[ECOLOG-L] PhD research assistantship in Fisheries at SDSU

[Bertrand, Katie]

The Fish Ecology Lab at South Dakota State University has an opening for a 
Ph.D. student in the general area of Ichthyology to start summer 2012.



Active areas of research in the lab include native and introduced fishes, and 
applied and experimental stream fish ecology. This graduate research 
assistantship will be funded through the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish 
and Parks to develop a physical and digital fish reference collection and a 
revised taxonomic key to the Fishes of the Dakotas, but students in the lab are 
encouraged to develop an independent research project that complements the 
central objectives of their research assistantship. South Dakota State 
University has an excellent graduate program in Fisheries with 6 dedicated 
faculty and 60+ graduate students affiliated with the Department of Natural 
Resource Management (http://www.sdstate.edu/nrm/index.cfm).


Interested students should contact Dr. Katie Bertrand 
(katie.bertr...@sdstate.edu) by December 
7th, 2011, with their CV, GRE scores, transcripts (undergraduate and master's 
degrees), and a brief statement of research interests.

Katie N. Bertrand, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Natural Resource Management
College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences
South Dakota State University
SNP 138, Box 2140B
Brookings, SD 57007-1696
http://www.sdstate.edu/wfs/

Office: 605-688-5092
Mobile: 605-690-8582
Fax: 605-688-4515
E-mail: katie.bertr...@sdstate.edu

[ECOLOG-L] PhD Project Available: Piping Plover Population Dynamics on the Missouri River in Relation to Natural and Engineered Sandbars

[Craig, Tara]

PhD Project: Piping Plover Population Dynamics on the Missouri River in 
Relation to Natural and Engineered Sandbars

Ph.D. project available in an active and collegial shorebird ecology/management 
lab in Virginia Tech's Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation.  Currently 
3 faculty and 3 graduate students are focusing of coast/riverine bird species, 
including piping plovers, Wilson's plovers, snowy plovers, least terns, common 
terns, skimmers and red knots.  This project is the fourth in a series of 
projects in a long term study of the ecology and conservation of piping plovers 
on the Missouri River (Le Fer et al. 
2007,
 Le Fer et al. 
2008,
 Catlin 
2009,
 Catlin et al. 
2010,
 Catlin et al. 
2011a,
 catlin et al. 
2011b)
 and one of many previous studies on various shorebird/coastal species Eg. 
Cohen et al. 
2009a,
 Cohen et al. 
2009b).

This will be an excellent project for a student wishing to hone skills in 
population dynamics, avian ecology, large project management and scientific 
writing.

The problem

The Missouri River is the longest river in North America.  Prehistorically, 
piping plovers likely nested in abundance on sandbars deposited during periods 
of high flows.  However, in the Mid-20th Century, a series of dams were built 
that reduced the number of high flows.  This reduced the rate of sandbar 
deposition, and this, plus sandbar erosion has resulted in reduced nesting 
habitat.  Other changes in flood plain habitat likely increased rates of 
predation which have reduced chick survival on the sandbars.

Starting in 2004, the Corps of Engineers began building sandbars to mitigate 
for the loss of naturally occurring habitat.  These sandbars attracted many 
plovers, and initially the daily survival rate of plover chicks was higher on 
engineered sandbars than on natural sandbars.  However, chick survival showed a 
density dependent decrease over time, perhaps due to density dependent 
predation, especially by great horned owls.

In the summer of 2011, extensive flooding occurred in the Missouri River Flood 
Plain.  This flooding resulted in extensive new sandbar deposits.

Project Goal

Evaluate the population dynamical response of piping plovers to this change in 
habitat availability and, especially, to compare population dynamics on new, 
naturally formed sandbars, with the dynamics recorded by Catlin (2009) on 
engineered and old natural sandbars.

Duties

All duties will be conducted in close collaboration with project P.I.s.  Write 
a working proposal to conduct this research.  Implement work on the ground, 
including supervision of circa 14 crew/crew leaders.  Interact with U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service with respect to endangered species permits.  Interact with 
the funding agency (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) on all aspects of the 
project, including on the ground coordination of crew activities.  Write annual 
reports and other interim reports.  Give papers at scientific meetings about 
this research.  Other activities as needed to make the project run smoothly and 
efficiently and to provide high quality science.  The successful candidate will 
be expected to publish results as senior author with project PI's as junior 
authors.

Qualifications

M.S. in Wildlife Science, Biology, Conservation Biology or similar.  
Significant fieldwork.  Demonstrated quantitative skills.  Demonstrated 
leadership and management skills.  Excellent academic record and GRE's.

Significant interaction with resource management and/or other public agencies, 
experience in population analysis, program MARK, and publication of M.S. or 
other science helpful.

Salary:  $21,000.00 + tuition

To apply

Send C.V., publication list, and list of references to Jim Fraser and Dan 
Catlin (fra...@vt.edu , 
dcat...@vt.edu ).

Fraser and Catlin will be at the TWS meeting if you wish to make an appointment 
with us.  Co-PI Sarah Karpanty will be at the Waterb

Re: [ECOLOG-L] AIC scores

[James Novak]

Burnham and Anderson (2002) provide the formulas for computing AIC from any 
model that generates either a log-liklihood value (Page 61) or a residual error 
(Page 63) so you can generate an AIC for pretty much any statistical model. SAS 
provides AIC as standard output on some procedures such as Proc Mixed and as 
parts of output data sets on some others such as Proc Reg. Many procedures do 
not provide an option for outputting AIC such as GLM.

Jim

><(((º>   ><(((º>   ><(((º>   ><(((º>   ><(((º>   ><(((º> 
 Jim Novak
Biological Sciences Department
1162 life Sciences Annex
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL  61920
(217) 581-6385
(217) 581-7141 (FAX)
jmno...@eiu.edu
http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~jmnovak/
><(((º>   ><(((º>   <º)))><   ><(((º>   ><(((º>   ><(((º>

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.

On Oct 26, 2011, at 10:32 AM, Minda Berbeco wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I am looking for recommendations for programs to use for calculating AIC
> scores.  I've looked into the AICcmodavg package with R, but the associated
> instructional material is not clear and I have not been able to get it to
> work.  I hear that SAS is good as well, but have not found a good book that
> tells me how to create AIC scores (recommendations would be appreciated). 
> I've also looked into SPSS, which according to IBM can create AIC scores,
> but have had no success.
> 
> Any recommendations for programs and clear associated instructional material
> with information on how to run the program, write the code etc. would be
> greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Minda Berbeco
> Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis
> mrberb...@ucdavis.edu

[ECOLOG-L] PhD opportunity in wetland ecology at Texas Tech University

[Kerry Griffis-Kyle]

PhD opportunity in wetland ecology at Texas Tech University
Start date January 2012

The Griffis-Kyle lab invites applications for a PhD position in Texas 
Tech’s Natural Resource Management Program.  We welcome inquiries from 
motivated students interested in how climate change affects wetland 
dependant organisms.  Incoming PhD students are encouraged to develop 
their own research project in the broad area of wetland ecology and 
climate working at the Lake Waco Wetlands 
(http://www.lakewacowetlands.com/).  There are mesocosms, lab space, and a 
natural area available on site to create an integrated research project 
combining laboratory and field ecology.

Qualifications:  We are looking for highly motivated and creative students 
with good communication skills (oral and written) that are comfortable 
working independently and that have previous experience.  Students should 
be interested in collaborating with a community college and mentoring 
undergraduates in research.  Preference will be given to students with a 
M.S., competitive GRE scores, undergrad GPA (>3.0), grad GPA (>3.5), and 
are able to start by January 2012

Interested applicants should email Dr. Kerry Griffis-Kyle (kerry.griffis-
k...@ttu.edu) ASAP and have “PhD opportunity” in the subject line. Please 
include in the email: 1) how this position will help you fulfill your 
career goals, 2) pertinent work experience 3) GRE scores, 4) why I should 
hire you, and 4) address, phone, and email.  Please include with your 
email a resume, unofficial transcripts, and contact information for three 
references. Texas Tech University requires a background check before a 
person can be hired.

Email correspondence is preferred.

For additional information on the Griffis-Kyle lab:  
http://www.rw.ttu.edu/ttunrm/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemid=45
For additional information on the Department of Natural Resources 
Management:  http://www.rw.ttu.edu/ttunrm/
For additional information on Texas Tech’s Graduate Program:  
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/

Re: [ECOLOG-L] AIC scores

[kerry Cutler]

Dear Minda

I don't think that you need any special package in R.  You can calculate AIC
scores and weights just using some basic functions.  Here is an example:


##these are some models you might want to evaluate
a<-glm(rtsizeB~rtsizeA)
b<-glm(rtsizeB~rtsizeA+mBIO1)
c<-glm(rtsizeB~rtsizeA+mBIO18)
d<-glm(rtsizeB~rtsizeA+mBIO12)
e<-glm(rtsizeB~rtsizeA+mBIO16)


##calculate AIC values and weights for growth models
A<-AIC(a,b,c,d,e)
dA<- -min(A[2])+A[2]
rL<-exp(-0.5*dA)  ##this is the relative likelihood
wAIC<- rL/sum(rL)
wAIC  #this is the weighted AIC score


If however, you need AICc scores, you can just take advantage of the
definitions given by:

AIC<- -2*LL + 2*K
AICc<-AIC + 2*K*(K+1)/(n-K-1)

where LL is the logLik(), K is the the number of parameters in the
fitted model,
and n is the number of observation, so if you know AIC then it is easy to
calculate AICc.

Good Luck!
Kerry Cutler
University of Wyoming


On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 9:32 AM, Minda Berbeco  wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I am looking for recommendations for programs to use for calculating AIC
> scores.  I've looked into the AICcmodavg package with R, but the associated
> instructional material is not clear and I have not been able to get it to
> work.  I hear that SAS is good as well, but have not found a good book that
> tells me how to create AIC scores (recommendations would be appreciated).
> I've also looked into SPSS, which according to IBM can create AIC scores,
> but have had no success.
>
> Any recommendations for programs and clear associated instructional
> material
> with information on how to run the program, write the code etc. would be
> greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Minda Berbeco
> Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis
> mrberb...@ucdavis.edu
>

[ECOLOG-L] Research abroad program in South Africa, summer 2012

[David Inouye]

Hi All,

We are offering a unique interdisciplinary research abroad program in 
South Africa during the summer of 2012. This opportunity is ideal for 
students interested in gaining field experience in rural communities 
along the border of one of the world's most amazing game reserves.


We will spend time inside Kruger National Park up close and personal 
with the big five (lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard, and rhino) and 
learn about the complex history of scientific management in this 
conservation area, while working with leading scientists and managers 
from South African National Parks, University of Pretoria, The 
University of the Witwatersrand, North Carolina State University, and 
others. Here we focus on rural livelihoods, rural and urban 
connectivity, resource use and availability, poverty alleviation, 
tourism, conservation management, and policy in an integrated 
socio-ecological systems framework. I like to think of this as THE 
NEW "One Health" perspective - Healthy ecosystems and healthy people 
- both are necessary for truly achieving sustainability.


On this program - we don't just learn about research - we actually do 
the research.


And as a team, we deliver products that are meant to benefit science 
as well as people. "IMAGINE - science that contributes to the health 
and well being of communities in need."


Please forward to those you think might be interested. This 
experience is meant for interdisciplinary participation - therefore, 
graduate students from a variety of majors are welcome and valued.


If you are looking to do integrated socio-ecological research in 
communities anywhere in the world, this program will help you to 
achieve your goals. Even if you are a simply hoping to incorporate 
one interdisciplinary research experience into your graduate program 
to increase your competitiveness in the job market, this program will 
facilitate that plan.


Below are links for more information on this rare opportunity.

Thanks,

Melissa

Article on last year's IMAGINE experience:
http://www.aheadgltfca.za.net/healththree.html

Background on the IMAGINE SA program:
http://urbanecologylab.wikispaces.com/IMAGINE

2012 Schedule and Costs:
http://urbanecologylab.wikispaces.com/2012+IMAGINE+Schedule

How to Apply:

(This program is run through NCSU, but we are accepting applications 
from graduate students in Universities across the U.S.)


http://urbanecologylab.wikispaces.com/Basic+Information+%28how+to+apply%29
http://studyabroad.ncsu.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=3400&Type=O&sType=O


Melissa McHale, PhD
Assistant Professor of Urban Ecology
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
College of Natural Resources
North Carolina State University
phone: 919/515/7579
email: mrmch...@ncsu.edu

[ECOLOG-L] Postdoctoral Research Associate in Terrestrial Carbon Cycling and Ecosystem Modeling

[Jingfeng Xiao]

Sorry for cross-posting. Please forward the following job announcement to
potential applicants.



Postdoctoral Research Associate in Terrestrial Carbon Cycling and Ecosystem
Modeling

The Complex Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire has an
immediate opening for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in terrestrial
carbon cycling and ecosystem modeling. The successful applicant will be
responsible for modifying an ecosystem model and examining ecosystem carbon
dynamics over North America. The position offers a competitive salary and
full benefits. A Ph.D. in ecology, biometeorology, or a related field is
required. Please submit a cover letter, CV, and the names and contact
information of three references to Dr. Jingfeng Xiao (j.x...@unh.edu) and
Dr. Scott Ollinger (scott.ollin...@unh.edu) via email with the subject line
“Application for postdoctoral position”. The position is funded by National
Science Foundation, and is renewable for up to three years. The position
will remain open until filled, but applications received by November 30,
2011 will receive full consideration.

A more detailed description of the position is available at:
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~jqs5/. 



Thanks.

Jingfeng

-- 
Jingfeng Xiao, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Complex Systems Research Center
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
University of New Hampshire
449 Morse Hall, 8 College Road
Durham, NH 03824

Email: j.x...@unh.edu
http://www.eos.sr.unh.edu/Faculty/Xiao
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~jqs5/
Tel: (603) 862-1873; Fax: (603) 862-0188 

Re: [ECOLOG-L] AIC scores

[Lawrence Gary Oates]

Model selection using S-Plus will give AIC scores of model comparisons.  See: 
Statistical Computing - An Introduction to Data Analysis using S-Plus by 
Michael J. Crawley.

On 10/26/11, Minda Berbeco   wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I am looking for recommendations for programs to use for calculating AIC
> scores.  I've looked into the AICcmodavg package with R, but the associated
> instructional material is not clear and I have not been able to get it to
> work.  I hear that SAS is good as well, but have not found a good book that
> tells me how to create AIC scores (recommendations would be appreciated). 
> I've also looked into SPSS, which according to IBM can create AIC scores,
> but have had no success.
> 
> Any recommendations for programs and clear associated instructional material
> with information on how to run the program, write the code etc. would be
> greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Minda Berbeco
> Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis
> mrberb...@ucdavis.edu
> 
> 
--
Lawrence Gary Oates, PhD | Assistant Scientist, GLBRC/Agronomy | Jackson Lab - 
Grassland Ecology | University of Wisconsin - Madison | 1575 Linden Drive - 
Madison, WI 53706-1597 
oa...@wisc.edu | http://agronomy.wisc.edu/jackson

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or 
the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and 
evidence.  John Adams 1770

Re: [ECOLOG-L] AIC scores

[Foley, Patrick]

Hi Minda,

AIC scores depend upon the statistical models used. I think R does the best job 
of providing these scores, for example in the context of multiple linear 
regression and generalized linear models.

The literature on R or on stats using R is growing rapidly. You will find 
readable treatments of AIC in Crawley's 2007 R book or in Zuur et al'sv2009 
Mixed Effects Models and extensions in Ecology with R.

And do not forget to examine ( I am not sure read is a realistic option) the 
valuable book by Burnham and Anderson 2002, Models Selection and Multimodel 
Inference.


Patrick Foley
bees, fleas, flowers, disease
patfo...@csus.edu

From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news 
[ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] on behalf of Minda Berbeco [mberb...@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 8:32 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] AIC scores

Hello,

I am looking for recommendations for programs to use for calculating AIC
scores.  I've looked into the AICcmodavg package with R, but the associated
instructional material is not clear and I have not been able to get it to
work.  I hear that SAS is good as well, but have not found a good book that
tells me how to create AIC scores (recommendations would be appreciated).
I've also looked into SPSS, which according to IBM can create AIC scores,
but have had no success.

Any recommendations for programs and clear associated instructional material
with information on how to run the program, write the code etc. would be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Minda Berbeco
Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis
mrberb...@ucdavis.edu

[ECOLOG-L] tenure-track position in Microbiology, Wright State University

[Don Cipollini]

*FacultyPositioninMicrobiology, Department ofBiological Sciences, Wright 
State University, Dayton, OH 45435*


The Department of Biological Sciences at Wright State University in 
Dayton OH seeks a microbiologist to fill a 
tenure-trackpositionattheAssistant Professor level.Area of 
specialization is open and may complement existing strengths in 
disciplines ranging from environmental to biomedical sciences.Doctoral 
degree and a minimum of one year post- doctoral experience required by 
time of first consideration.The successful candidate will be expected to 
establish a vibrant extramurally funded research program and to 
contribute to interdisciplinary research and graduate programs within a 
broad, collaborative department.


A competitive start-up package will be tailored to the specific needs of 
the successful candidate. Teaching responsibilities may include courses 
at the undergraduate and/or graduate level in microbiology.Faculty in 
Department of Biological Sciences participate in the Biomedical Sciences 
and Environmental Sciences PhD programs as well as the Biological 
Sciences and Microbiology & Immunology MSc programs.The department has 
close ties with WSU's Boonshoft School of Medicine.Resources in support 
of research include genomics and proteomics facilities, a breadth of 
microscopy instrumentation, a greenhouse, an animal care facility, and 
opportunities to collaborate with individuals at numerous regional 
clinical, industrial, and research institutions, including the Air Force 
Research LaboratoryatWrightPattersonAir Force Base.


WSU has nearly 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and the 
Department of Biological Sciences graduates approximately 150 students 
per year.More information about Wright State University, the Biological 
Sciences Department, its graduate programs, and this open faculty 
position can be found at http://www.wright.edu/biology/ 
.Criteria for promotion and tenure in 
Biological Sciences at WSU can be found at 
http://www.wright.edu/biology/department/bylaws.html. 



Applicants should submit aletter of application,/curriculum 
vitae/,statementsofresearchand teaching interests, and the names and 
contact information for three letters of reference via the web-portalat: 
_https://jobs.wright.edu/postings/4536_Review of applicants will begin 
November 30, 2011. Wright State University is anEO/AA employer.We invite 
applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to 
diversity.


--
***
Don Cipollini, Ph.D.
Professor- Plant Physiology/Chemical Ecology
Director- Environmental Sciences PhD Program
Department of Biological Sciences
Wright State University
3640 Colonel Glenn Highway
Dayton, Ohio 45435-0001
(937) 775-3805
FAX (937) 775-3320
email: don.cipoll...@wright.edu
Lab Page: http://www.wright.edu/~don.cipollini
Env Sci PhD Program: http://www.wright.edu/academics/envsci/

Re: [ECOLOG-L] AIC scores

[Manuel Spínola]

Hi Minda,

You can use

AIC(model) or extractAIC(model) in R (base).

Or take a look at the bbmle (Ben Bolker) package in R.

Best,

Manuel Spínola

2011/10/26 Minda Berbeco 

> Hello,
>
> I am looking for recommendations for programs to use for calculating AIC
> scores.  I've looked into the AICcmodavg package with R, but the associated
> instructional material is not clear and I have not been able to get it to
> work.  I hear that SAS is good as well, but have not found a good book that
> tells me how to create AIC scores (recommendations would be appreciated).
> I've also looked into SPSS, which according to IBM can create AIC scores,
> but have had no success.
>
> Any recommendations for programs and clear associated instructional
> material
> with information on how to run the program, write the code etc. would be
> greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Minda Berbeco
> Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis
> mrberb...@ucdavis.edu
>



-- 
*Manuel Spínola, Ph.D.*
Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre
Universidad Nacional
Apartado 1350-3000
Heredia
COSTA RICA
mspin...@una.ac.cr
mspinol...@gmail.com
Teléfono: (506) 2277-3598
Fax: (506) 2237-7036
Personal website: Lobito de río 
Institutional website: ICOMVIS 

[ECOLOG-L] Net ecosystem exchange time series

[Andy Bunn]

I'm looking for annual and cumulative  NEE (gC m^-2 y^-1) from as many biomes 
as possible. I've seen nifty plots of cumulative NEE at the Harvard Forest from 
1990 on and similar data from BOREAS. Does anybody know of a compilation of 
annual or seasonal NEE data from Ameriflux or similar?

[ECOLOG-L] AIC scores

[Minda Berbeco]

Hello,

I am looking for recommendations for programs to use for calculating AIC
scores.  I've looked into the AICcmodavg package with R, but the associated
instructional material is not clear and I have not been able to get it to
work.  I hear that SAS is good as well, but have not found a good book that
tells me how to create AIC scores (recommendations would be appreciated). 
I've also looked into SPSS, which according to IBM can create AIC scores,
but have had no success.

Any recommendations for programs and clear associated instructional material
with information on how to run the program, write the code etc. would be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Minda Berbeco
Viticulture and Enology, UC Davis
mrberb...@ucdavis.edu

[ECOLOG-L] PH.D STUDENT OPENING IN COMMUNITY ECOLOGY OR MACROECOLOGY

[Morgan Ernest]

The Ernest Lab at Utah State University has an opening for a Ph.D student in
the general areas of Community Ecology or Macroecology to start fall 2012. 
Active areas of research in the Ernest lab include long-term dynamics of
communities, processes generating macroecological patterns, and the role of
body size in the ecology and life-history of animals. While students
interested in one of the general areas listed above are preferred, students
are free to develop their own research projects based upon their interests.
Graduate students in the Ernest lab are funded through a combination of
research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships.  Utah
State University has an excellent graduate program in ecology with over 50
faculty and 80+ graduate students across campus affiliated with the USU
Ecology Center (http://www.usu.edu/ecology/).  

More information about the lab is available at: ernestlab.weecology.org

Interested students should contact Dr. Morgan Ernest (morgan.ern...@usu.edu)
by Nov 30th, 2011 with their CV, GRE scores, and a brief statement of
research interests.

[ECOLOG-L] Ediacaran Fossils Podcast

[Tracy Barbaro]

When the cod fishery collapsed in Newfoundland in the early 1990s, the hopes 
of the local fish harvesters collapsed with it. Hundreds of Newfoundlanders 
moved away and businesses that depended on the cod fishery closed. But retired 
schoolteacher Kit Ward of Portugal Cove South wasn’t content to watch her 
community vanish with the cod. She and some friends teamed up to find a 
solution that was right under their feet, in the reddish rocks of Mistaken 
Point.

Listen to the podcast: http://education.eol.org/podcast/ediacaran-fossils
Learn more about Ediacaran Fossils: http://www.complex-life.org/

This podcast was produced by Atlantic Public Media and the Encyclopedia of 
Life (www.eol.org) and funded by the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

[ECOLOG-L] MANAGING PUBLIC LANDS AND WATERS - DOING MORE WITH LESS

[Jiri Hulcr]

Are you an ecologist in the Southeastern USA? Or a forest owner? A land 
manager? Do you need the most up-to-date information and tools for forest 
management, regulatory issues, invasive forest species, etc.? Please join us 
for the annual Symposium: MANAGING PUBLIC LANDS AND WATERS - DOING MORE WITH 
LESS, hosted by the Society of American Foresters and the School of Forest 
Resources and Conservation, University of Florida.

The Distinguished Speaker featured at this event will be Franklin E. 
Boteler, leader of the Institute of Bioenergy, Climate and Environment 
(IBCE) in the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

When: November 8-9, 2011

Where: The School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of 
Florida, Gainesville, FL.

For more information see 
http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/download/2011_SYMPOSIUM_Brochure.pdf, or call (352) 
846-0850, or e-mail:  s...@ifas.ufl.edu.

Sponsored by The John Gray Fund for Excellence in Forest Resources and 
Conservation.

[ECOLOG-L] Job: tenure track position, community ecologist, Bowling Green State University

[David Inouye]

Tenure Track Position: Community Ecologist

The Department of Biological Sciences at Bowling Green State 
University seeks applicants for an Assistant Professor level, tenure 
track Community Ecology position. Applicants with postdoctoral 
experience and research expertise that complements existing strengths 
in evolution, population, and conservation ecology are preferred. 
Successful candidates are expected to develop a highly productive, 
externally funded research program, as well as contribute to the 
teaching missions of our PhD/MS program (~80 students) and 
undergraduate program, which includes a Specialization in Ecology and 
Conservation Biology.


To apply, electronically submit cover letter, CV, statements of 
research plans and teaching philosophy/experience, representative 
publications, and three reference letters to 
dmcl...@bgsu.edu or by mail to Community 
Ecologist Search Committee, Department of Biological Sciences, BGSU, 
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0208 by November 30, 2011. Contact Helen 
Michaels at hmic...@bgsu.edu for additional 
information.


Information about our department can be found at 
http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/biology. 
BGSU is an AA/EO employer/educator and encourages applications from 
women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities.

[ECOLOG-L] Royal Society Science Papers Now Online

[Mohr, Gary]

News link from the Beeb: http://bbc.in/uC3flc

Link to Royal Society Journals:  http://royalsocietypublishing.org/journals

The Royal Society Journals are now free and online, all the way back to the 
very beginning in 1665.  There are few restrictions, as far as I can tell; some 
journals are only free 1 year after publication.  But, this is a real treasure 
trove of information.  Go to the home page for an individual journal and click 
on "Past Issues."

Check it out.

Gary

Gary Mohr
Fish & Wildlife Biological Scientist IV 
   
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission   
  
Mailbox 5B6; 620 South Meridian St
Tallahassee, FL 32399   
 
Phone: 850-488-0588  Fax: 850-410-5269  
gary.m...@myfwc.com 

[ECOLOG-L] USIALE 2012 Newport, RI: Now Accepting Abstracts for the US Chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE) Annual Meeting

[Jeff Hollister]

We are now accepting abstracts for the the US Chapter of the
International Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE) Annual Meeting
to be held in Newport RI from April 8-12, 2012.

Please visit our website for more information:
http://www.usiale.org/newport2012

Visit the abstract submission page to submit your abstract:
http://www.usiale.org/newport2012/abstract-submission

Abstract submission deadline is Dec 16, 2011.

Thanks,
Jeff Hollister
USIALE 2012 Program Chair


***
Dr. Jeffrey W. Hollister
US EPA
Atlantic Ecology Division
27 Tarzwell Drive
Narragansett, RI 02882
(401) 782-9655
***

[ECOLOG-L] Climate change and human population growth survey reminder

[Christopher Lepczyk]

Dear Colleagues,
We are currently conducting a survey on climate change and human population 
growth as part of a larger research project.  In particular, we are interested 
in gaining a better understanding of both ecologists and sociologists opinions 
and knowledge on the synergistic relationship between global climate change and 
human population growth.  As a member of this listserv, you are representative 
of the students, academics, and professionals in the broader community of 
natural and social sciences that we are interested in.  Thus, we would like to 
ask for your assistance in completing the survey.
 
The survey is designed to take no more than 10 minutes.  You may access the 
survey at:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7XKWFBT
 
Thank you for your time and consideration.
 
Sincerely,
Chris Lepczyk
 
Christopher A. Lepczyk
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI 96822

Re: [ECOLOG-L] Neutral Theory Carried out to Physical Systems

[Mansour Haddad]

Hi Alexandre,

Thank you for your appreciation of my work. I appreciate you qualifying your
knowledge of the subject, but still I would be happy to hear your criticism
if you are willing to give it. I will keep in mind your expertise - and keep
in mind that my expertise is limited. It is hard to come up with a unifying
theory with a sufficient amount of expertise.

Concerning the internet-based approach, I think that history has shown that
the internet is the most powerful engine of societal advancement and the
spread of knowledge that exists - or has ever existed - in the world.
 Peer-review is nothing more than some experts reading a paper and giving
comments on it; you can do that on the internet. In fact, you can do it on
the internet very easily. I encourage any person with expertise to
peer-review this paper and I will take it into consideration in editing my
paper.

The format of the paper is not very scientific, I admit, but the idea isn't
exactly scientific. If supported, it has huge implications for science, but
it is a general idea for a general world. If I were to make it more
scientific, I would lose much of the logic of the paper which is based on
vague intuition and complex concepts that cannot be scientifically defined.
I hope that the mathematical model and proofs justify this method, but I
don't know how to present the theory in a thoroughly scientific fashion.

Thank you again for reading my paper, and if you have any input, or would
like to endorse the paper on the website (you can write a specific
endorsement that qualifies your knowledge and/or support), then please tell
me and I'll put it up right away. Assuming the internet is working; it isn't
very reliable in Lebanon.

Best wishes,

Mansour

2011/10/23 Alexandre F. Souza 

> Hi Mansour,
>
>   Congratulations for your scientific initiative. Being out of the
> scientific community is an unfavourable position to do science but is
> by no means a final obstacle. See the recent example of a great
> contribution from Physics by Lou Jost on the calculation and
> interpretation of diversity and, to use an extreme example, by
> Einstein, who was working at a patent office when he developed his
> relativity theory.
>
>   Generally speaking, I believe this to be a natural extension of the
> evolutionary theory to the molecular domain, and thus have potential to
> make a significant contribution. Since I do not work with neither
> evolution nor theoretical ecology, I am not able to discuss your theory
> directly.
>
>   However, I disagree with your internet-based strategy. Note that both
> the researchers I mentioned before made a contribution to science
> because they published their ideas in scientific journals. These are
> the main forum in which researchers debate and exchange ideas, and
> these ideas become stronger when submitted to peer review and published
> criticism.
>
>   Publish it in English, not in Arabian.
>
>   Best wishes,
>
>   Alexandre
>