[ECOLOG-L] Field Course in Tropical Entomology
2013 Winter Course Announcement (December 20, 2013-January 9, 2014) FIELD COURSE IN TROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY COURSE LOCATION: Bocas del Toro Biological Station, Boca del Drago, Isla Colon, Republic of Panama. The biological station is located on a beach facing the Caribbean Sea. Coral reef and seagrass ecosystems lie out in front of the station and lowland tropical rain forests lie directly behind. This juxtaposition of the two most biologically diverse ecosystems provides tremendous opportunities for education and research. See http://www.itec-edu.org/entomology2.html for details. INSTRUCTORS: Leonor Ceballos, Ph.D. Can. Department of Zoology. University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; email: lcebal...@ciencias.unam.mx. Research focus: topical entomology, arachnology, animal behavior and evolution, socio-ecological systems and conservation. Roberto Rojo, M.S. in Biology. Project of The Research Field Station Sak-kay. Carretera Federal Libre, Chetumal-Pto. Juarez, km. 283.5 Col. Ejido Sur, CP. 77712, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico; email: rr...@riosecreto.com. Research focus: Biospeleology, arachnology, scientific divulgation. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide the student with a sound foundation of the wide variety of functions that insects, and other terrestrial arthropods, can manifest during their life, such as feeding, communication, orientation in their natural environment, reproduction, and interactions. The course is also designed to provide students with the field techniques (as applied to entomology) to explore and conduct research in tropical entomology which includes natural history observation and experimental approaches to insect population analysis. Students will be introduced to the diversity of tropical insects through hands- on experience and activities in the field. The material covered is equivalent to an undergrad university course in theoretical and practical entomology. The course is divided into five distinct categories: formal classroom lectures, informal field lectures, readings, group projects and individual research projects. Also, this course will consider, in a general way, the different methodologies used in both qualitative and quantitative entomology studies. General objectives of this course are: 1) to provide students with a general view of insects and other terrestrial arthropods, as well as approaches employed in their study. We will also examine insect¹s importance and relationship to plants and other animals and their environment; 2) to enable students with basic field methodological tools required in entomological studies; and 3) to acquaint students with the terminology used in entomology through selected readings. Grading: Up to 6 units of credit will be given, 3 for the lecture portion and 3 for the field portion. A letter grade will be assigned based on exams, reports, proposals, attendance at lectures, as well as by less tangible such as personal attitude, motivation, and contribution to the course. A letter reporting a grade will be made available to the student¹s institution. The student will be responsible for providing direct evidence of participation (e.g., lecture notes, reports, exams, etc.). COURSE STRUCTURE Formal lectures. Formal lectures will take place in the classroom and will include the use of chalk boards, and digital projector (PowerPoint). Topics that will be covered are provided in the ³Course Schedule². Unless otherwise noted, these will begin at 8:00 am each morning. Note: in some particular days, evening lectures (beginning at 7:00 pm), will take place in order to take up daylight hours that could be better used for field work. Informal Lectures. Informal lectures will be provided periodically during orientation walks, during group field projects or in discussion groups. These will cover a wide variety of topics and will generally be prompted by what we encounter in the field, or by the direction taken during group discussions. Readings. Readings corresponding to lecture subjects will be assigned in the course. We will also read and critique papers brought by students and faculty and additional readings may be assigned from time to time. In addition, each student will read, critique, and provide oral reports on published papers brought to Bocas. Recommended texts: Chapman, R. F. 1998. The insects. Structure and function. Cambridge University Press. Gullan, P.J. and Cranston, P.S. 1994. The Insects: An outline of Entomology. Nelson Thornes Ltd. Hoque, C. H. 1993. Latin American Insects and Entomology. University of California Press. Field Book. A field book will be required in the course and will contain all data related to group projects and independent research project. The field book should also contain other incidental observations such as species lists, behavioral notes, etc., and contain detailed location, time, and weather
[ECOLOG-L] Intermships in the Rainforest of Ecuador - Conservation, Permaculture Research in the Neo-Tropics
Third Millennium Alliance Third Millennium Alliance (TMA) was founded in 2007 with the purchase of 100 acres and the establishment of the Jama-Coaque Reserve (JCR) in the western province of Manabí, Ecuador, between the cities of Jama and Pedernales, and four kilometers inland. Now encompassing over 1000 acres, the Jama-Coaque Reserve actively protects one of the last remaining fragments of Pacific Equatorial Forest, which is considered to be one of the most threatened tropical forests in the world. Internship Opportunities: Interns are encouraged to take on high-impact and dynamic projects; we are a young organization forging our path as we discover it. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done and experience to be gained – for interns and for us. Above all, creativity, innovation, and self-motivation are the fuel of our intern program. Immediately surrounding the house we are designing/growing/building a living laboratory of sustainable resource management (i.e. permaculture), which also serves as our field headquarters for biological scientific research and forest monitoring.In addition to work managing the agroforestry production zone and organic vegetable garden, each intern is assigned a personal project, which is akin to a thesis of sort, but of a much more practical nature. Generally speaking, there are three categories of personal projects: 1) conservation biology research and 2) permaculture/sustainable food production and land management, and 3) appropriate technology. The following is a list of some of the projects we're looking to tackle during the upcoming sessions. Some are new projects and others are ongoing and multi-year projects. Projects with stars next to them are of high interest and priority. When applying please prioritize three projects from the list below in the order of most interest. Flora Fauna Research: • *Ethnobotany* (requires strong Spanish-speaking skills) • *Camera trap survey of wild felines* (ocelot, jaguarundi) • *Monkey Troop Survey (Howler critically endangered White Fronted Capuchin) • *Investigation of Endangered Avifauna - (Ornithology experience and strong Spanish-speaking skills required for community surveying) Permaculture/Re-forestation/Food Production • Green Building - Learn to use natural, recycled and sustainable building materials. Upcoming projects include building an earthbag (aka super adobe) retaining wall, use cob to plaster walls, another cob layer on the pizza oven, re-floor the the field station with bamboo. • Reforestation - Last year we planted 6,500 trees in one portion of our re-forestation plot. We want to keep this momentum going this year to plant even more trees and expand the project. Help manage tree propagation and planting efforts. • Production Zone Intensive – Focused on increasing food production, crop zonification rotation, plant propagation, care/maintenance, integrated pest management and food preservation (ie, canning) Appropriate Technology • *Working with natural materials *(mainly, native bamboo and mate gourds) to build home appliances (e.g., cutlery, drinking cups, bowls, garden pots, balcony boxes, candle holders, etc.) • *Design and build a non-electrical refrigerator* • Design and build a solar food dehydrator Fall Internship Dates: October 20th – December 15th Fall Application Deadline: Monday September 16th To see a complete program description, please visit our Internship page at our website at www.tmalliance.org. Here you can download the application form and contact details, as well as other media, such as the intern-maintained blog, and the program FAQ. We look forward to working with you! Jordan Trujillo Internship Coordinator Third Millennium Alliance Jama, Ecuador www.tmalliance.org
[ECOLOG-L] tenure-track position in Physiological Ecology, UMass-Amherst
Dear all, There is an opening for an Assistant Professor position in Physiological Ecology at UMass-Amherst. I would be grateful if you can forward this email to interested parties. The job ad and information on applying can be found here: http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/sites/imladris.bio.umass.edu.biology/files/umassbiology.physecoadtopost.v2.pdf Please direct any questions to Jeff Podos, the search chair: jpo...@bio.umass.edu -- Lynn S. Adler, Associate Professor Biology Department 221 Morrill Science Center South 611 North Pleasant Street University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA 01003 lsad...@ent.umass.edu Phone: 413-545-1060 FAX: 413-545-3243 people.umass.edu/lsadler/
[ECOLOG-L] PhD Position in Stress Ecology, Penn State University
PhD Position in Stress Ecology and Maternal Stress Effects Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Pennsylvania State University Supervisor: Dr. Michael Sheriff I am searching for a PhD student to work in the field of stress ecology and, particularly, maternal stress effects. The project is open ended and would be designed by the student within those fields. The position is fully funded for the first three years, including tuition and summer salaries. The starting date is flexible but preference will be for a starting date this coming summer (2014)or September (2014). The research focus of my lab (see michaeljsheriff.weebly.com for further details) addresses one of the fundamental questions in biology: what limits and regulates animals in their natural world? Our approach is to bridge physiology, behavior, and ecology to understand how animals interact with the world around them. As such, we are broadly interested in the underlying physiological mechanisms by which ecological interactions (predation, competition, climate, etc…) alter behavior and cause changes in reproduction, survival, and ultimately population demography and community structure. Projects in my research group are centered on two major themes: 1) How ecological stressors drive changes in free-living animals’ physiology and behavior, how this impacts reproduction and survival and how this drives changes in population dynamics and ultimately community structure. 2) How maternal stress may impact offspring physiology, behavior and fitness. I place a premium on analytical skills, writing ability, research experience, hard work, and enthusiasm. If and when you decide to contact me, please take some time and write a thoughtful letter (because this is more likely to generate a thoughtful response). Please send me your CV, GRE test scores (Canadian students don’t need to send this if they do not have it), and transcripts. Tell me a bit about your interests, and why you’re interested in working with our group. If you are interested in joining our research group please contact me via email at mj...@psu.edu. -- Michael J Sheriff Assistant Professor, Mammalogy and Ecology Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Penn State University phone. 814 863-0135 http://michaeljsheriff.weebly.com
[ECOLOG-L] Supply Shock – Free Copies for Ecologgers
“All who are serious about the big picture of biodiversity conservation should read this book. It will change your idea of what the future can be, and how to create that future.” –Paul Beier, President, Society for Conservation Biology The Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) has an offer for Ecologgers. We're offering free copies of Supply Shock - for a limited time - and asking for reviews. Reviews can be in any outlet: trade magazines, academic journals, newspapers, blogs, or even bookseller websites such as Amazon.com (where Supply Shock averages a 5-star rating). At CASSE, we're serious about advancing the steady state economy and we think Supply Shock is the perfect vehicle in ecological circles. See the newly developed www.supplyshock.org to whet your appetite and spur your social media activity. To receive your free copy of Supply Shock, email us with your intent to publish - or at least submit - a book review. In your email, please indicate the expected outlet of your review, and your physical address for mailing. We must receive your request by September 30, and your review should be submitted by December 15. CASSE reserves the right to deliver electronic copies (especially for overseas requests). “Czech’s vision of ‘steady statesmanship’ is impressive and convincing, and this book easily qualifies as one of the key manuals for those who care about the world and its inhabitants.” –Lynn Greenwalt, former Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rentz Hilyer, Projects Director Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy www.steadystate.org rentzhil...@steadystate.org 571-501-6691
[ECOLOG-L] Tenure Track Position Available, University of Idaho
Assistant Professor, Department of Conservation Social Sciences, University of Idaho The College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, invites applications for an academic‐year, tenure‐track position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Conservation Social Sciences (CSS). The faculty member will contribute to the department’s interdisciplinary faculty, a diverse group of social scientists with a national and international reputation in teaching, research, and service. We seek a faculty member trained in a social science discipline (including, but not limited to demography, economics, human dimensions of natural resources, wilderness and protected area policy, political science, social psychology, or sociology). A research program that incorporates one or more of the following thematic areas is desirable: consequences of climate change, fisheries management, human dimensions of wildfire, statistical estimation or modeling human behavior in space and time. Responsibilities/Duties The position is approximately 50% research, 40% teaching/advising, and 10% outreach and service. Research responsibilities: Develop an outstanding externally funded research program that complements existing CSS faculty expertise; develop new research directions for people, protected areas, and public lands; and work in an interdisciplinary setting with other biophysical and social science faculty. We seek someone who is motivated to develop an outstanding program of research and graduate education and an individual who thrives in a team environment. Teaching responsibilities: 2‐3 undergraduate and/or graduate courses per year. Examples might include social science research methods, public involvement, introduction to human dimensions of natural resources, conservation planning and management, or conservation social sciences field studies. The teaching assignment will be negotiated with the department head, but in any case will leave time for research and scholarship. Required Qualifications: PhD in a social science or related field awarded by date of hire (preferred start date is January 1, 2014); experience and interests relevant to protected areas and conservation systems (e.g., national parks, forests, conservation areas); ability to compete for external funding; ability to publish in refereed journals; success applying social science to natural resource or protected area management; ability to teach graduate and undergraduate courses effectively; skill in verbal and written communication; interest in working across diverse disciplines; strong skills in statistical analysis and interpretation of data; potential to advise undergraduate students and mentor graduate students. Desired Qualifications: Skills in social science methods and data analysis; ability to build teams and create a collaborative work environment; outreach experience with diverse stakeholder groups; ability to develop cross‐campus collaborations and partnerships; familiarity with geospatial analysis; interest in working with student organizations; interest in developing on‐line courses. Contact/Application procedure: To apply online, please visit www.uidaho.edu/human‐resources. We request a letter of application, curriculum vitae, transcripts, a statement of teaching philosophy, a statement of research interests, and contact information for three references. Closing date for applications: The search will be closed when a sufficient number of qualified applicants have been identified, but not prior to October 14, 2013. The Institution: Established in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s land-grant institution, offering the only natural resources programs in Idaho. The main campus is located on the beautiful Palouse in the vibrant university community of Moscow, alive with social, cultural, and year-round outdoor activities. Many opportunities exist for collaboration with faculty from the University of Idaho and Washington State University (7 miles away in Pullman, WA), citizens, communities, industry, and state and federal agencies. The college manages several outstanding field stations and is known for its engaged field studies and outreach programs. The College of Natural Resources has three departments (Fish and Wildlife Sciences; Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences; and Conservation Social Sciences) and offers eight undergraduate degree programs, Master of Natural Resources (professional degree), Master of Science in Natural Resources, and PhD in Natural Resources. The college has 600 undergraduate majors and over 200 graduate students.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Emergent functions contributing to the functional diversity of a community?
What about the fungus + phototroph association that made colonization of dry land possible? (e.g., http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~jetterso/Pages%20for%20Plant%20Diversity%20Web%20Site/documents/plantfungihistoryTREE.pdf) - Denise -- Denise Burchsted, PE, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies mail: Mailstop 2001, Keene State College, Keene NH 03435-2001 office: (603) 358-2176, Putnam Science Center room 236 On 9/6/2013 6:05 AM, Aabir Banerji wrote: Hi, Duncan. I do regard secondary phytochemicals as functional traits. Do you know if phytochemicals can blend with each other or otherwise enhance each other's potency to create an emergent defense cocktail? Something that would deter consumers that would not be deterred by any of the individual components? ~ Aabir - Original Message - From: Duncan Thomas To: Aabir Banerji Cc: ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu Sent: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 03:03:18 - (UTC) Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Emergent functions contributing to the functional diversity of a community? If you include plant secondary phytochemicals as functional traits, then the fitness of an individual can be increased by having neighbors that use different functional traits for their chemical defenses, reducing the local density of taxon-specific pathogens. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any publications that have looked at functional traits this way for natural systems or for inter-cropping. Duncan Thomas On Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at 2:53 AM, Aabir Banerji lycanthropus...@comcast.net wrote: Dear fellow ECOLOG users, The relationship between functional diversity and taxonomic diversity in ecological communities isn't always linear. I imagine the simplest case of non-linearity is where there is a lot of functional redundancy among phylogenetically diverse taxa. The opposite extreme (a depauperate community having a lot of functional diversity) is also possible... e.g., where generalist populations exhibit complex demographic structures or inducible polymorphisms. What I'd like to know, though, is if there is evidence of taxa fulfilling functions by associating with one another. It's one thing for a species to enter a new niche by relying on the product or ability of a different species (such as a beneficial symbiont). It's another for different species to combine complementary products or abilities to create/achieve something that no one species in the community is able to produce or achieve by itself (an emergent function). This latter phenomenon would be something akin to neighborhood habitat amelioration... or, perhaps, something more general that includes neighborhood habitat amelioration. Would any of you happen to know of recent reviews or articles that address this topic? Or some really good examples of it, perhaps? Thanks in advance! ~ Aabir Dr. Aabir Banerji Postdoctoral Associate Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich aabir.bane...@ieu.uzh.ch
[ECOLOG-L] Faculty credit for Undergraduate Research???
Dear members, I hope you can help. Here at Georgia Gwinnett College, our Biology Majors are required to have a research experience or complete an internship somewhere off campus. many of our students choose to do research with a faculty member who agrees to mentor the student through a semester long research project...some of us are spending 6-8 hours a week working with these students but unfortunately do not receive any credit for doing so...this is in addition to our full teaching load. We are trying to determine whether other institutions that have similar requirements for students, or offer this research experience as an elective, compensate their faculty and if so how? if you can help, please copy and paste the following questions and your answers in an email and send them directly to me at rfior...@ggc.edu 1) Institution/department ___ 2) your institution offers B.S. _ M.S. ___ PhD 3) Is the research experience a requirement or an elective ___ 4) is research experience a 1 semester course or a 2 semester sequence ___ 5) how many credit hours do students receives ___ 6) what is your full time teaching load (number of hours in the classroom per week) 7) are faculty compensated and if so how (course release, teaching load credit, etc.)?? I thank you for your time and attention Riccardo Fiorillo, PhD Associate Professor of Biology School of Science and Technology Georgia Gwinnett College 1000 University Center Lane Lawrenceville, GA 30043 Office: A1115 Cell: 770-853-5744 rfior...@ggc.edu
[ECOLOG-L] German, Austrian Swiss Ecological Society meeting
The German, Austrian Swiss Ecological Society (GfÖ) is meeting jointly with the German Society for Limnology (DGL) this week in Potsdam, Germany. The guiding theme of the 43rd Annual Meeting is Building bridges in ecology - linking systems, scales and disciplines. There are about a thousand people here for the meeting, at the University of Potsdam, with a large proportion of students. About 8 years ago the Society decided to hold all of its presentations in English, so the meeting is quite accessible to English speakers (although some of the posters are in German). One consequence of that decision was that much of the nature protection component of the membership (by which I think they mean most of the management-focused members), which isn't as fluent with English as the academic component, stopped coming to the annual meeting. There are least three American members of the Ecological Society of America in attendance, one of whom (Nelson Hairston, Jr.) was one of the plenary speakers. One evening event was a joint session on the policy-science interface with members of the Japan Ecological Society and the GfÖ. Another is Chris Swan, who will be local host for the ESA's 2015 100th anniversary meeting in Baltimore (maybe he'll adopt the practice here of providing free beer at the evening reception!). There are also a significant number of British Ecological Society members in attendance, and other plenary speakers are from Belgium, UK, Spain, Netherlands, and Sweden. If you're interested in learning what are current topics of research in the German-speaking world, you can access the program and abstracts (in English) at http://www.gfoe-2013.de/ (the Program tab). David Inouye
[ECOLOG-L] Lectureship in Entomology
Lecture/Senior Lecturer in Entomology/Integrated Pest Management Crop Environmental Sciences Salary: £31,331 to £45,941 The point of entry will be dependent upon relevant qualifications and experience. Closing Date: Friday 04 October 2013 Interview Date: To be confirmed Reference: EIPM-AW The expansion of the Crop and Environment Sciences (CES) Department at Harper Adams University has created a vacancy for a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Entomology/Integrated Pest Management. This is an exciting and challenging opportunity in which the appointee will play a significant part in delivering a suite of taught post graduate courses relating to entomology and integrated pest management in addition to undertaking world class research. This is a permanent full time position For full details follow the link below or contact Professor Simon Leather sleat...@harper-adams.ac.uk for an informal discussion. http://jobs.harper-adams.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=EIPM-AW
[ECOLOG-L] USGS scientist named Ecological Society of America president
For immediate release: Monday, 9 September 2013 USGS scientist named Ecological Society of America president Jill Baron, an ecosystem ecologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and a senior research ecologist with Colorado State University's Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, has been named President of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), the world's largest organization of professional ecologists. As president, Baron now chairs ESA's governing board, which lays out the vision for overall goals and objectives for the Society. Ecologists explore the organisms and processes that make up the living world, but we also evaluate the environmental and societal consequences of human activities, said Baron. For many of us, this knowledge drives us to seek solutions and promote better stewardship of our natural resources. As well we should: the funding that supports our work comes with the expectation that we will give back to the public that subsidizes us; this is something I, as a civil servant, am keenly aware of. The Ecological Society of America is a tremendously effective vehicle for discharging our responsibility to society. ESA's rich portfolio of activities, from its influential journals, public affairs and communication activities, education, science office, and vibrant meetings, reflect how the Society both promotes the science and its application. It is an honor and a privilege for me to help lead these tasks. Baron is co-Director of the John Wesley Powell Center for Earth System Science Analysis and Syntheisis, a center founded to promote the emergence of new knowledge through interdisciplinary collaboration. Baron's own research has helped inform policy related to air-quality issues in the state of Colorado. For over three decades, she has researched the effects of atmospheric deposition and climate change on Rocky mountain lakes, forests, and soils. Her work has garnered recognition from a swath of federal agencies. Most recently, she was recognized with two National Park Service awards: the 2012 Intermountain Region Regional Director's Natural Resource Award and the 2011 Rocky Mountain National Park Stewardship Award. She was also honored with Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award in 2002. Baron was editor of ESA's Issues in Ecology for several years and previously served as Member at Large on ESA's governing board. Baron was lead author of the US Climate Change Science Program report on Climate Change Adaption Options for National Parks, and a contributor to the National Climate Assessment. She has served on the Department of Interior's Climate Change Task Force and was part of the Science Strategy Team that structured the scientific direction of the USGS. She has authored over 140 publications and edited two books, including Rocky Mountain Futures, an ecological perspective that addresses past, present, and future human-environment interactions. The Ecological Society of America is the world's largest community of professional ecologists and the trusted source of ecological knowledge. ESA is committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 10,000 member Society publishes five journals, convenes an annual scientific conference, and broadly shares ecological information through policy and media outreach and education initiatives. Visit the ESA website at http://www.esa.org or find experts in ecological science at http://www.esa.org/pao/rrt/.
[ECOLOG-L] PhD Assistantship: Climate Change Migratory Geese-Vegetation Interactions
Doctoral Research Assistantship Climate change effects on migratory geese-vegetation interactions in Alaska Utah State University I seek applicants for a PhD-level graduate research assistantship focused on the interactions between geese and their vegetation under changing climate scenarios in the Yukon-Kushokwim (Y-K) Delta, Alaska. This research project combines goose biology with ecosystem ecology, and the successful candidate must have a strong interest in pursuing the intersection between community and ecosystem ecology. The successful applicant will be expected to: (a) take the lead, while working with faculty and other students, in designing, planning, and implementing a three-year field experiment on the interaction between geese and their vegetation under changing climate scenarios in the Y-K Delta; (b) collect, analyze, and interpret carbon and nitrogen cycling data from the three-year field experiment; (c) collaborate with a post-doctoral researcher and faculty to develop models of ecosystem responses to changing climates, goose arrival times, and growing season conditions for the Y-K Delta; and (d) incorporate analyses of field data into dissertation chapters and publications. Competitive candidates will be expected to have: (a) strong field experience related to the project in the areas of either goose biology or ecosystem ecology, previous experience in Arctic systems is a plus; (b) strong interest in the intersection between community and ecosystem ecology; (c) evidence of success in previous projects, including publications and/or professional presentations; and (d) a cumulative GPA above 3.5 and GRE scores above 70th percentile is preferred. Candidates should have a masters degree in a relevant discipline. Exceptional candidates without a masters degree also will be considered. Successful candidates must be available to start field work in April 2014. The home department will be Wildland Resources in the College of Natural Resources at USU, though students will be expected to work with a cross- institutional research team that includes researchers from University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Nevada, Reno, Colorado State University, and the USGS Alaska Science Center. Full research assistant support for a qualified student is initially guaranteed for 3 years at a rate of $22,000 per year (plus a full tuition award), with expectations and opportunities to pursue supplemental funding from internal and external sources in future years as well as teaching opportunities in year 4. Prospective students should contact Dr. Karen Beard (karen.be...@usu.edu) for more information: please include a current resume with GPA and GRE scores, and statement of research interests with your inquiry. Application deadline is November 1, 2013. Why Utah? The Wasatch Front of Northern Utah offers a stunning landscape for work (and play). The Wasatch/Cache National Forest provides unlimited outdoor recreation year-round. Housing costs are lower than the national average, and there are diverse cultural opportunities. Northern Utah is a short trip from the most scenic National Parks in the USA, including Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Grand Teton, Great Basin, and Yellowstone. ~~ Karen H. Beard Associate Professor Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center Utah State University Logan, UT 84322-5230 Ph: 435-797-8220; Fax: 435-797-3796 Email: karen.be...@usu.edu ~~
[ECOLOG-L] Postdoc position in Switzerland on vegetation change in tundra ecosystems
Postdoc position in Switzerland on vegetation change in tundra ecosystems The research team “mountain ecosystems” at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland, is looking for a Postdoc to explore long-term vegetation changes in arctic and alpine tundra. You will analyze changes in tundra vegetation in response to climate change using data from warming experiments and long-term observations from Switzerland and world-wide tundra ecosystems. The focus of the research will be on snow-plant interactions, changes in plant phenology and vegetation composition. You will publish your results in international journals. The position is funded for the duration of 2 years and will start approx. in December 2013. A PhD in the field of biology, ecology or botany is required and you have experience in experimental field work and statistical analyses particularly in R. You can handle and analyze large and long-term data sets and you are fluent in English. You are a team player, possess good oral and written communication skills, good organizational ability and have a structured mode of working. Please apply online (see link below). Send your complete application using refer-ence number 798 to Jasmine Zimmermann, Human Resources WSL/SLF. Christian Rixen, phone +41 (0)81 417 02 14 or e-mail ri...@slf.ch, will be happy to answer any questions or offer further information. To be assured of full consideration, please apply by October 30, 2013. For more information about the project see: http://www.slf.ch/ueber/organisation/oekologie/gebirgsoekosysteme/projekte/tundra/index_EN http://www.geog.ubc.ca/itex/ To apply online, press the “apply now” button at the end of the job ad at http://internet1.refline.ch/273855/0317/++publications++/1/index.html
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Emergent functions contributing to the functional diversity of a community?
Hi, Denise. It's very tempting to say yes. If one partner is missing, that's all it takes for photosynthesis not to happen on land. However, I hesitate to call photosynthesis an emergent function, nevertheless, because the phototrophs (in all the cases I'm aware of) are phototrophs all by themselves. To reiterate, I've been thinking of functions as products/abilities that species contribute to their communities (some being unique, others being redundant). Functions are emergent when they're not characteristic of any one species in the community (or any one partner in a symbiosis), but, instead, are the result of species interacting with one another. An analogous phenomenon would be the chemical properties of compounds. The properties of water, for example, aren't present in oxygen or hydrogen gas. If analysis reveals that a container holds one part oxygen and two parts hydrogen, you wouldn't necessarily try to use it to douse a flame. ~ Aabir - Original Message - From: Denise Burchsted dburchs...@keene.edu To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 20:48:32 - (UTC) Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Emergent functions contributing to the functional diversity of a community? What about the fungus + phototroph association that made colonization of dry land possible? (e.g., http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~jetterso/Pages%20for%20Plant%20Diversity%20Web%20Site/documents/plantfungihistoryTREE.pdf) - Denise -- Denise Burchsted, PE, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies mail: Mailstop 2001, Keene State College, Keene NH 03435-2001 office: (603) 358-2176, Putnam Science Center room 236 On 9/6/2013 6:05 AM, Aabir Banerji wrote: Hi, Duncan. I do regard secondary phytochemicals as functional traits. Do you know if phytochemicals can blend with each other or otherwise enhance each other's potency to create an emergent defense cocktail? Something that would deter consumers that would not be deterred by any of the individual components? ~ Aabir - Original Message - From: Duncan Thomas To: Aabir Banerji Cc: ECOLOG-L@listserv.umd.edu Sent: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 03:03:18 - (UTC) Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Emergent functions contributing to the functional diversity of a community? If you include plant secondary phytochemicals as functional traits, then the fitness of an individual can be increased by having neighbors that use different functional traits for their chemical defenses, reducing the local density of taxon-specific pathogens. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any publications that have looked at functional traits this way for natural systems or for inter-cropping. Duncan Thomas On Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at 2:53 AM, Aabir Banerji wrote: Dear fellow ECOLOG users, The relationship between functional diversity and taxonomic diversity in ecological communities isn't always linear. I imagine the simplest case of non-linearity is where there is a lot of functional redundancy among phylogenetically diverse taxa. The opposite extreme (a depauperate community having a lot of functional diversity) is also possible... e.g., where generalist populations exhibit complex demographic structures or inducible polymorphisms. What I'd like to know, though, is if there is evidence of taxa fulfilling functions by associating with one another. It's one thing for a species to enter a new niche by relying on the product or ability of a different species (such as a beneficial symbiont). It's another for different species to combine complementary products or abilities to create/achieve something that no one species in the community is able to produce or achieve by itself (an emergent function). This latter phenomenon would be something akin to neighborhood habitat amelioration... or, perhaps, something more general that includes neighborhood habitat amelioration. Would any of you happen to know of recent reviews or articles that address this topic? Or some really good examples of it, perhaps? Thanks in advance! ~ Aabir Dr. Aabir Banerji Postdoctoral Associate Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich aabir.bane...@ieu.uzh.ch
