Biosciences Seminar Speaker 01 October 2020

 

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2020
01 October 2020 - 1pm - on Zoom

Living on the Edge - Salt marshes under global change

Dr Stefanie Nolte

(University of East Anglia, UK)

Our Biosciences Seminar Series resumes for the 2020 autumn term with a talk by Dr. Stefanie Nolte, Lecturer in Marine Ecosystem Services at the Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UK). Stefanie is an ecologist and her research focusses on coastal ecology, in particular on the effects of global change on biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and ecosystem services in coastal wetlands.

Abstract

Salt marshes are coastal ecosystems, which form the transition zone between the terrestrial and marine environment. They are influenced by tides and therefore provide a valuable habitat for specialized plants and animals. Furthermore, they play an important role in climate change mitigation (carbon sequestration) and adaptation (coastal protection). Therefore, my research focusses on how this ecosystem, with its biodiversity, ecosystem processes and ecosystem services, is affected by anthropogenic effects and climate change. We studied how livestock grazing affects biodiversity, carbon cycling, and the ecosystems ability to withstand sea-level rise through sedimentation. Next to sea-level rise, increased storminess might be a threat to the ecosystem in the future. Therefore, we used a large-scale wave flume to investigate the effects of hydrodynamic forces on salt marsh plants and sediment surfaces. To study the effects of higher temperatures in a field experiment, open top chambers and electric heating cables are used to increase air and soil temperature, respectively. We can thereby assess effects of increased temperature on vegetation, soil fauna, greenhouse gas fluxes, decomposition, microbial communities, and ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and coastal protection in salt marshes.

   

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 05 March 2020

Biosciences Seminar Series - Winter 2020
05 March 2020 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Unravelling the ecology of non-native species

Prof. Helen Roy

(Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Wallingford, UK)

Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis). Photo by Ken Dolbear

Our Biosciences Seminar Series continues for the 2020 winter term with a talk by Professor Helen Roy from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Wallingford (UK), and also a visiting Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading. Helen is an ecologist and in her research she is broadly interested in the effects of environmental change on insect populations and communities, with a particular focus on the dynamics of invasive non-native ('alien') species and their biodiversity and ecosystem-level effects and on which she is a leader at UK and EU levels. A further strong focus of her research is on Biological Recording and on science communication and citizen science. 

Abstract

The recently released Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment’s message is stark: biodiversity – the diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems – is declining faster than at any time in human history. Invasive non-native species introduced by humans into regions beyond their natural distribution, were identified as one of the five top direct causes of biodiversity loss. 

Biological invasions can threaten biodiversity and ecosystems, particularly through their interactions with other drivers of change such as climate warming. Species inventories are recognised as critical for the management of biological invasions, informing horizon scanning and surveillance, and underpinning prevention, control and elimination of invasive non-native species. There have been major developments in the availability of high quality data on invasive non-native species. Ensuring knowledge on invasive non-native species shared between countries, is essential to advance understanding and enable successful implementation of strategies to manage invasive non-native species. Here I provide an overview of the ways in which this information can be used to inform science, policy and ultimately conservation. I include insights into invasion ecology from broad patterns and processes to approaches in surveillance and monitoring, particularly involving citizens and highlighting the importance of collaborations including the forthcoming IPBES global thematic assessment on invasive non-native species. Networks established through these collaborative initiatives have benefits for people, science and nature.  

   

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 27 February 2020

Biosciences Seminar Series - Winter 2020
27 February 2020 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

The evolution of parental care diversity in Amphibians

Dr Isabella Capellini

(Queen’s University Belfast, UK)

Our Biosciences Seminar Series resumes for the 2020 winter term with a talk by Dr Isabella Capellini from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. Isabella is an evolutionary ecologist, interested in the evolution of reproductive strategies, biological invasions, the ecology and evolution of sleep, and in general eco-evolutionary life history studies,  taking a comparative approach.

Abstract

Once evolved, parental care plays a key role in promoting social evolution, cooperation and conflict within the families, and alters the trajectory of life history evolution. Parental care is also extremely diverse across species, ranging from simple behaviour like attendance of the eggs to complex adaptation like food provisioning, lactation and viviparity. Most studies on parental care focus on one or few care forms, or reduce diversity to a simple presence/absence condition. Thus, we still do not know how diversity itself evolves, what the drivers of its evolution are, and whether all forms of care equally affect life history evolution. Amphibians offer the opportunity to address these questions being one of the most diverse taxon in reproductive, life history, and parental care strategies. By explicitly considering diversity and using phylogenetic comparative methods, we find support for some of the long standing hypotheses on the evolution of parental care, but also reveal a much more complex and unexpected picture on how and why care forms evolve, and what consequence different care forms have for the evolution of egg and clutch size.

   

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 30 January 2020

Biosciences Seminar Series - Winter 2020
30 January 2020 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Inferring macroevolutionary processes from phylogenies and fossils

Dr Daniele Silvestro

(University of Gothenburg, Sweden)

from: Rolland, Silvestro et al. (2018)

Our Biosciences Seminar Series resumes for the 2020 winter term with a talk by Dr Daniele Silvestro from the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg. Daniele is a computational biologist, particularly interested in macroevolution, and broadly in Bayesian inference and stochastic processes.

Abstract

Present biodiversity represents a snapshot of a very long and complex evolutionary history, during which species and entire clades have originated, diversified and –to a large extent– gone extinct. Reliable estimates of the processes that have shaped diversity through time and in space are crucial to understanding present biodiversity patterns. Here, I present a suite of Bayesian models to infer different macroevolutionary processes including the dynamics of speciation, extinction and dispersal and the evolution of quantitative traits. These methods show that both phylogenies of extant taxa and the fossil record provide valuable information about past and present biodiversity, although their integration remains challenging. Finally, I will outline how artificial intelligence can help the development of an interdisciplinary approach interfacing earth sciences, palaeontology, and evolutionary biology to further improve our understanding of the processes driving the evolution of organisms and ecosystems.

   

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 05 December 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2019
05 December 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

The importance of life cycle assessment in system design and how this relates to research

Dr Trisha Toop

(Harper Adams University, UK)

Image by Dr Trisha Toop

Our Biosciences Seminar Series concludes for the 2019 autumn term with a talk by Dr Trisha Toop from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Harper Adams University. Trisha is currently the Academic Engineering Expert for the Agri Project at Harper Adams University. Her project focuses on addressing the barriers to innovation in the agri-tech/food sector, and more broadly in using life cycle assessment methods for research in ecology, agriculture, and natural resource management..

Abstract

It is essential to consider all aspects of sustainability when designing new and improving existing systems. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a systematic approach that allows us to identify, measure, document and interpret the sustainability of a system. Initially developed for environmental assessment its scope is being broadened to include social and economic impacts also. This paper will explore how LCA can be used in research to report the sustainability of proposed systems. It will show how it has been used to identify areas for improvements in systems which were used as targets for research.
   

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 28 November 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2019
28 November 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Unanticipated roles of consumers in mediating the functioning of marine ecosystems

Prof Matthew Bracken

(University of California, Irvine)

Image from NOAA.gov

Our Biosciences Seminar Series continues for the 2019 autumn term with a talk by Professor Matthew Bracken from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. Matthew is Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biodiversity and leads the Marine Biodiversity Lab. Research in his lab broadly investigates linkages between marine communities and ecosystems, using a large variety of interdisciplinary approaches. Current specific questions of interest include evaluating the causes and consequences of biodiversity change and quantifying the relative importance of consumers’ top-down and bottom-up effects on the growth and diversity of primary producers.

Abstract

Humans are altering the diversity of life on Earth and consequently altering how biological systems function. Large, mobile species – consumers – are at greatest risk of extinction, prompting the question: What are the consequences of the loss of consumers for the functioning of marine ecosystems. Whereas most work evaluating consumer impacts focuses on consumption, Prof. Bracken will present and discuss other functions that consumers provide in marine systems, including their roles in recycling nutrients and enhancing recruitment of algae. He will specifically address the roles of consumers in enhancing algal growth, describe experimental designs for partitioning consumptive and non-consumptive effects of grazers, discuss the importance of community composition, and describe insights gained from conducting these experiments in the field. Typical perspectives on interactions between grazers and algae focus on consumption by the herbivores, but herbivores can also benefit primary producers, and these positive effects can outweigh the negative effects.   

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 07 November 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2019
07 November 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Small to medium scale spatial and temporal effects on insect–plant interactions

Dr Thomas Tscheulin

(University of the Aegean, Greece)

Male bees (Eucera sp.) sleeping on Anemone coronaria.
Photo © Laboratory of Biogeography & Ecology

Our Biosciences Seminar Series continues for the 2019 autumn term with a talk by Dr Thomas Tscheulin from the Department of Geography at the University of the Aegean, Greece Thomas is an Assistant Professor in Spatial Ecology and Biogeography. He joined the University of the Aegean after studies in Freiburg (Germany) and Imperial College (UK) and postdocs at the Centre of Agri-Environmental  Research (CAER) at the University of Reading (UK). Research in his lab, the Biogeography and Ecology Lab, focuses on understanding spatial patterns of ecological processes & biodiversity, especially of invertebrates, including drivers of species distributions and the Geography and Ecology of biological invasions, as well as Agricultural Entomology, in particular plant-insect interactions and Pollination Ecology.

Abstract

Drawing from my own research, this talk aims to emphasise the importance of space and scale in ecological research by looking at several examples of small to medium (and even to large) scale spatial and temporal effects on insects and insect–plant interactions. My presented research will focus mainly on pollinators and their respective flowering plant partners and how they are impacted in space and time by disturbances such as wildfires, species invasion, climate change and telecommunication antennas. I will conclude by highlighting the practical implications of spatial heterogeneity and suggest potential mitigation measures. 

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 24 October 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2019
24 October 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Multimodal foraging and intraspecific sensory variation in wild capuchin monkeys

Dr Amanda Melin

(University of Calgary, Canada)

Image from monkeyworlds.com

Our Biosciences Seminar Series continues for the 2019 autumn term with a talk by Dr Amanda Melin from the University of Calgary, in Alberta (Canada). Amanda is a behavioural ecologist and research in her lab involves questions concerning the behaviour, sensory ecology, and dietary outcomes of nonhuman and human primates. The broad questions tackled are about primate origins and evolution, and are adressed using an integrative approach, combining assessment of sensory systems with molecular ecology, microbiome analysis, metagenomics, and field observations of primates.

Abstract

Senses serve as the interface between animals and their environment and play a critical role in food detection and evaluation. Color and/or scent changes during ripening may attract frugivores and inform their investigation behaviors. While numerous studies have assessed the impact of color on fruit selection, comparatively little is known about fruit scent, and how olfactory and visual data are integrated during foraging.

We combine behavioral data on white-faced capuchins, black-handed spider monkeys, and mantled howler monkeys with measurements of fruit reflectance spectra (color) and plant volatile organic compounds (scents) from 18 dietary plant species at different ripeness stages. We show that the frequency of sniffing behaviors – a proxy for reliance on the sense of smell – is positively correlated with increases in the volume of fruit odorants during ripening. Additionally, monkeys with red-green colorblindness (dichromacy) sniffed fruits more often, indicating that increased reliance on olfaction may be a general behavioral strategy that mitigates decreased capacity to detect red-green chromatic contrast. These results demonstrate a complex interaction among fruit traits, sensory capacities and foraging strategies. By examining fruit traits and sensory investigation of seed dispersing mammals, we help elucidate the evolutionary relationships between plants and frugivores and explain variation in primate behavior.

  

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 10 October 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2019
10 October 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Rebuilding the reptile communities of Mauritius

Dr Nik Cole

(Durrell Conservation Trust, UK & Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Mauritius)

Our Biosciences Seminar Series resumes for the 2019 autumn term with a talk by Dr Nik Cole from the Durrell Conservation Trust, UK and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Mauritius. Nik is a world expert in island restoration and reptile conservation, having saved several species from extinction and is restoring native ecosystems on several Mauritian islands. Further conservation work routinely takes him also to other islands across the Indian ocean and the Caribbean. A particularly interesting aspect of his conservation work is the drive to rebuild stable communities, building up one trophic level after the others.

Abstract

The island of Mauritius has suffered from extensive habitat degradation and species invasion since the 16th Century, resulting in multiple reptile extinctions and extirpations. Several endemic reptile species became restricted to single islet populations, threatened by the presence of introduced mammalian herbivores and predators. Between 1979 and 1998, introduced mammals were removed from the northern islets with the aim to prevent further reptile extinctions. These actions permitted the rebuilding of the reptile communities on the islets through species reintroductions to reduce future extinction risks. Only four small reptile species survived the presence of rats on the northern islet, Gunner’s Quoin (0.70 km2). Having been freed from invasive terrestrial predators and competitors, maintaining suitable habitat structure and closed to public access, Gunner’s Quoin was selected as a suitable recipient islet to rebuild its lost reptile community. 

The keel-scaled boa and Telfair’s skink were present on Gunner’s Quoin until rats invaded in the mid-1800s, but survived on the rat-free Round Island (2.19 km2). Smaller reptile species, such as the orange-tailed skink that became restricted to Flat Island (2.53 km2), were also once part of the wider reptile community on the northern islets. In this presentation, I will summarise the process of reintroducing the Telfair’s skink and keel-scaled boa, and the emergency translocation of orange-tailed skinks to Gunner’s Quoin, which prevented their extinction. Frequent monitoring of the reptile populations has shown the resident species have remained abundant and healthy, that the translocated skinks are established and the boa population size is increasing.

  

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 05 June 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Spring 2019
05 June 2019 - 3pm - Zoology Museum

Toward a Periodic Table of Niches, or Exploring the Lizard Niche Hypervolume

Prof Eric Pianka

(University of Texas at Austin, USA)

Our Biosciences Seminar Series terminates for the 2019 spring term with a talk by Prof Eric Pianka from the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Eric is the Denton A. Cooley Centennial Professor of Zoology at UT Austins. He is an evolutiionary ecologist and a world authority on the ecology, biology and evolution of lizards. He has done the most comprehensive surveys of lizard assemblages carried out anywhere in the world, which forms the basis of major ecological work.

Abstract

Widespread niche convergence suggests that species can be organized according to functional trait combinations to create a framework analogous to a periodic table. We compiled ecological data for lizards to examine patterns of global and regional niche diversification, and we used multivariate statistical approaches to develop the beginnings for a periodic table of niches. Data (50+ variables) for five major niche dimensions (habitat, diet, life history, metabolism, defense) were compiled for 134 species of lizards representing 24 of the 38 extant families. Principal coordinates analyses were performed on niche dimensional data sets, and species scores for the first three axes were used as input for a principal components analysis to ordinate species in continuous niche space and for a regression tree analysis to separate species into discrete niche categories. Three-dimensional models facilitate exploration of species positions in relation to major gradients within the niche hypervolume. The first gradient loads on body size, foraging mode, and clutch size. The second was influenced by metabolism and terrestrial versus arboreal microhabitat. The third was influenced by activity time, life history, and diet. Natural dichotomies are activity time, foraging mode, parity mode, and habitat. Regression tree analysis identified 103 cases of extreme niche conservatism within clades and 100 convergences between clades. Extending this approach to other taxa should lead to a wider understanding of niche evolution.

  

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 16 May 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Spring 2019
16 May 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Methods for modeling among-animal variability in habitat selection studies

Dr John Fieberg

(University of Minnesota, USA)

Photo by Jayne Gallery

Our Biosciences Seminar Series continues for the spring term with a talk by Dr John Fieberg from our College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences - CFANS at the University of Minnesota. John is an Associate Professor of Quantitative Ecology and McKnight Presidential Fellow. He is a Biostatistician and Biomathematician, broadly interested in the application of statistical and mathematical models to problems in ecology and natural resource management. A special focus concerns the analysis of wildlife telemetry data, with application to survival, home range, and habitat selection modelling.

Abstract

Understanding the causes and consequences of among-animal variation in habitat selection is key to addressing many fundamental questions in ecology and evolution. Popular conceptual frameworks used to study habitat selection include resource selection functions (RSFs) and step-selection functions (SSFs) estimated using logistic and conditional logistic regression, respectively. Both frameworks compare environmental covariates associated with locations that animals visit with environmental covariates at a set of locations assumed available to the animal. Conceptually, hierarchical models with animal-specific coefficients could be used to accommodate inter-individual heterogeneity when fitting RSFs or SSFs. A review of the literature suggests, however, that RSFs rarely include animal-specific selection coefficients. Further, straightforward and efficient one-step procedures for fitting SSFs with animal-specific coefficients have until now been lacking. 

We demonstrate simple methods for exploring among-animal variability in habitat selection parameters using models fit to individual animals. We also describe recent research showing how generalized linear mixed effects models, available in most statistical software packages, can be modified to fit hierarchical RSFs and SSFs in a single step. Together, these examples highlight the benefits of having multiple tools in the toolbox, including simple methods for exploratory data analysis and more sophisticated and comprehensive methods for modeling individual and population-level habitat-selection patterns. 

  

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 09 May 2019

Biosciences Seminar Series - Spring 2019
09 May 2019 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Disease spread in times of global change - the importance of community ecology

Dr Konstans Wells

(Swansea University, UK)

Our Biosciences Seminar Series continues for the spring term with a talk by Dr Konstans Wells from our Department of Biosciences at Swansea University. Konstans recently joined our Department - he is an ecologist and a modeller, broadly interested on the consequences of environmental change on biodiversity. He is in particular focussing on wildlife, invasive species and host-parasite interactions, looking at demographic and epidemiological dynamics, species range dynamics and bio-geographic patterns, with the aim to identify key processes for optimizing conservation and pest control efforts and the prevention of disease spread, under different environmental scenarios and policy schemes.

Abstract

Pathogens that are capable of infecting multiple host species play a dominant role in the myriads of infectious diseases affecting humans and animals. But how do parasites actually spread among hosts and spill-over from one species to another? In practice, many of us are well aware that humans share not only a long history of companionship but also a diversity of parasites with dogs, perhaps more than with our closest primate relatives. There seems to be a lack of consensus, however, in how far host-parasite co-evolutionary history versus arising ecological opportunity drives parasite spread. In this seminar I invite discussion of concepts and tools that may help us to tackle such challenge.
  

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


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here