Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Malcolm McCallum]

I cannot tell you how many peopel have brought up "The Martian."
I guess I will need to see it! :)

I have a LOT of responses, I will try to post some kind of synopsis in a
few days, after I am sure that everyone has spoken who wants to say
something.  Superficially, it sounds like sematics with reasonable
rationale for the change.


On Wed, Nov 18, 2015 at 7:27 PM, Sue Nichols  wrote:

> Ah!! Alexandra, that’s just what I wondered about The Martian!
>
> This is such an interesting discussion, because how people describe what
> they do is so informative (if you’re brave enough to pick and poke).
> Because there’s a reason for it, right?
>
>  I do wonder… have we lost anything by overshadowing “botany?”  And how
> does this change how scientists explain their work, and how important are
> titles and labels?
>
> ~
> Sue Nichols
> Assistant Director/Strategic communications
> Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability
> Michigan State University
> (517) 432-0206
>
> CSIS homepage 
> CSIS on Facebook 
> @suegnic
>
>
>
> On Nov 18, 2015, at 7:30 PM, Alexandra Thorn 
> wrote:
>
> It's an interesting question.
>
> I think of "botany" as being specifically about phylogeny and
> characterizing how different plant species are different from one
> another and why.  Other plant sciences have other domains in my mind,
> e.g. "plant physiology" is about the functional attributes of plants
> that might translate among species (just as in animal physiology humans
> and mice have basically the same organs), and "plant ecology" is about
> the relationships among plant species and between plant species and
> other organisms.
>
> My biology doctorate drew heavily on plant physiology and I feel fine
> saying that my degree was in plant biology, plant ecology, or plant
> physiology, but if somebody calls me a botanist I tend to think they're
> attributing credentials to me that I really don't have.
>
> Alexandra
>
> P.S. I am bothered by how the term "botany" is used in the novel "The
> Martian."  I'm pretty sure that "horticulture" would be a better job
> description, but I haven't looked up whether words are just used
> differently by NASA and friends...
>
> On Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:26:04 -0500
> Thomas Wentworth  wrote:
>
> Hi Chris,
>
> Our Department at NC State University changed its name from Botany to
> Plant Biology (not Plant Science) a number of years ago. We did so
> primarily because of a perception that the public sees "botany" as an
> antiquated term, not inclusive of the vibrant programs in our
> department, which cover the plant realm from molecules to ecosystems.
> We also believed that prospective student searching for "botany"
> programs were more likely to use keywords like "plant" and "biology."
> We avoided "Plant Science" because we thought that too inclusive of
> ALL plant studies, given that at NC State (a Land Grant university)
> we still have departments of Crop Science, Horticulture, Plant
> Pathology, Forestry, etc.
>
> Tom Wentworth
>
> On 11/18/2015 1:00 PM, Christopher Graham wrote:
>
> Hi Malcolm,
>
> Interesting question. I studied in the plant biology department at
> the University of Georgia, which until recently had been the botany
> department. My understanding (and I think this was corroborated by
> certain faculty members) was that the change reflected the gradual
> shift from "traditional" botanists, who studied plants at a
> macroscopic or organismal level and thus were facile with (at least
> some members of) the regional flora; to academics who focused at
> the cellular or molecular level to such a degree that many of them
> do not particularly know or care about the real, wild plants
> growing around them. I don't doubt that these plant scientists do
> important things, but it's a shame to me that the former type, the
> traditional botanist, has been largely displaced by them.
>
> chris
>
>
> - Original Message -
> From: "Malcolm McCallum" 
> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 12:52:32 PM
> Subject: plant science vs. botany
>
>
> Over the past several years I have noticed a trend that
> plant-focused vacancies will refer to the vacancy as plant science
> and less frequently what used to be typically referred to as
> zoology will be instead referred to as animal science. When I was
> an undergraduate, agronomy, pomology, forestry, and course related
> to agriculture were designated plant science. Agricutlure courses
> like dairy science, feedlot management, swine management, animal
> nutrition and the like were designated animal science.
>
>
> The current widespread lack of distinction between zoology vs.
> animal science, and botany vs. plant science creates a lot of
> confusion, and doesn't really make any sense to me.
>
>
>
> Is there a reason that people have stopped using the term
> 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Chris Elvidge]

Hi all,

Just throwing this out there - "botanist" and "zoologist" imply to me that
one claiming the title is familiar with the full range of taxa within their
domain. I call myself a "fish ecologist" instead of an "ichthyologist"
because while I know some species very well, I wouldn't claim to know them
all - even at a family level.

Chris K. Elvidge, PhD
NSERC Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Biology
Carleton University
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa ON K1S 5B6
www.fecpl.ca

Office: CTTC 4440K
(613) 520-2600 ex. 8313

Mail: 209 Nesbitt Biology Building
On 18 Nov 2015 10:31 pm, "Jeff Davis"  wrote:

> The Apple (computer) Dictionary defines botany as "the scientific study of
> plants, including their physiology, structure, genetics, ecology,
> distribution, classification, and economic importance.”
>
> Sounds about right to me.  But presumably for matters of perception,
> most universities seem to have abandoned Botany in favor of Plant Biology
> or Plant Science when it comes to naming departments, majors, and courses.
> Should we anticipate a similar fate for Ecology?
>
> Ecological Sciences anyone?
>
> Jeff Davis
> UC Santa Cruz
>
> On Nov 18, 2015, at 4:30 PM, Alexandra Thorn  > wrote:
>
> It's an interesting question.
>
> I think of "botany" as being specifically about phylogeny and
> characterizing how different plant species are different from one
> another and why.  Other plant sciences have other domains in my mind,
> e.g. "plant physiology" is about the functional attributes of plants
> that might translate among species (just as in animal physiology humans
> and mice have basically the same organs), and "plant ecology" is about
> the relationships among plant species and between plant species and
> other organisms.
>
> My biology doctorate drew heavily on plant physiology and I feel fine
> saying that my degree was in plant biology, plant ecology, or plant
> physiology, but if somebody calls me a botanist I tend to think they're
> attributing credentials to me that I really don't have.
>
> Alexandra
>
> P.S. I am bothered by how the term "botany" is used in the novel "The
> Martian."  I'm pretty sure that "horticulture" would be a better job
> description, but I haven't looked up whether words are just used
> differently by NASA and friends...
>
> On Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:26:04 -0500
> Thomas Wentworth > wrote:
>
> Hi Chris,
>
> Our Department at NC State University changed its name from Botany to
> Plant Biology (not Plant Science) a number of years ago. We did so
> primarily because of a perception that the public sees "botany" as an
> antiquated term, not inclusive of the vibrant programs in our
> department, which cover the plant realm from molecules to ecosystems.
> We also believed that prospective student searching for "botany"
> programs were more likely to use keywords like "plant" and "biology."
> We avoided "Plant Science" because we thought that too inclusive of
> ALL plant studies, given that at NC State (a Land Grant university)
> we still have departments of Crop Science, Horticulture, Plant
> Pathology, Forestry, etc.
>
> Tom Wentworth
>
> On 11/18/2015 1:00 PM, Christopher Graham wrote:
>
> Hi Malcolm,
>
> Interesting question. I studied in the plant biology department at
> the University of Georgia, which until recently had been the botany
> department. My understanding (and I think this was corroborated by
> certain faculty members) was that the change reflected the gradual
> shift from "traditional" botanists, who studied plants at a
> macroscopic or organismal level and thus were facile with (at least
> some members of) the regional flora; to academics who focused at
> the cellular or molecular level to such a degree that many of them
> do not particularly know or care about the real, wild plants
> growing around them. I don't doubt that these plant scientists do
> important things, but it's a shame to me that the former type, the
> traditional botanist, has been largely displaced by them.
>
> chris
>
>
> - Original Message -
> From: "Malcolm McCallum"  >
> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 12:52:32 PM
> Subject: plant science vs. botany
>
>
> Over the past several years I have noticed a trend that
> plant-focused vacancies will refer to the vacancy as plant science
> and less frequently what used to be typically referred to as
> zoology will be instead referred to as animal science. When I was
> an undergraduate, agronomy, pomology, forestry, and course related
> to agriculture were designated plant science. Agricutlure courses
> like dairy science, feedlot management, swine management, animal
> nutrition and the like were designated animal science.
>
>
> The current widespread lack of distinction between zoology vs.
> animal science, and botany vs. plant science creates a lot of
> 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Vegetation analysis with UAVs (drones)

[Kyle Taylor]

Tim -

Object-based image classification (http://bit.ly/1OSK26n).  You can use
proprietary software like eCognition (or, for the brave, OTB:
https://www.orfeo-toolbox.org/) to aggregate and vectorize high resolution
imagery from drones and similar devices and then use machine learning
algorithms (like random forest) to classify your vectorized aggregations
based on soil texture, NDVI, downscaled climate normals, topography, etc.
Much of this is canned in software like eCognition.

I've seen some exciting stuff come out of the MoRAP project that leverages
high-resolution imagery for mapping.  You might dig through some of their
reports for ideas: http://morap.missouri.edu/.

Cheers

On Mon, Nov 16, 2015 at 1:13 PM, Nuttle, Tim  wrote:

> Hello,
>
> My company has recently acquired a couple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs,
> aka drones), which are being used mainly to determine stockpile volumes
> from photogrammetrically derived point clouds. I am interested in figuring
> out how we might use this tool to analyze vegetation data, including
> identifying plant species (trees or largish patches), calculating
> densities, etc. The academic literature in this area is rapidly evolving,
> it seems. Approaches seem to use LiDAR, multi- or hyperspectral imagery, or
> a combination.
>
> Does anyone have advice on particularly effective approaches, programs,
> algorithms, canned applications, etc.? This is a case of finding productive
> applications for our tool (with additional sensors, clearly), as opposed to
> finding the right tool for a specific application.
>
> Thanks,
> Tim
>
>
>
>
>
> *Timothy J. Nuttle, PhD* / Principal
>
> Certified Senior Ecologist – Ecological Society of America; Certified
> Wildlife Biologist ®
>
> Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.
>
> 333 Baldwin Road · Pittsburgh, PA 15205-1751
>
> Toll-Free: (800) 365-2324 · Fax: (412) 429-2114
>
> Direct line: (412) 275-2996 · Cell: (412) 867-1299
>
> http://www.cecinc.com
>
>
>

Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Montblanc, Genie]

If we want the general public to care about science then we need to talk about 
it in accessible language, hence plant science.  I don’t think ecology will 
suffer the same fate since “eco” is everywhere; politics, fashion, bills, etc.  
Just my two cents.

Eugénie MontBlanc
Great Basin Fire Science Exchange Coordinator
University of Nevada, Mail Stop 0186, Reno, NV 89557
Phone: 775-784-1107
Fax: 775-784-4583
Email: e...@cabnr.unr.edu
Web: www.greatbasinfirescience.org

From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news 
[mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Jeff Davis
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 6:11 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

The Apple (computer) Dictionary defines botany as "the scientific study of 
plants, including their physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, 
classification, and economic importance.”

Sounds about right to me.  But presumably for matters of perception, most 
universities seem to have abandoned Botany in favor of Plant Biology or Plant 
Science when it comes to naming departments, majors, and courses.  Should we 
anticipate a similar fate for Ecology?

Ecological Sciences anyone?

Jeff Davis
UC Santa Cruz

On Nov 18, 2015, at 4:30 PM, Alexandra Thorn 
> wrote:

It's an interesting question.

I think of "botany" as being specifically about phylogeny and
characterizing how different plant species are different from one
another and why.  Other plant sciences have other domains in my mind,
e.g. "plant physiology" is about the functional attributes of plants
that might translate among species (just as in animal physiology humans
and mice have basically the same organs), and "plant ecology" is about
the relationships among plant species and between plant species and
other organisms.

My biology doctorate drew heavily on plant physiology and I feel fine
saying that my degree was in plant biology, plant ecology, or plant
physiology, but if somebody calls me a botanist I tend to think they're
attributing credentials to me that I really don't have.

Alexandra

P.S. I am bothered by how the term "botany" is used in the novel "The
Martian."  I'm pretty sure that "horticulture" would be a better job
description, but I haven't looked up whether words are just used
differently by NASA and friends...

On Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:26:04 -0500
Thomas Wentworth > wrote:


Hi Chris,

Our Department at NC State University changed its name from Botany to
Plant Biology (not Plant Science) a number of years ago. We did so
primarily because of a perception that the public sees "botany" as an
antiquated term, not inclusive of the vibrant programs in our
department, which cover the plant realm from molecules to ecosystems.
We also believed that prospective student searching for "botany"
programs were more likely to use keywords like "plant" and "biology."
We avoided "Plant Science" because we thought that too inclusive of
ALL plant studies, given that at NC State (a Land Grant university)
we still have departments of Crop Science, Horticulture, Plant
Pathology, Forestry, etc.

Tom Wentworth

On 11/18/2015 1:00 PM, Christopher Graham wrote:

Hi Malcolm,

Interesting question. I studied in the plant biology department at
the University of Georgia, which until recently had been the botany
department. My understanding (and I think this was corroborated by
certain faculty members) was that the change reflected the gradual
shift from "traditional" botanists, who studied plants at a
macroscopic or organismal level and thus were facile with (at least
some members of) the regional flora; to academics who focused at
the cellular or molecular level to such a degree that many of them
do not particularly know or care about the real, wild plants
growing around them. I don't doubt that these plant scientists do
important things, but it's a shame to me that the former type, the
traditional botanist, has been largely displaced by them.

chris


- Original Message -
From: "Malcolm McCallum" 
>
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 12:52:32 PM
Subject: plant science vs. botany


Over the past several years I have noticed a trend that
plant-focused vacancies will refer to the vacancy as plant science
and less frequently what used to be typically referred to as
zoology will be instead referred to as animal science. When I was
an undergraduate, agronomy, pomology, forestry, and course related
to agriculture were designated plant science. Agricutlure courses
like dairy science, feedlot management, swine management, animal
nutrition and the like were designated animal science.


The current widespread lack of distinction between zoology vs.
animal science, and botany vs. plant science creates a lot of

[ECOLOG-L] Job Posting - FWC-FWRI: Biostatistician or Quantitative Ecologist

[Reed, Dave]

I am posting for a wider circulation, please do not respond directly to me.  To 
apply, follow to the People First link below.

Thanks!
Dave Reed

FWC-FWRI Biological Scientist IV:
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seeking to hire a 40 
hour per week Biostatistician or Quantitative Ecologist. The successful 
candidate will provide statistical consulting services to Commission staff as a 
member of the Center for Biostatistics and Modeling. Consulting areas include 
general statistical advice, design of experiments and monitoring studies, data 
analysis, population modeling, and manuscript preparation and review. Duties 
include performing quantitative analysis and modeling of scientific data using 
appropriate statistical methods and modern graphic techniques; reviewing 
current wildlife research and monitoring techniques to provide advice to 
research staff on appropriate and efficient methodologies; generating 
publication-quality graphics for publication in peer-reviewed manuscripts; and 
training staff in modern statistical analyses and techniques. The position is 
housed at FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, FL.
Qualifications:
At least a Master's degree from an accredited college or university with major 
course of study in statistics or one of the natural sciences with demonstrable 
proficiency in quantitative analysis. Candidates may be given preference if 
they have a doctorate from an accredited college or university in statistics or 
ecology.
Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

  *   Excellent written and oral communication skills
  *   Ability to understand and appreciate research problems from the 
perspective of a biologist or resource manager
  *   Ability to produce statistical programming code (for SAS or R), graphics, 
summary results, and written documents in a manner that is easily shared with 
and understood by FWC staff
  *   Familiarity or working knowledge in the areas of experimental design, 
linear models, generalized linear models, mixed effect (hierarchical) models, 
and nonparametric models
  *   Familiarity or working knowledge in Bayesian analysis, distance sampling, 
capture-recapture techniques, and occupancy estimation preferred
  *   Proficient programming skills in either R or SAS
  *   Knowledge of ecological software preferred (e.g. PRESENCE, MARK, DISTANCE)
  *   Ability to work independently to plan, organize, and coordinate work 
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  *   Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with 
research staff, including personnel stationed at field offices throughout the 
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Salary: $55,000 plus benefits
All applications must be submitted through the Florida State PeopleFirst system 
by 11/27/2015. To apply please go to:
https://jobs.myflorida.com/viewjob.html;jsessionid=9B28139253C96C261EF24EB413488526?optlink-view=view-847081=newjoblist=any
Please include a cover letter, describing your interest in and qualifications 
for the position, along with a CV with your application. If you experience any 
problems with the PeopleFirst website during your application process please 
call 1-877-562-7287.



Dave Reed
Research Administrator  / Research Information Services
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
100 8th Avenue S.E.
St. Petersburg, FL  33701
Phone: 727-502-4876
Fax: 727-893-1679

Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Judith S. Weis]

It was around 1990 that the American Society of Zoologists changed its
name to Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology. In addition to
sounding "trendier" it also allows for inclusion of some plant biology.



> This kind of “rebranding” has been happening for some time. In
> ornithology, I recall a debate about changing the name of our flagship
> journals, The Auk and The Condor. A compromise, I guess, was to give each
> subtitles. One driving force I heard was that administrators doing bean
> counting of faculty productivity thought that the journal titles looked
> unscientific or like a place where amateurs would publish. I’ve also
> seen Integrative Biology taking over from some classical terms. Whether
> all of this improves our science or just canalizes it into a new direction
> that purges natural history and taxonomy will be interesting to track.
>
> Check out this classic article:  Thomson, K.S. 1989. A light in the attic.
> American Scientist. 77(May-June):264-266.  You’ll learn why you should
> never use the terms descriptive (use characterization), observation (use
> experiment), museum (use either institute, center, academy), or museum
> collections  (use research collections).  So this is not a new trend.
>
> Angelo Capparella
> Illinois State University
> Curator of the research collections of vertebrates (aka museum
> specimens).
>
> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
> [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Malcolm McCallum
> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 11:53 AM
> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
> Subject: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany
>
> Over the past several years I have noticed a trend that plant-focused
> vacancies will refer to the vacancy as plant science and less frequently
> what used to be typically referred to as zoology will be instead referred
> to as animal science.
>  When I was an undergraduate, agronomy, pomology, forestry, and course
> related to agriculture were designated plant science.  Agricutlure
> courses like dairy science, feedlot management, swine management, animal
> nutrition and the like were designated animal science.
>
> The current widespread lack of distinction between zoology vs. animal
> science, and botany vs. plant science creates a lot of confusion, and
> doesn't really make any sense to me.
>
> Is there a reason that people have stopped using the term zoology/botany
> and in its stead began using animal science/plant science?   It seems like
> an inappropriate muddying of the academic waters to me.
>
> A Plant Scientist and a Botanist are not the same thing, nor is an animal
> scientist and a zoologist the same thing.  Although some people might
> cross these fields (a ruminant ecologist might cross these areas for
> example).
>
> I know most people probably couldn't care less about this, but I feel it
> is a pretty important issue.  If we are not consistent with terminology,
> why should we expect students and others to take it seriously?
>
> Please feel free to contact me off list because some members of the ECOLOG
> discussion list get annoyed when it actually involves discussion, so be
> it.
>
> --
> Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
> Link to online CV and portfolio :
> https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO
>
>  “Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich
> array of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a
> many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature
> lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as
> Americans.”
> -President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973
> into law.
>
> "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" -
> Allan Nation
>
> 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea"  W.S. Gilbert
> 1990's:  Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,
> and pollution.
> 2000:  Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction
>   MAY help restore populations.
> 2022: Soylent Green is People!
>
> The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi)
> Wealth w/o work
> Pleasure w/o conscience
> Knowledge w/o character
> Commerce w/o morality
> Science w/o humanity
> Worship w/o sacrifice
> Politics w/o principle
>
> Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
> attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may
> contain confidential and privileged information.  Any unauthorized
> review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.  If you are not
> the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and
> destroy all copies of the original message.
>

Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Capparella, Angelo]

This kind of “rebranding” has been happening for some time. In ornithology, I 
recall a debate about changing the name of our flagship journals, The Auk and 
The Condor. A compromise, I guess, was to give each subtitles. One driving 
force I heard was that administrators doing bean counting of faculty 
productivity thought that the journal titles looked unscientific or like a 
place where amateurs would publish. I’ve also seen Integrative Biology taking 
over from some classical terms. Whether all of this improves our science or 
just canalizes it into a new direction that purges natural history and taxonomy 
will be interesting to track.

Check out this classic article:  Thomson, K.S. 1989. A light in the attic. 
American Scientist. 77(May-June):264-266.  You’ll learn why you should never 
use the terms descriptive (use characterization), observation (use experiment), 
museum (use either institute, center, academy), or museum collections  (use 
research collections).  So this is not a new trend.

Angelo Capparella
Illinois State University
Curator of the research collections of vertebrates (aka museum specimens).

From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news 
[mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Malcolm McCallum
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 11:53 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

Over the past several years I have noticed a trend that plant-focused vacancies 
will refer to the vacancy as plant science and less frequently what used to be 
typically referred to as zoology will be instead referred to as animal science.
 When I was an undergraduate, agronomy, pomology, forestry, and course related 
to agriculture were designated plant science.  Agricutlure courses like dairy 
science, feedlot management, swine management, animal nutrition and the like 
were designated animal science.

The current widespread lack of distinction between zoology vs. animal science, 
and botany vs. plant science creates a lot of confusion, and doesn't really 
make any sense to me.

Is there a reason that people have stopped using the term zoology/botany and in 
its stead began using animal science/plant science?   It seems like an 
inappropriate muddying of the academic waters to me.

A Plant Scientist and a Botanist are not the same thing, nor is an animal 
scientist and a zoologist the same thing.  Although some people might cross 
these fields (a ruminant ecologist might cross these areas for example).

I know most people probably couldn't care less about this, but I feel it is a 
pretty important issue.  If we are not consistent with terminology, why should 
we expect students and others to take it seriously?

Please feel free to contact me off list because some members of the ECOLOG 
discussion list get annoyed when it actually involves discussion, so be it.

--
Malcolm L. McCallum, PHD, REP
Link to online CV and portfolio : 
https://www.visualcv.com/malcolm-mc-callum?access=18A9RYkDGxO

 “Nothing is more priceless and worthy of preservation than the rich array of 
animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is a many-faceted 
treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, and nature lovers alike, and it 
forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans.”
-President Richard Nixon upon signing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 into 
law.

"Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan 
Nation

1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea"  W.S. Gilbert
1990's:  Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss,
and pollution.
2000:  Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction
  MAY help restore populations.
2022: Soylent Green is People!

The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi)
Wealth w/o work
Pleasure w/o conscience
Knowledge w/o character
Commerce w/o morality
Science w/o humanity
Worship w/o sacrifice
Politics w/o principle

Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any
attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may
contain confidential and privileged information.  Any unauthorized
review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited.  If you are not
the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and
destroy all copies of the original message.

[ECOLOG-L] ASSISTANT PROFESSOR POSITION in FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY at OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

[Miller, Jessica]

*PLEASE DISTRIBUTE

Assistant Professor in Fisheries Oceanography at Oregon State University

The Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) at Oregon State University 
(OSU) invites applications for a tenure track Assistant Professor in Fisheries 
Oceanography. We seek an engaged and enthusiastic colleague to complement the 
existing strengths at OSU in marine research, teaching, outreach, and service, 
and be part of our novel Marine Studies Initiative. As a member of COMES, the 
new faculty member will be expected to conduct interdisciplinary and 
collaborative research in support of the COMES mission “to understand, utilize, 
and sustain marine resources and coastal ecosystems in order to benefit the 
citizens of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, the Nation, and the World.” This 
position will be based in Newport, Oregon at the Hatfield Marine Science 
Center. This hire will be part of a larger commitment by OSU to hire, retain, 
and develop diverse faculty to mentor and educate our undergraduate and 
graduate students from entry through graduation.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
•  Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in oceanography, ecology, fisheries, or 
a related discipline;
•  Experience conducting oceanographic and ecological research in coastal 
ecosystems;
•  Record of peer-reviewed and refereed publications, appropriate for the level 
of experience;
•  Strong interest and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary and collaborative 
research, including partners outside of academia;
•  Strong interest and enthusiasm for undergraduate and graduate 
teaching--faculty at Oregon State University are committed to student success;
•  Excellent communication and organizational skills;
•  Commitment to promoting equity, inclusion and diversity.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
•  Post-doctoral or post-graduate professional experience;
•  Ability to recognize and address significant natural resource problems;
•  Success in obtaining extramural funding through grants or contracts;
•  Demonstrated capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration and outreach;
•  Demonstrated excellence or significant potential for excellence in teaching 
of undergraduate and graduate students;
•  Experience supervising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.

If interested, please visit the Posting # 0016538 at 
https://jobs.oregonstate.edu/. For full consideration, applications must be 
received by 01/15/16. We encourage applicants with creative and diverse 
perspectives to join our community.

OSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Please visit the following web pages for additional information.

Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station: http://marineresearch.oregonstate.edu/
Oregon State University’s Marine Studies Initiative: 
http://marinestudies.oregonstate.edu/
Oregon State University’s Strategic Plan: 
http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/strategicplan/phase3



Jessica Miller, Associate Professor
Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center
Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station
2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, Oregon 97365
541-867-0381 (office) 503-939-9812 (mobile)
jessica.mil...@oregonstate.edu
-

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Vegetation analysis with UAVs (drones)

[Gregory Crutsinger]

Your simplest, canned approach is going to be using a multispectral camera that 
can geotag the 
images and upload these photos to a software package, such as Pix4D, to 
calculate NDVI. It is 
also a good idea to use a ground calibration target to standardize your imagery.

There are a range of camera options out there, including cheaper modified 
Canons or GoPros to 
lightweight drone-specific cameras such as MicaSense or TetraCam.  I have yet 
to see a formal 
quantitative comparison in the data captured among cameras, drones, autopilots, 
different 
weather conditions, etc...so there is no definitive support for more expensive 
options over 
cheaper options at the moment. 

If you are just starting out, I would recommend keeping it simple. There is a 
lot of follow up 
information on DIY Drones if you haven't looked through that website as of yet.

[ECOLOG-L] Graduate Research in Tropical Plant Diversity

[T.M. Perez]

Dr. Christopher Baraloto is currently recruiting at least two graduate students 
in tropical plant diversity, with generous support for international research 
as part of the new International Center for Tropical Botany 
 and the Department of Biological Sciences 
 at Florida International University in Miami.
 
To be eligible for positions, students must meet FIU graduate admission 
requirements . The deadline for graduate 
applications is January 05, 2016, but early submission (December 2015) is 
highly encouraged.
 
Interested and qualified candidates should act quickly by browsing our lab page 
 and then sending an email 
 with 1) a brief description of interests), 2) an 
up-to-date CV, 3) degree results (GPA or equivalent) and 4) GRE and TOEFL 
scores. International students are highly encouraged to apply. 

[ECOLOG-L] PhD opportunity in plant community ecology - University of South Dakota

[Jarchow, Meghann E]

The Jarchow Lab in the Department of Biology at the University of South Dakota 
is seeking a PhD student interested in plant community ecology to begin in the 
summer or fall of 2016.  Research in the lab is focused on how the diversity 
and management of tallgrass prairies affects their functioning.  More 
information about the Jarchow Lab is available at:  
http://sites.usd.edu/jarchow-lab/home.

I am looking for a PhD student to work on the COmparing Managed Prairie Systems 
(COMPS) experiment, which is a field experiment that began in 2014.  The 
overarching research objective of this experiment is to determine how two 
factors, the timing of disturbance and plant functional group identity, 
interact to affect biomass production, plant community composition, and exotic 
species invasion in managed tallgrass prairie systems.  Research on the COMPS 
experiment will include aboveground and belowground plant dynamics.

Funding for the position will be through a combination of graduate 
assistantships and teaching assistantships.  More information about USD's 
Graduate School and admissions guidelines are available at:  
http://www.usd.edu/graduate-school/future-students.  More information about 
USD's Biology Department is available at:  
http://www.usd.edu/arts-and-sciences/biology/graduate.

Interested applicants should e-mail me 
(meghann.jarc...@usd.edu) with any questions 
and the following information:

* a CV or resume with GPA and GRE scores and

* a brief statement of research experience, research interests, and 
career goals.
Applications to the Graduate School are due by 15 February 2016.


Meghann Jarchow
Assistant Professor
Sustainability Program Coordinator
Department of Biology
University of South Dakota
http://sites.usd.edu/jarchow-lab/

Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Dolanc, Christopher]

I think that’s on the right track. I’ve always thought of the trend away from 
“botany” as a product of our trend away from an organismal approach to biology. 
We focus much more now on training students to be geneticists, molecular 
biologists, or ecologists, instead of botanists, zoologists, or 
microbiologists. We still have departments of “plant biology” but I think the 
number of majors in “plant bio” or “botany” are declining, while the number of 
majors in “Biology” is increasing. And, I bet many of those who are majoring in 
“plant biology” are now largely being trained in a more specialized manner than 
the classic botany degree.

--
Christopher R. Dolanc
Assistant Professor of Biology
Mercyhurst University
501 East 38th Street
Erie, PA 16546
Phone: 814-824-2540
email: cdol...@mercyhurst.edu


From: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news" 
> on behalf of 
Chris Elvidge >
Reply-To: Chris Elvidge 
>
Date: Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 12:21 AM
To: "ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU" 
>
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany


Hi all,

Just throwing this out there - "botanist" and "zoologist" imply to me that one 
claiming the title is familiar with the full range of taxa within their domain. 
I call myself a "fish ecologist" instead of an "ichthyologist" because while I 
know some species very well, I wouldn't claim to know them all - even at a 
family level.

Chris K. Elvidge, PhD
NSERC Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Biology
Carleton University
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa ON K1S 5B6
www.fecpl.ca

Office: CTTC 4440K
(613) 520-2600 ex. 8313

Mail: 209 Nesbitt Biology Building

On 18 Nov 2015 10:31 pm, "Jeff Davis" 
> wrote:
The Apple (computer) Dictionary defines botany as "the scientific study of 
plants, including their physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, 
classification, and economic importance.”

Sounds about right to me.  But presumably for matters of perception, most 
universities seem to have abandoned Botany in favor of Plant Biology or Plant 
Science when it comes to naming departments, majors, and courses.  Should we 
anticipate a similar fate for Ecology?

Ecological Sciences anyone?

Jeff Davis
UC Santa Cruz

On Nov 18, 2015, at 4:30 PM, Alexandra Thorn 
> wrote:

It's an interesting question.

I think of "botany" as being specifically about phylogeny and
characterizing how different plant species are different from one
another and why.  Other plant sciences have other domains in my mind,
e.g. "plant physiology" is about the functional attributes of plants
that might translate among species (just as in animal physiology humans
and mice have basically the same organs), and "plant ecology" is about
the relationships among plant species and between plant species and
other organisms.

My biology doctorate drew heavily on plant physiology and I feel fine
saying that my degree was in plant biology, plant ecology, or plant
physiology, but if somebody calls me a botanist I tend to think they're
attributing credentials to me that I really don't have.

Alexandra

P.S. I am bothered by how the term "botany" is used in the novel "The
Martian."  I'm pretty sure that "horticulture" would be a better job
description, but I haven't looked up whether words are just used
differently by NASA and friends...

On Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:26:04 -0500
Thomas Wentworth > wrote:

Hi Chris,

Our Department at NC State University changed its name from Botany to
Plant Biology (not Plant Science) a number of years ago. We did so
primarily because of a perception that the public sees "botany" as an
antiquated term, not inclusive of the vibrant programs in our
department, which cover the plant realm from molecules to ecosystems.
We also believed that prospective student searching for "botany"
programs were more likely to use keywords like "plant" and "biology."
We avoided "Plant Science" because we thought that too inclusive of
ALL plant studies, given that at NC State (a Land Grant university)
we still have departments of Crop Science, Horticulture, Plant
Pathology, Forestry, etc.

Tom Wentworth

On 11/18/2015 1:00 PM, Christopher Graham wrote:
Hi Malcolm,

Interesting question. I studied in the plant biology department at
the University of Georgia, which until recently had been the botany
department. My understanding (and I think this was corroborated by
certain faculty members) was that the change reflected the gradual
shift from "traditional" botanists, who studied plants at a
macroscopic or organismal level and thus were facile with (at least

[ECOLOG-L] PhD position in predator sensitivity to extinction

[Trisha Atwood]

GRADUATE POSITION ON PREDATOR SENSITIVITY TO EXTINCTION

The Aquatic Ecology and Global Change Lab in the Department of Watershed 
Sciences at Utah State University is seeking Ph.D applicants to 
undertake research on predator sensitivity to extinction. Trophic 
cascades are a charismatic topic in ecology, and one that has received 
wide attention from both the scientific and public community. The drive 
for understanding the effects of predator loss on the structuring and 
functioning of ecological communities is largely based on the assumption 
that predators are at a high risk of local or global extinction. Yet 
several studies that have investigated ecological mechanisms that 
underlie extinction risk have failed to investigate or show that trophic 
level is an important trait. As a result the question still remains, 
“Are predators at a higher risk of extinction compared to other trophic 
levels?” The project will involve meta-analyses and working with big 
data. 

The successful applicant will be based out of the Atwood 
(http://trishaatwood.weebly.com/) and Hammill labs at Utah State 
University, but will visit and work closely with the McCauley lab 
(https://labs.eemb.ucsb.edu/mccauley/doug/) at the University of 
California, Santa Barbra (USA) and the Madin lab 
(http://oceansphere.org/) at Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia). 
Students with a prior knowledge of computer programming, the statistical 
programming package R, ArcGIS, and prior experience extracting and 
analyzing big data are particularly encouraged to apply.  Students must 
meet the minimum qualifications for acceptance into the graduate 
program: GPA of at least 3.4, 40th percentile in both verbal and 
quantitative sections of the GRE’s, three letters of recommendation.   

Utah State University (http://www.usu.edu) is a Research I (Extensive 
Doctoral) land-grant institution with a student body of over 24,000, 42 
departments, 8 academic colleges, a school of Graduate Studies, and 
diverse research programs. The main campus is located in Logan, a 
community of 100,000 people. Logan is 85 miles north of Salt Lake City 
in scenic Cache Valley, a semi-rural mountain basin with nearby ski 
resorts, lakes, rivers, and mountains providing many recreational 
opportunities. The area has a low cost of living and provides a high 
quality of life.  For more information on Logan see 
http://www.tourcachevalley.com.

Initial funding for tuition and salary has been secured. However, 
candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for external fellowships 
through the NSF and other sources, and internal fellowships at Utah 
State (http://rgs.usu.edu/graduateschool/htm/finances/fellowships, and 
http://rgs.usu.edu/graduateschool/finances/funding-available-to-
graduate-students). Candidates will be provided extensive support with 
the application process. Starting salaries are $20,000 for a PhD. 

Please contact Trisha Atwood (trisha.atw...@usu.edu, 435 797 5729) for 
more information or to submit application materials (CV, cover letter, 
any publications, details of research interests, official/unofficial GRE 
scores and transcripts, and names of three people willing to provide a 
letter of reference). Initial review of applications will begin Nov 30th 
2015. Lab website http://trishaatwood.weebly.com/

[ECOLOG-L] Vegetation analysis with UAVs (drones)

[Nuttle, Tim]

Hello,
My company has recently acquired a couple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, aka 
drones), which are being used mainly to determine stockpile volumes from 
photogrammetrically derived point clouds. I am interested in figuring out how 
we might use this tool to analyze vegetation data, including identifying plant 
species (trees or largish patches), calculating densities, etc. The academic 
literature in this area is rapidly evolving, it seems. Approaches seem to use 
LiDAR, multi- or hyperspectral imagery, or a combination.
Does anyone have advice on particularly effective approaches, programs, 
algorithms, canned applications, etc.? This is a case of finding productive 
applications for our tool (with additional sensors, clearly), as opposed to 
finding the right tool for a specific application.
Thanks,
Tim


Timothy J. Nuttle, PhD / Principal
Certified Senior Ecologist - Ecological Society of America; Certified Wildlife 
Biologist (r)
Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.
333 Baldwin Road * Pittsburgh, PA 15205-1751
Toll-Free: (800) 365-2324 * Fax: (412) 429-2114
Direct line: (412) 275-2996 * Cell: (412) 867-1299
http://www.cecinc.com

[ECOLOG-L] Two Doctoral (PhD) Studentships in Ecology: Plant-Insect Food Webs

[David Inouye]

Two Doctoral (PhD) Studentships in Ecology: Plant-Insect Food Webs
Novotny Lab, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences & the 
University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic


We are seeking highly motivated postgraduate students to join our 
international team studying the ecology of plant-insect food webs in 
a global network of forest sites on six continents, funded by an ERC 
grant. The successful applicant, supervised by V. Novotny, will have 
strong background in entomology, botany, community ecology, molecular 
ecology, phylogenetic analysis and/or biostatistics. We are looking 
for a creative person able to work in difficult field conditions, 
manage research teams, and analyse data on advanced level. Fluency in 
English is required, French and/or Spanish is an advantage.


Funding & duration: Fully funded tuition, research and living 
expenses for 4-years PhD programme
Eligibility: A completed MSc degree is required. Applicants from all 
countries are eligible.

Details on the research project: http://www.entu.cas.cz/png/erc/
Information on our research team: 
www.entu.cas.cz/png/cv-novotny-vojtech-lab.html

Location: Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.

Application process: To apply please send a CV, contact details for 
three references, and cover letter stating qualifications, previous 
work and motivation to Vojtech Novotny (novo...@entu.cas.cz). Review 
of applications will begin on 15th December 2015 and will continue 
until the position has been filled. The studentship is available from 
1st May 2016.

Re: [ECOLOG-L] plant science vs. botany

[Martin Meiss]

 There's a branch of forestry they call "forest engineering".  When I hear
of academic disciplines like:

"...Agriculture courses like dairy science, feedlot management, swine
management, animal nutrition and the like were designated animal science."

I wonder if these might not more accurately be considered engineering
disciplines.

Martin M. Meiss

2015-11-18 20:27 GMT-05:00 Sue Nichols :

> Ah!! Alexandra, that’s just what I wondered about The Martian!
>
> This is such an interesting discussion, because how people describe what
> they do is so informative (if you’re brave enough to pick and poke).
> Because there’s a reason for it, right?
>
>  I do wonder… have we lost anything by overshadowing “botany?”  And how
> does this change how scientists explain their work, and how important are
> titles and labels?
>
> ~
> Sue Nichols
> Assistant Director/Strategic communications
> Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability
> Michigan State University
> (517) 432-0206
>
> CSIS homepage 
> CSIS on Facebook 
> @suegnic
>
>
>
> On Nov 18, 2015, at 7:30 PM, Alexandra Thorn 
> wrote:
>
> It's an interesting question.
>
> I think of "botany" as being specifically about phylogeny and
> characterizing how different plant species are different from one
> another and why.  Other plant sciences have other domains in my mind,
> e.g. "plant physiology" is about the functional attributes of plants
> that might translate among species (just as in animal physiology humans
> and mice have basically the same organs), and "plant ecology" is about
> the relationships among plant species and between plant species and
> other organisms.
>
> My biology doctorate drew heavily on plant physiology and I feel fine
> saying that my degree was in plant biology, plant ecology, or plant
> physiology, but if somebody calls me a botanist I tend to think they're
> attributing credentials to me that I really don't have.
>
> Alexandra
>
> P.S. I am bothered by how the term "botany" is used in the novel "The
> Martian."  I'm pretty sure that "horticulture" would be a better job
> description, but I haven't looked up whether words are just used
> differently by NASA and friends...
>
> On Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:26:04 -0500
> Thomas Wentworth  wrote:
>
> Hi Chris,
>
> Our Department at NC State University changed its name from Botany to
> Plant Biology (not Plant Science) a number of years ago. We did so
> primarily because of a perception that the public sees "botany" as an
> antiquated term, not inclusive of the vibrant programs in our
> department, which cover the plant realm from molecules to ecosystems.
> We also believed that prospective student searching for "botany"
> programs were more likely to use keywords like "plant" and "biology."
> We avoided "Plant Science" because we thought that too inclusive of
> ALL plant studies, given that at NC State (a Land Grant university)
> we still have departments of Crop Science, Horticulture, Plant
> Pathology, Forestry, etc.
>
> Tom Wentworth
>
> On 11/18/2015 1:00 PM, Christopher Graham wrote:
>
> Hi Malcolm,
>
> Interesting question. I studied in the plant biology department at
> the University of Georgia, which until recently had been the botany
> department. My understanding (and I think this was corroborated by
> certain faculty members) was that the change reflected the gradual
> shift from "traditional" botanists, who studied plants at a
> macroscopic or organismal level and thus were facile with (at least
> some members of) the regional flora; to academics who focused at
> the cellular or molecular level to such a degree that many of them
> do not particularly know or care about the real, wild plants
> growing around them. I don't doubt that these plant scientists do
> important things, but it's a shame to me that the former type, the
> traditional botanist, has been largely displaced by them.
>
> chris
>
>
> - Original Message -
> From: "Malcolm McCallum" 
> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 12:52:32 PM
> Subject: plant science vs. botany
>
>
> Over the past several years I have noticed a trend that
> plant-focused vacancies will refer to the vacancy as plant science
> and less frequently what used to be typically referred to as
> zoology will be instead referred to as animal science. When I was
> an undergraduate, agronomy, pomology, forestry, and course related
> to agriculture were designated plant science. Agricutlure courses
> like dairy science, feedlot management, swine management, animal
> nutrition and the like were designated animal science.
>
>
> The current widespread lack of distinction between zoology vs.
> animal science, and botany vs. plant science creates a lot of
> confusion, and doesn't really make any sense to me.
>
>
>
> Is there a reason that people have stopped using the 

[ECOLOG-L] PhD opportunity - coral reef fisheries ecology and modeling

[Austin Humphries]

Ecolog-ers,

I would like to draw your attention to a fully funded PhD position at the 
University of Rhode Island. The 
funding is available to local and international applicants, and those from 
traditionally underrepresented 
groups in STEM fields are especially encouraged to apply. I would be very 
grateful if you could circulate 
this opportunity to relevant potential applicants, for example current or 
recent Masters students. The 
link for the advert can be found here: https://db.tt/vcyhZQ3d - or see the 
description below.

Background: Gear-based fisheries restrictions are an effective alternative to 
marine protected areas that 
may be tailored to the local social-ecological context, thus allowing a design 
that is more tolerable for 
fishers. To properly manage a multi-gear fishery, however, there must be an 
understanding of the social 
motivations and ecological impacts of different harvesting strategies. This 
research seeks to examine 
how different fishing gears influence social-ecological interactions through 
the synthesis and modeling 
of existing data from coral reef fisheries in Indonesia.

Opportunity: We have a fully funded PhD position available in the Humphries Lab 
at the University of 
Rhode Island (URI) for an excellent student to undertake the proposed research 
on coral reef fisheries in 
Indonesia. The candidate will be expected to start September 2016. The salary 
is based on a research 
assistantship and is approximately $22,000 per year with full benefits. The 
application deadline is 
January 15, 2016. The ideal candidate will be highly self-motivated and have a 
strong academic 
background in ecology and/or fisheries (e.g., MS degree) with an emphasis on 
modeling. The project is 
funded for three years; however, the successful student will be competitive 
for, and encouraged to apply 
for, additional internal and external funding sources.

To apply for this position, please email Dr. Austin Humphries at humphries at 
uri.edu with ‘PhD 
opportunity’ in the subject line. Please include a cover letter with a 
statement about your research 
interests and goals for graduate school, as well as a copy of your CV, 
unofficial transcripts with GRE 
scores (if applicable), and contact information for your references, all as one 
PDF file. More information 
on working in the Humphries Lab at URI is available at 
http://ahumphrieslab.com/opportunities. 

Thanks,
Austin 

— 
Austin Humphries, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences
University of Rhode Island
p: 401-874-9839  | e: humphr...@uri.edu | w: ahumphrieslab.com