[ECOLOG-L] postdoc positions, Princeton U., climate change and ecosystem dynamics

[Jeremy Lichstein]

Postdoctoral positions (3) in climate change and ecosystem dynamics,
Princeton University, Stephen Pacala.

The Pacala lab seeks postdoctoral candidates to pursue a range of modeling
projects related to climate change, carbon cycling, and vegetation dynamics.
 Principle collaborators include the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab
(GFDL) and the US Forest Service Northern Research Station.  There is
considerable freedom in deciding on a research program, but potential
activities include:  (1) Collaborating in the development of a new
generation of dynamic global vegetation models that will be designed to
interface with the GFDL family of global models.  Our modeling approach is
distinguished by its use of recently-derived macroscopic equations for
forest dynamics, and we welcome candidates with strong interests in
mathematical theory.  (2) Using offline and coupled versions of the
GFDL/Princeton University Land Model LM3V, together with data from a variety
of sources, to better understand the impacts of fire, land use, forest
management, and climate on the carbon cycle.  (3) Developing a
data-assimilation algorithm to estimate and update Land Model parameters
from heterogeneous sources of data, including forest inventories and eddy
covariance towers.  (4) Using the Forest Service’s comprehensive fire
database to improve the fire submodel of the GFDL Land Model.  Candidates
with strong mathematical, computational, and/or statistical skills are
especially encouraged to apply.  Send CV and brief statement of interest to
Jeremy Lichstein j...@princeton.edu

[ECOLOG-L] Symposium, 6/11-14/09 in KC, Reduced Registration

[K-State Arthropod Genomics]

Dear Colleagues, Print

this e-mail from a PDF   

 

In recognition of the current economic environment, we are lowering
registration to attend the 3rd Annual Arthropod Genomics Symposium. 

 

Register by May 15, and pay only $345 ($175 for graduate and undergraduate
students).  

Registration fees include a welcome reception Thursday evening, breakfast
and lunch on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday.

 

After May 15, the registration fee is $395 ($225 for students).

 

Other important deadlines:

   *Poster Abstract Submissions:  Friday, May 15

   *Hotel Reservations:  Thursday, May 21, or until room block is filled

 

SYMPOSIUM WEBSITE:  www.k-state.edu/agc/symp2009

 

Register at http://www.k-state.edu/agc/symp2009/register.html and attend

   Frontiers in Arthropod Genomics

   June 11 – 14, 2009, Kansas City, USA

 

WORKSHOPS and SEMINARS:  

* Pre-symposium workshop on Chado Databases and Integration with
GMOD Tools, Scott Cain, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

* Genomic Sequence Capture and Next-Gen Sequencing Seminar,
sponsored by Roche NimbleGen

* BeeSpace demonstrations 

 

POSTER SESSIONS: There will be two poster sessions.  A few platform
presentations will be chosen from submitted poster abstracts.  

Abstract Submission Deadline:  May 15, 2009.

 

SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM: The symposium sessions will begin Thursday evening, June
11, and continue on Friday and Saturday, with additional events on Saturday
evening and Sunday morning.  Speakers will present new insights from genomic
approaches in arthropods and describe the development of tools for genomic
analysis. Workshops will be held Thursday prior to the Symposium and Friday
evening.  Activities will conclude by noon on Sunday, June 14.

 

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION:  Sunday morning will highlight a roundtable
discussion led by members of the ArthropodBase Consortium regarding the
generation of integrated arthropod genome databases and tools for genome
projects.  Symposium attendees are invited to join the fun as we share our
progress by providing feedback on these projects and proposing new
possibilities.   

 

KANSAS CITY JAZZ AND BBQ:  Participants are invited to enjoy Kansas City’s
best BBQ - Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue and the Kerry Strayer Jazz Trio on
Saturday night.  The separate charge for this optional activity is $50 ($25
for students).   Transportation will be provided.  

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:  

*William M. Gelbart, Harvard University, 

“Opportunities & Challenges for Arthropod Genomics and 

Informatics in the NextGen World.”

 

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

* Volker Brendel, Iowa State University, “Opportunities and challenges for
automated genome annotation and modeling in a time of unlimited access to
sequence data”

* Susan J. Brown, Kansas State University, “Profiling genome transcription
during Tribolium development: From egg to eternity”

* Jay D. Evans, USDA-ARS Bee Research Lab, Maryland, “Chasing your honey:
Genomic studies of honey bees and their pathogens”

* Marian R. Goldsmith, University of Rhode Island, “The new silk road: From
Bombyx to butterflies”

* David G. Heckel, Max Planck-Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany,
“Insect defenses in chemical co-evolution: Transcriptional responses of the
generalist herbivore Helicoverpa armigera to plant defense compounds,
phytohormones, and insecticides”

 * Kristin Michel, Kansas State University, “Mosquito salivary gland
interactions with malaria parasites”

* Terence Murphy, National Center for Biotechnology Information/NIH,
“Arthropod genome support at NCBI and the challenges of annotating genomes
in the 21st century”

* Marcelo Ramalho-Ortigao, Kansas State University, “Sand fly functional
genomics and beyond”

* Yoonseong Park, Kansas State University, “Evolutionary processes of the
partnership between neuropeptides and their receptors”

* José Ribeiro, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIH/NIAID, “An
insight into the spitome of the blood sucking Nematocera”

* Denis Tagu, French Nat’l Inst. for Agricultural Research, Rennes, France,
“Using the pea aphid genome to study phenotypic plasticity”

* Doreen Ware, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, “Annotation and comparative
analysis of plant genomes”

* Stephen K. Wikel, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston,
“Tick-host-pathogen research in the post-genomic era”

 

VENUE:  The symposium will take place at the historic Muehlebach/Marriott
Hotel in downtown Kansas City.  Participants are invited to stay Saturday
night for an optional evening of jazz and KC barbeque.

 

INFORMATION:  Visit our website, www.k-state.edu/agc/symp2009, for complete
details and brochure.

 

QUESTIONS:  

Contact us at (785) 532-3482 or dmerr...@ksu.edu.

 

Please share this announcement with colleagues and students!  

 

 

SPONSOR:  Center for Genomic Studie

[ECOLOG-L] Statistical question regarding interaction terms

[Cortney Watt]

Hi All

I am a master’s student and I have a statistical question.  I have an 
experiment evaluating the 
effects of intertidal elevation (fixed; 3 levels) and seaweed canopy cover 
(fixed; 2 levels) on species 
richness. Quadrats are randomly distributed across 5 sites (random factor) with 
4 replicates in 
each elevation and canopy treatment combination per site; therefore, I am using 
a nested model.  
The model is described by Underwood in his Experiments in Ecology textbook 
(1997, page 367) 
and is:
  df
Mean square denominator
Intertidal Zone2S(I*C)
Canopy Cover   1S(I*C)
Intertidal zone * Canopy cover 2S(I*C)
Site (Intertidal zone * Canopy Cover)  24   Error
Error  90

The usual procedure is to run this “main effects” model and, when there is a 
significant interaction 
term, to run simple effects at each level of A) intertidal zone and B) canopy 
cover using this model 
(as an example for each level of intertidal elevation):

df  Mean square 
denominator
Canopy Cover1   S(C)
Site(Canopy) 8  Error   
Error   90

Essentially, my data shows significance in the main model for Intertidal zone 
(p = 0.0019), 
Canopy cover (p = 0.0034) and for the nested site term (p < 0.0001), but there 
is no significance 
in the interaction term (p = 0.6978).  Regardless of this non-significant 
interaction term, I still ran 
simple effects, for each intertidal elevation separately, and found 
significance in the canopy 
treatment at two of the intertidal elevations (p = 0.0013 and p = 0.0003), with 
no significant 
difference occurring in the third elevation (p = 0.4842).  Does anyone know why 
I may be getting 
a non-significant interaction term even when canopy effects depend on the level 
of elevation 
being considered?   
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Cortney Watt

[ECOLOG-L] SUMMER RESEARCH IN MONTANA GRASSLANDS

[Jennifer Belovsky]

POSITION AVAILABLE - One field assistant is needed to assist with research
and monitoring projects in Grasshopper Ecosystem Study which takes place on
the National Bison Range in northwestern Montana from June 1 through
September 30, 2009.

 

QUALIFICATIONS:  Preference will be given to a recent graduate with
background in biology and interests in ecology or conservation biology.  

. Ability to learn identification of grasshoppers and Palouse Prairie flora,
including grasses.  

. Previous monitoring and/or field research experience is welcomed, but will
train.

. Ability to use or learn to use handheld data recorders, GPS, computers,
other field equipment.  

. Valid U.S. driver's license.  Having one's own vehicle is advantageous,
but not required, as town is 20 miles away.

. Ability to work both independently and in a team setting.  

 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:  This is an on-going, long-term experimental
project.  The position is 90%+ field work.  Assistant will help set up
experiments (includes building experimental cages and catching large numbers
of grasshoppers), monitor and take down experiments.  Work will involve
catching and censusing grasshoppers in the experiments, maintaining
experimental cages, and sampling vegetation and soils.  Some heavy lifting
is required.  Assistant will gain experience with a wide variety of
ecological field techniques, including insect exclusion experiments, soil
nutrient manipulation experiments, quantification of herbivore damage,
quantification of plant growth, insect behavior.  Assistant also will learn
basic principles of experimental and sampling design in field ecology as
well as identification of key insects and plants in Palouse Prairie
grasslands. Field work is hard work that requires dedication and
perseverance.  Field assistants will be exposed to rough terrain,
unpredictable weather, biting insects, etc.; must be capable of sustained
physical work under these conditions. Willingness to contribute to a
positive group dynamic is required.

 

APPLICATION DETAILS: Start date is June 1, 2009 (negotiable).  End date is
September 30. Stipend is $1000/month.  Shared housing will be provided near
the research site. Deadline for application is May 10, 2009 or until
position is filled.  Hiring will be through the University of Notre Dame.
Review of applications will begin as they are received.  Decisions will be
made soon after the application deadline, or as qualified applicants are
received.  Please send cover letter, resume and contact information (name,
position, phone, e-mail and mailing address) for 3 references to Jennifer
Belovsky by e-mail belovsk...@nd.edu.  Tel: (574) 631-0987.

 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] ESA position statement economic growth

[Heather Reynolds]

Colleagues -

In the message below, the first hyperlink had an errant comma.

Here is the correct url:  http://www.steadystate.org/CASSEPositionONEG.html

Heather Reynolds
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
Jordan Hall 142
Indiana University
1001 E 3rd Street
Bloomington IN 47405

Ph: (812) 855-0792
Fax: (812) 855-6705
hlrey...@indiana.edu

On Apr 22, 2009, at 9:11 AM, Heather Reynolds wrote:


Dear Colleagues,

ESA members may have noticed that ESA is soliciting feedback from  
its members on a draft position statement on economic growth. As ESA  
notes, the draft was developed by 2 environmental economists and a  
mathematical ecologist.


To date, only a handful of professional societies have issued these  
sorts of statements (for a list, see http://www.steadystate.org/CASSEPositionOnEG.html) 
.  ESA thus deserves a great deal of credit for taking on such a  
complex issue.


The draft statement strongly reflects an environmental economist  
point of view. There is another field of economics, called  
ecological economics. There are fairly strong distinctions between  
environmental vs. ecological economists, although there are  
certainly many areas of agreement (e.g. the importance, where  
possible, of internalizing environmental externalities).


Ecological economists are careful to distinguish economic growth  
from economic development.  This Encyclopedia of Earth entry: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Steady_state_economy 
 by recognized expert Brian Czech discusses the distinction between  
economic growth and economic development.


Other well known ecological economists include Robert Constanza and  
Herman Daly.


I hope that ESA will continue to work on this position statement and  
will actively seek the input of ecological economists.


Heather Reynolds
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
Jordan Hall 142
Indiana University
1001 E 3rd Street
Bloomington IN 47405

Ph: (812) 855-0792
Fax: (812) 855-6705
hlrey...@indiana.edu

[ECOLOG-L] NEON Job Opening Plant Ecologist

[Laura Reynolds]

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON, Inc.) is a nonprofit 
science corporation dedicated to understanding how changes in climate, 
land use and invasive species impact ecology. Currently under design is 
the NEON project - an observatory comprising more than 60 environmental 
and biological monitoring locations distributed throughout twenty domains 
across the United States, Hawaii, Alaska & Puerto Rico.  These 
observations and experiments will be monitored and controlled in real-time 
from our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.  

Responsibilities
•Develop and oversee research to track diversity, phenology, demography, 
and productivity of plant communities.
•Develop QA/QC protocols for field sampling and data processing
•Develop the scientific rationale for scientific measurements and methods
•Develop detailed sampling designs of plant communities for all of the 60 
NEON sampling sites. 
•Oversee changes to the NEON design with the evolution of analyses used on 
NEON samples
•Develop data products using NEON data
•Participate in the larger NEON science community, including participating 
in independent research and collaborations

Education/Experience
•PhD in ecology, evolution, or related field
•5 years research experience in plant ecology, including extensive field 
experience
•Experience working in a collaborative scientific enterprise

Specialized Skills
•Scientific writing and review 
•Proficiency in analyses that correlate biological data with abiotic 
variables and ability to perform such analyses within a geospatial 
framework
•Ability to work independently, but as part of an active Science team
•Strong communication and interpersonal skills
•Undertake responsibilities beyond those associated with individual 
research projects
•The candidate may be exposed to conditions in the field, and therefore 
must be able to traverse uneven ground such as dirt banks, stream beds, 
and shallow ponds carrying equipment and materials up to 40 lbs. 


TO APPLY:
•Please send your cover letter and CV/resume to care...@neoninc.org with 
Plant Ecologist in the subject line.
•NEON Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, Minorities, Veterans 
and Disabled Persons are encouraged to apply.