathematical/computational modelling approaches used in the field. In particular, the use of so called self-propelled particle models. Using work on the topic that I have been involved in from 2010 up to now as a backbone I aim to illustrate the utility of, and problematic issues with, the self-propelled particle model approach to collective motion in animal groups as it stands today. 

The discussions will continue over biscuits and tea/coffee after the seminar. 

Hope to see many of you!

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 25 October 2016

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2016
25 October 2016 - 1pm - Zoology Museum (Wallace 129)

(note change of day!)

Plant Biomass Degradation by White Rot Fungi

Prof Kristiina Hilden

(University of Helsinki, Finland)

Our speaker of this week, Prof Kristiina Hilden from the Department of Food and Environmental Sciences at the University of Helsinki, will present her research on fungal molecular biology and enzymology, such as comparing the functional genomics of plant biomass degrading fungi across various biotopes. Her research is wide ranging, from work on intraspecies diversity in fungal wood decay (see here) to improving green energy solutions (biorefineries and business needs, improved catalysts for sustainable biomass conversion - see here and cost-effective industrial production - see here). Thus, be prepared to a wide-ranging, stimulating talk!

Abstract

TBA 

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

For the list of forthcoming seminars this term, see here.

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 13 October 2016

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2016
13 October 2016 - 1pm - Zoology Museum (Wallace 129)

Macrocolouration: 

the evolutionary ecology of animal colouration

Dr William Allen

(Swansea University, UK)

Image from: freehdw.com

Our speaker of this week, Dr William Allen from Swansea University, is an ecologists and in his work he uses comparative approaches to understand patterns of diversity in animals’ traits, to understand their evolutionary history and ecological context. Given the title of his talk, come to listen and watch a colourful seminar! 

Abstract

The colours and patterns of animals are perhaps their most apparent and charismatic features. This ease of observation along with the role colouration can have in a wide range of ecological and evolutionary processes (predation, competition, mate choice, thermoregulation etc.) also makes it an important phenotype for scientific investigation. In this talk I give an overview of my work on understanding broad scale patterns in colour pattern diversity between species. Studies span a wide range of vertebrate taxa including primates, ruminants, cats, geckos and snakes. Topics include the ecological and behavioural factors that underlie colour differences, what form can tell us about function and mechanism, and how investigating colouration can inform our understanding of basic evolutionary processes such as speciation. 

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

For the list of forthcoming seminars this term, see here.

BioMaths Colloquium - 19/09/2016

BioMaths Colloquium Series - 2016/17

19 September 2016 - 3pm Maths Seminar Room

(room 224 Talbot Building 2nd floor)

Large scale PDE constrained optimization of cardiac defibrillation

Dr. Chamakuri Nagaiah

(Johann Radon Institute for Computational and Applied Mathematics, Austria)

from: Chamakuri et al. (2015)

We have an early start this year! Our first BioMath talk of the 2016/17 series will be in September, by our guest Dr. Chamakuri Nagaiah, from the Johann Radon Institute for Computational and Applied Mathematics (RICAM), part of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW).

Abstract

In this talk we present a feasible study of optimal control techniques for cardiac defibrillation on the basis of the bidomain-bath equations posed on a realistic rabbit ventricle geometry. The bidomain model consists of a system of elliptic partial differential equations coupled with a non-linear parabolic equation of reaction-diffusion type, where the reaction term, modeling ionic transport is described by a set of ordinary differential equations. The bidomain model is coupled with the quasi-static Maxwell's equation to consider the effect of an external bathing medium.

The optimal control approach is based on minimizing a properly chosen cost functional depending on the extracellular current as input at the boundary of torso domain, which must be determined in such a way that wave fronts of transmembrane voltage in

cardiac tissue are smoothed in an optimal manner. The existence and uniqueness of a weak solution for the primal and dual problems, the derivation of the optimality system and the description of its discretisation is given. In parallel computations, the domain decomposition of such realistic geometry consists of heart surrounded by torso is not a trivial task.  

I will present domain decomposition techniques and their efficient implementation of such PDE constrained optimization of bidomain model. The parallel algorithm efficiency is demonstrated not only for the direct problem but also for the optimal control problem.

The discussions will continue over biscuits and tea/coffee after the seminar. 

Hope to see many of you!

Postgraduate Seminar Speakers 11th August 2016

Postgraduate Seminar Speakers 11^th August 2016

1pm - Zoology Museum (Wallace 129)

S P E A K E R   1

O ye of little plague? Linking genetic diversity of North American Signal Crayfish populations (Pacifastacus leniusculus) with prevalence of crayfish plague (Aphanomyces astaci)

Chloe Robinson

Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) were first introduced to the UK in the 1970s through aquaculture and currently occupy a widespread distribution. Signal crayfish cause detrimental effects on native biodiversity, namely on their conspecific the white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes). The invasive crayfish are larger, more aggressive and more fecund than A. pallipes and subsequently outcompete them for food and shelter. The spread of crayfish plague (Aphanomyces astaci) from P. leniusculus causes 100% mortality in A. pallipes populations without having any adverse effects on the invasive crayfish. Despite their current status, very little is known about the dispersal and population genetics of P. leniusculus, especially in relation to plague infection levels. Catchments which are free of crayfish plague despite the presence of signal crayfish, could potentially see the coexistence of natives and invasive crayfish and identifying rivers early which are at risk of infection could minimise loss of native populations and aid in conservation of the species.

S P E A K E R   2

From Community to Individual: DNA Metabarcoding Reveals Pollen Transport by Hoverflies

Andrew Lucas

Pollination by insects is a key ecosystem service, and important to wider ecosystem function.  Using DNA metabarcoding to identify pollen, I have constructed pollen transport networks for hoverflies (Syrphidae) in the genus Eristalis and investigated pollen transport networks in grasslands in west Wales. The results are giving new insights into how pollen transport networks are structured.

S P E A K E R   3

The importance of body orientation in collective herding behaviour

Dan Sankey

For social animals, coordinating their motion to remain cohesive can provide selective advantages. An early study by Herbert Prins suggested that during stationary periods, ungulates can use body orientation to ‘vote’ on their preferred travel direction. Modern empirical and theoretical studies have since emphasised the importance of inter-individual alignment (a product of orientation) in collective decision making, although generally this has not been explored in the ‘pre-departure period’, or in free ranging animal groups. I will present high-resolution GPS (1 Hz) and inertial sensor (40Hz) data for a herd of n=16 goats over a 10-day period in the Namib Desert, Namibia. I will show how integrating compass heading from magnetometer/ accelerometer data with other measures from GPS data (e.g. linear distance; speed) provide information on individuals’ orientation even when sedentary or slow moving, allowing for a fuller understanding of the specific movement cues and social interactions that drive group movement dynamics.

Postgraduate Seminar Series - Speakers 4th August 2016

Postgraduate Seminar Series - Speakers 4^th August 2016

1pm - Zoology Museum (Wallace 129)

S P E A K E R   1

Seaweed aquaculture - challenges and perspectives

Jessica Knoop 

When it comes to seaweeds many people associate them with slimy rotting masses along beaches and are not aware of their ecologic importance and economic potential. They are used since ancient times for a variety of applications, as a food source in Asian countries and mainly for non-food applications in the West. Recently, seaweed popularity increased in western countries – it was rebranded as a superfood and used as a biofilter in Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems. Especially red algae of the genus Porphyra have gained fundamental attention because of their economic value, high content in health-beneficial substances and the growing interest of the public and the industry to use natural and local products. Because the European industry is relying on seaweed harvesting instead of farming, Porphyra populations are facing increasing pressure in South Wales. Successful cultivation would conserve natural stocks and improve product yield and quality through optimising culturing conditions and strain selection. However, seaweed aquaculture is at its infancy and nearly non-existent in Europe with many challenges to be solved for a successful and reliable cultivation. 

S P E A K E R   2

Natural enemy composition rather than richness determines pest density and plant biomass

Sanaa N. Abed

Natural enemy (NE) biodiversity is thought to play an important role in agricultural pest suppression. However, the relative importance of the number of NE species (diversity per se), versus the particular combinations of species (species composition), in determining aphid suppression and ultimately crop yields remains poorly understood. We tested the effects of NE diversity and composition on pea aphids Acyrthosiphon pisum and broad bean plants Vicia faba. The NEs we used were the larvae of two predator species, the ladybird Adalia bipunctata and the green lacewing Chrysopa carnea, and the parasitic wasp Aphidius ervi. We found NEs generally reduced aphid density and indirectly increased the biomass of plants. Among NE treatments, the richness of species did not affect aphid density or plant biomass, but the composition of NEs within richness levels affected both responses. The best-performing treatments in control of aphids were the single species treatment of ladybird, the ladybird and parasitoid treatment, and the three species treatment. Planned contrasts showed that the ladybird was the key species among the treatments. Plant biomass was increased in treatments that treated by NEs comparing to the once did not treat with NEs, which indicated decreasing aphid density will increase plant biomass. In conclusion, increasing NE diversity did not consistently affect aphid density or plant biomass. Rather, having a key species (the ladybird) among the divers NEs species was more important than species number per se in the biological control of aphids and their impacts on plant biomass.