[ECOLOG-L] Integrated Population Modelling Meeting 24th September 2012, UK
Dear ECOLOGGERS Those based in the UK on the 24th of September may be interested in attending our Integrated Population Modelling workshop at the lovely British Ecological Society headquarters in London. Details below Integrated Population Modelling Monday 24th September 2012 This is a joint meeting of the Environmental Statistics Section (ESS) of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), British and Irish region of the Biometric Society and the Computational Ecology Special Interest Group of the British Ecological Society (BES). The meeting will be held at Charles Darwin Househttp://www.charlesdarwinhouse.co.uk/Home.aspx, in London. Programme 11.00-11.30 Registration 11.30-12.30 Tutorial Talk on Integrated Population Modelling by Takis Besbeas (Athens University of Business and Economics, University of Kent) 12.30-13.50 Lunch and Poster Session 13.50-14.30 Recent Developments in Integrated Population Modelling by Takis Besbeas (Athens University of Business and Economics, University of Kent) 14.30-15.10 Combining demographic and population count data to estimate immigration rate and the strength of density dependence, by Fitsum Abadie (Centre D'Ecologie Fonctionnelle Evolutive) 15.10-15.40 Coffee Break 15.40-16.20 State-space modeling reveals the proximate causes of harbour seal population declines by Jason Matthiopoulos (University of St. Andrews) 16.20-17.00 Dynamic probabilistic models for predicting regime shifts in fish populations, by Allan Tucker (Brunel University) 17.00-17.20 Discussion led by Byron Morgan (University of Kent) Abstracts and poster titles are available at: http://bir.biometricsociety.org/events/integratedpopmodelling Cost: Member of Biometric/Royal Statistical Society/British Ecological Society: £40 Student Member: £15 Non-Member: £60 Register Onlinehttp://bir.biometricsociety.org/events/integratedpopmodelling/register Poster Session: We invite the presentation of posters on integrated population modelling at the meeting. Posters can be on the statistical modelling, on the ecological data or a mixture of both. If you wish to present a poster please email your poster title to Diana Cole (d.j.c...@kent.ac.ukmailto:d.j.c...@kent.ac.uk).
[ECOLOG-L] Ecology of Sacred Sea: live webcast TODAY
The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis invites you to the live broadcast of Science for Everyone! Lake Baikal, the Sacred Sea of Siberia Dr. Stephanie Hampton, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis Thursday, September 13, 5:30-6:30 PM Pacific Time Catch the live broadcast on the web: http://new.livestream.com/nceas/baikal Intended for everyone! Join us for a journey to the other side of the planet to Siberia. Our tour guide is ecologist Dr. Stephanie Hampton who will lead us on an ecological tour of Lake Baikal, where she conducts her research. Lake Baikal is a lake of superlatives; it is the world's deepest, most ancient, most biologically diverse, and largest freshwater lake by volume. Home to the world's only freshwater pinniped, the Baikal seal, and an astonishing diversity of freshwater creatures and underwater landscapes, this unique ecosystem depends on long periods of ice cover and cold temperatures. As Siberia rapidly warms, Dr. Hampton and her colleagues are working to understand Baikal's unique biology, primarily through the use of 60 years of detailed data that have been collected by three generations of a single family of Siberian scientists and their dedicated colleagues. Join us on September 13th to pierce the veil that surrounds one of the most fascinating places on the globe.
[ECOLOG-L] Temperature, precipitation, degree of disturbance and stochasticity by ecoregion or habitat world-wide?
Dear ecologgers, Some colleagues and I are carrying out a comparative demographic analyses with hundreds of plant species and are interested in correlating our findings with abiotic factors such as mean annual temperature and precipitation, frequency of disturbance, or degree of abiotic stochasticity. Unfortunately we do not have access to these type of data for the study sites where the data in our database was censused. Instead, we have classified those sites following Olson et al. BioSci 2001's ecoregions*. We've tried to find a publication that offers global values for P, T, degree of disturbance, degree of stochasticity, etc at this ecoregion or similar classification level but have not succeeded. We would very much appreciate if some ecologger could suggest some references. My email contact is salguero AT demogr.mpg.de. Many thanks in advance! Rob et al. *Olson's ecoregions are: - Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest - Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest - Tropical and subtropical coniferous forest - Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest - Temperate coniferous forest - Boreal forest/Taiga - Tropical and subtropical grassland, savanna, and shrubland - Temperate grassland, savanna and shrubland - Flooded grassland and savanna - Tundra - Mediterranean forest, woodland and scrub - Desert and xeric shrubland - Mangrove -- Aliud iter ad prosperitatem nos est: id est omnibus rebus vincere .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. Rob Salguero-Gómez, PhD Postdoctoral fellow Address: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, room 310 Konrad-Zuse-Str. 1. 18057 Rostock, Germany Office phone: +49 (0) 381.2081-267 (ext. 236) Fax: +49 (0) 381.2081-567 Email: salgu...@demogr.mpg.de Skype: robertosalguerogomez Website: http://sites.google.com/site/RobResearchSite/ -- This mail has been sent through the MPI for Demographic Research. Should you receive a mail that is apparently from a MPI user without this text displayed, then the address has most likely been faked. If you are uncertain about the validity of this message, please check the mail header or ask your system administrator for assistance.
[ECOLOG-L] LANDIS-II Training Session this Dec in Portland, OR
Dear Colleagues: We are offering a training to learn how to use LANDIS-II, a widely-used (500+ users) forest landscape model (www.landis-ii.org). The training will be held on December 10-11, 2012 and will consist of two full days of intensive training at a computer lab on the campus of Portland State University in Portland, OR. We will also host an optional field trip after the training session. This will be our 5th full training session and we have a series of exercises carefully prepared. The training is intended for both novice and intermediate users; opportunities to work on individual projects with LANDIS-II can be arranged. However, we need more users to sign up! If you are interested, please contact me via email (rmsch...@pdx.edu) by September 15, 2012. At that time we will decide whether we have enough interested users to proceed. There are no registration fees but attendees are responsible for travel, lodging, and food. Discounted hotel rooms are available. Cheers, Robert Scheller Dr. Robert M. Scheller, PhD Assistant Professor Dept. Environmental Sciences and Mgmt Portland State University Office: Science Research Teaching Center, Room B1-18 Phone: 503-725-2497 https://sites.google.com/a/pdx.edu/dynamic-ecosystems-landscape-lab/ Mailing Address: Dept. Environmental Sciences and Mgmt Portland State University SRTC, Room 218 1719 SW 10th Ave. Portland, OR 97201 -- Dr. Melissa S. Lucash Research Faculty Department of Environmental Science and Forestry Science Teaching and Research Center, B1-25B Portland State University Portland, OR 97201 luc...@pdx.edu
[ECOLOG-L] PhD or MS opportunity in population and community ecology
M.S. or PhD opportunity for studies in population and community ecology at East Carolina University I invite applications from prospective MS and PhD students. Research in my lab focuses on a variety of questions in conservation, population, and community ecology as well as the development of experimental and quantitative approaches that help to better link empirical data to ecological and evolutionary theory. In my research, I typically take a mechanistic approach aimed at understanding how variation in individual traits (e.g. size, stage and phenotype) scale up to influence population and community level processes and spatial coupling across ecosystems. Within this broader context, my research can be loosely categorized into five interrelated conceptual themes; 1) the ecological consequences of phenotypic plasticity, 2) body size dependence of ecological interactions, 3) cross ecosystem links formed by the sequential process of complex life cycles, 4) understanding predator diversity effects, and 5) the development of innovative experimental and quantitative approaches. I work in a variety of systems including temperate, tropical, terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. I will consider students with interests in a variety of topics and systems (including but not restricted to those in which I work) that address complementary questions in population and community ecology, climate change and conservation. For additional information about me, my research and the application process please visit: http://blog.ecu.edu/sites/mccoym/prospective-students/ http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/biology/McCoy_Michael.cfm About ECU East Carolina University is the third largest campus in the University of NC system and has an active and well-supported group of faculty working in the areas of ecology and evolution. Students accepted into the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biological Sciences will receive at least two years of support with no teaching obligations and at least five years of support total, at a very competitive level. TA-ships are readily available in two MS programs and Biology faculty members also supervise students in ECU's Coastal Resource Management PhD program. Graduate students will be encouraged to participate in the newly formed North Carolina Center for Biodiversity (NCCB) at East Carolina University. Goals of the NCCB include training graduate students in biodiversity research and providing them opportunities to participate in related outreach. Students enjoy living in the affordable community of Greenville, NC, participating in seminar series and journal clubs that feature research in ecology and evolution, and having access to several natural areas, universities and research centers located in central and eastern NC. Application deadlines vary with particular programs but applying early is recommended. Please visit http://www.ecu.edu/biology/ to find out more about the Biology department at ECU and graduate programs.
[ECOLOG-L] Recent college graduate in Nashville, TN
Hey ECOLOG! This is my first e-mail to the listserv, so I hope I'm doing it correctly! I'm writing because I am a recent college graduate from the College of Charleston where I received a B.A. in Biology, and graduated with honors. I'm currently living in Nashville, TN on my gap year (just moved here last month), and I'm hoping to get a research assistant position at Vanderbilt or Belmont, but I don't know any professors at the universities around here. I've exhausted all of my connections at my alma mater, but then I remembered that maybe this listserv could help! I've worked on plants in the lab and in the field for the last 2.5 years (*Lindera melissifolia* and *Arabidopsis thaliana*), so I'd love to continue with that, but I'm open to anything, really! Basically, I'm just hoping that someone on this listserv may know someone in the Nashville and surrounding areas that has a need for a hard-working and self-motivated research assistant. In case anyone is interested in learning more about my background, I will happily and promptly reply with an attachment of my resume and a list of professional references if desired. Thank you all so much. Anna Matthews
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate research assistantship at Colorado State University
We have an opening for a graduate student seeking a Ph.D. in the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at Colorado State University starting in January 2013. The successful applicant will: 1) develop sampling and analysis procedures for ground-based estimates of ungulate population size in conservation areas; 2) develop methods for estimating the e ffects of boundary harvest on survival of animals within conservation areas, and 3) model cross boundary movement of ungulates using telemetry data. The position is fully funded by the National Park Service. An annul stipend, full tuition waiver, and expenses for field work will be provided. Requirements include a master's degree in ecology, wildlife biology, statistics or related field. Strong quantitative skills are required. Training in maximum likelihood and / or Bayesian methods for parameter estimation and GIS skills are desirable. There will be an opportunity to do a preliminary interview at the Annual Meeting of the Wildlife Society in Portland Oregon (October 16-18, 2012). To apply, send letter of interest, curriculum vitae, GRE scores, master's degree transcripts, and a writing sample (manuscript, report, etc) to tom.ho...@colostate.edu. U.S. citizenship is not required, but only U.S. citizens will be eligible for a full tuition waiver.
[ECOLOG-L] new form of journal for ecology
Synopsis New journal for ecological research that will help us avoid repetition, accelerate, and document supported hypotheses. Free for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoc. Think of this as a home for your riskiest research, undergraduate theses, and unpublished thesis chapters - for now. Rapid, editor-only review for technical correctness. Here is the front end site I built for discussion using wordpress: http://www.immediatescience.org and here is the back-end OJS site for the tools: http://library.queensu.ca/ojs/index.php/ISE/index Rationale Why bother with journals or big publishers (and their profits)? Self publish. If you did this yourself on your own website or blog, that would be great. However, if we all did that, google might find it all, but it would be in different formats and would be messy. So, if you have cool stuff you want to get out now, immediately, use this journal. We have been thinking about this for a long time. I have several PhD experiments that I never published (but did the stats on and wrote up), have several trial projects never published, and have had about 10 honors thesis students write up that I just don't have time to turn into a paper and then fight with peer-review for months on end. I was also thinking that an analogy for this idea (standardized self-publishing) would be datasets that are sitting around in paper notebooks or in file cabinets. This is not useful to anyone except those that collected the data. However, if I take the time to sit and enter it, at least it has utility to me and my students. So, let's do the same for all our work. Then, it can become be an inspiration for others and a nice way for all of us to share our results - immediately. The format of current standard academic papers works with an easy format to see and use. It is a pdf with introduction, methods, results, and a discussion. It has a journal name, volume, and page numbers with neighboring work by others that is similar. So, Queen's University has sponsored a new journal model using the Open Journal System. This is a journal because we the community say it is and put our work there. The papers look great and are valid because others can use the material. If some are great, they will rise to the top of the web. If not, well, what happens to most papers anyway? My colleagues and I will check them all for technical correctness. Each will also get a DOI. PlosOne is awesome but expensive and still peer-reviewed. The f1000 model of publish anything online is another option (but you have to pay, and it is a money making endeavor), and it is not a paper anyway - just an online post. So, let's provide our discipline with very limited, 'editor-reviewed' publications - only for technical correctness. I have made up a checklist for editors (that will be transparent to the authors), but basically this is a journal where authors can publish honor's thesis papers, those middle chapters of graduate theses, or papers you want out right now - or papers that don't support the dominant hypothesis or are confirmatory in nature (good luck publishing those any where now even if it is tested in a unique system). Put them here. Every paper has an issue, page number, and DOI attached to it. It is free to undergraduate honor's students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows and only $50 per paper for everyone else. Always open access. The main goal is to accelerate discovery in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB), and we see at least two ways to do this - (1) avoid repetition of experiments that others have probably already done but never published and (2) publish findings more quickly and let download rates and post-publication open online review sort out the best or most useful ones. It is called Immediate Science Ecology (ISE). There are two kinds of paper, experimental and review articles. The author must also identify when submitting whether the paper in each of these two categories is Discovery (preliminary or exploratory study), Documentation (confirmatory study or refutation of previous studies), or Development (a standard study similar to mainstream journals but novel and communicated immediately here). The job of the editor is to use the checklist to ensure the paper is appropriate (adequate data, methods clear, well written, etc.), and if not, it is returned immediately indicating which category is not satisfied. This is very, very limited review as we want stuff out online within 10 days. Queen's U is paying for a part-time copyeditor to edit the minor details and format as a standard paper just like IEE (http://library.queensu.ca/ojs/index.php/IEE/index). I am paying for the DOI registration fees. So, let's try it. We are calling it Immediate Science Ecology (Ecology and Evol Biol for now) or ISE pronounced 'eyes'. Submit your work, and
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Confession and Technology Transfer?
Aaron and Ecolog: My take on Dr. Dossey's point is that BASIC research IS needed, but what is needed even more is the INTEGRATION of what is known and a coherent approach that brings scientific disciplines into better focus. This means simple honesty and discussion of issues rather than resorting to arguing from authority--an increasingly unfortunate habit despite its long recognition in academia as fallacious. While I believe I may understand what Dossey is getting at when he refers to the attitude, also unfortunately increasing, of ivory-towerism, I do not believe that throwing the grandpa's out with the bathwater will alone solve much. When science or any other form of human endeavor concentrates power, both discipline and freedom suffer. Academia has its flaws, but it remains an important element in personal and social development. A sculptor once said, when asked how he could create beauty out of a piece of rock, I just cut away the ugly part. There is a strong tendency within academia to concentrate power, toward elitism, and egocentrism among academics. But there are notable exceptions--the beautiful part. What is needed, and what is coming, spontaneously it seems, is a kind of automatic reformation process. Universities are suffering funding cuts, for-profit universities have been springing up like toadstools, sucking in students who cannot, for a multitude of reasons take advantage of no-profit (but still gold-mines of privilege for those IN the club) universities, and true learning suffers. Student loans have become a windfall for both categories, and students and taxpayers have to pick up the tab. If a revolution is to be averted or avoided, there will have to be some cutting away of the ugly parts. Trouble is, the ugly parts tend to have the power and will resist. The biggest elephant in the room is whether the whole process of gaining a better understanding of reality is or is not the central goal and guiding principle of the education system or any subset thereof, or if, as many students seem to believe, a mere struggle to acquire anointment in the form of a certification or degree, regardless of the understanding actually gained from the process. It's not that the products produced by the system do not gain understanding, it's the focus upon the ticket to ride as opposed to the ability to think, to use the knowledge gained that undercuts such actual abilities. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Big Business, for example, is less and less interested in certificates and more and more interested in what people can actually DO. That is another elephant in the room--the tendency of the educational system to see itself as a factory for turning out a qualified workforce rather than well-integrated human beings. To reiterate Dossey's main point: BASIC research is related to the understanding of principles that can be applied, empirically tested, and hold up under the feedback generated by applications--or be modified or replaced with ones that can. WT PS: I expect to return on or before October 10. - Original Message - From: Aaron T. Dossey bugoc...@gmail.com To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 8:49 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Confession and Technology Transfer? The problem is that we are in a society of haves and have nots and the innovators tent to fall into the have not category. (haves have no incentive to be innovative, creative or work hard, since they already have) Thus, anyone with truly innovative ideas and passion/skill for pursuing them is probably in my same boat as an unemployed entrepreneur at best and thus doesn't have money to pay themselves, much less anyone else. Basic scientific research needs a private sector non-university alternative! Universities and the tenured professor elite have failed society - on all fronts: education, careers and research. We need alternative competition to the ivory tower for those of us innovators who have lost faith in the ivory tower yet still wish to move our innovations forward without them! On 9/12/2012 11:34 AM, Wayne Tyson wrote: Dear Ecolog and friends: I have been retired since 2000, when I sold my 21-year consulting business to a newly-minted Ph.D. whom I met through Ecolog. This turned out to be a mistake, and I do not hold myself blameless. The bottom line is that I did not profit from this sale, and my retirement fund was not big enough to fund a modest lifestyle, especially after the Crash of 2008. Since then, my wife and I have been eating our seed corn, causing our nest egg to shrink even further. I now find it necessary to find some way to make a little extra income. I do not wish to sell my old consulting business; the five years that it was operated by the new owner did not greatly enhance its reputation. I do not want to open another consulting business; however, I would be interested in being
[ECOLOG-L] Senior Botanist/Wetland Ecologist position - URS Corporation, Oakland, CA
URS is seeking a full time Senior Botanist/Wetland Ecologist to add to our existing biology practice of over 35 biologists in the Oakland office. The ideal candidate has botanical and wetland field experience in California and would complement our talented staff, expand our capabilities, and work within our successful interdisciplinary wetland, wildlife, botanical and restoration teams. We are seeking a dynamic individual, capable of conducting and leading field surveys and provides technical knowledge; someone who works well with junior staff and is comfortable leading small or large groups of staff; and someone that can deliver high quality technical documentation. This position requires excellent verbal communication and writing skills and the desire to assist URS in the continued growth of the biology practice. A successful candidate will utilize these skills to provide technical guidance, conduct floristic surveys, map vegetation communities, prepare vegetation sections for plans and specifications for restoration projects, conduct compliance monitoring, prepare technical reports, and interact with a variety of staff level biologists, senior project managers, and clients and regulatory agencies. To Apply: https://www.urs.apply2jobs.com/ProfExt/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJobRID=71282CurrentPage=153sid=364 REQUIREMENTS FOR P3 Wetland Scientist/Botanist:A minimum of a bachelor’s degree, or higher, in botany or a closely related field. A minimum of four (4) years’ relevant professional work experience (as a consulting botanist and wetland ecologist, or field biologist for government agencies, ornot-for-profit organization, etc.). A master’s degree may substitute for 1-2 years’ experience, and a Ph.D. degree may substitute for up to three years’experience, at URS’ discretion. Work experience should include substantial experience in the California Floristic Province, with a focus on flora and wetland ecology of the Bay Area,Central Valley, and Sierra Nevada’s. Experience organizing, leading and conducting floristic surveys, wetland delineations, vegetation mapping, wetland condition assessments and tree surveys.Knowledge of special-status plant and non-native invasive plant ecology, wetland condition assessment, enhancement/restoration design and management.Demonstrated proficiency with using dichotomous keys (e.g. the Jepson Manual) and working knowledge of accepted vegetation mapping methods (e.g. the Manual of California Vegetation 2).Familiarity with USFWS, CDFG, and CDFG/CNPS plant survey protocols, and a working knowledge of environmental laws including NEPA, CEQA, ESA Section 7 or10, and CESA as they relate to botanical resources. Familiarity with or proficiency in wetland delineation and Section 404 environmental permittingExperience in forestry and land management practices, vegetation management, engineering plans and specifications (vegetation related sections), prescribedburns or as an arborist.Familiarity with ArcGIS software and its capabilities and use of Global Positioning Systems.Competence with Microsoft Office software including Word and Excel. An established proficiency with processing and interpreting data for evaluating biological impacts, identification of appropriate avoidance, minimization and mitigation strategies.Applicant should have demonstrated strong writing skills, including experience as a lead, authored or co-authored a variety of reports, including but not limited to: wetland delineation report, 404 permit applications, botanical survey reports, environmental assessments, environmental impact reports and statements, biological assessments, mitigation plans, and/or monitoring reports.Ability to work as part of a team work, possesses strong communication skills both verbally and in writing, and has the ability and desire to interact with clients and agency representatives.The applicant should be able to manage a number of tasks and responsibilities, including:Organizing, scoping, budgeting, and conducting field efforts, technical tasks; and potentially managing small to medium sized projects.Preparing high quality CEQA/NEPA-related document sections, biological assessments, mitigation and restoration plans and other technical reports for local and regional projects.Supervising protocol-level floristic surveys; wetland delineations and condition assessments, vegetation mapping; sensitive-species monitoring; and restoration efforts.Processing data collection and analysis, with the use of Microsoft Office and Geographic information System (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) equipment and softwareProviding senior technical guidance while working on complex and challenging assignments.Assisting on wetland and stream delineations; and wildlife habitat mapping and evaluation, mitigation design and compliance reporting.Flexibility to serve as a cross-disciplinary resource to best serve the needs of the
