Applications are still being accepted for a Summer Course on Invasion Biology at Friday Harbor Laboratories in Friday Harbor, Washington
July 17 - August 18, 2017 (5 weeks) Instructors: Dr. Daniel Simberloff Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee [email protected] Dr. Christy Leppanen Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee [email protected] Thousands of species of plants, animals, fungi, and microbes have been transported by humans to new locations. Yes, without human assistance, species have always managed to spread, but much less often, much more slowly, and not nearly so far. This geographic rearrangement of the earth's biota is one of the great global changes now underway. Although many introduced species fail to establish populations or remain restricted to the immediate vicinity of the new sites they land in, other species establish populations and invade new habitats, spreading widely and sometimes well beyond the initial point of introduction. Many invasions have such idiosyncratic and bizarre effects that they cannot fail to arouse our curiosity simply as fascinating tales of natural history. For example, who would have thought that… • Introducing kokanee salmon to Flathead Lake, Montana, and many years later, opossum shrimp to three nearby lakes would ultimately have led to population crashes of grizzly bears and bald eagles through a complicated chain reaction? • Introducing myxoma virus to Great Britain to control introduced rabbit populations would have led to the extinction of the large blue butterfly there? • Introducing a particular grass species would lead to hybridization with a native congener, subsequent polyploidization, and the origin of a new vigorous invasive species that would change entire intertidal systems? Teasing apart such intriguing causal chains is a scientific accomplishment of the first order. The variety and idiosyncrasy of effects challenges biologists to produce general laws or rules to be able to explain why some introductions have no major impacts, while others lead to huge invasions. Being able to predict which species will fall in the latter category if introduced, and which in the former, is the elusive holy grail of invasion biology. Schedule: Class meets daily, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Some Saturday activities may be planned to accommodate fieldwork. Lectures/discussions/debates, laboratory/field work, and individual/group activities will each comprise approximately 1/3 of the course meeting time, with the percentage of lecture decreasing and discussions and practical activities increasing as the course progresses. Application Web Site: http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/studentApplicationInfo.html Although the deadline has passed, applications will be accepted for the next three weeks Financial Aid Available For more information contact the instructors or Dr. Megan Dethier, Friday Harbor Laboratories [email protected]
