Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
I don't think the question is whether invasives are a problem. The criticisms the article raises are rather easily refuted. Sure, invasives are a problem for industry or national security (i.e. our species), and if we are generous perhaps for the integrity of some ecological system as we understand it. But who is to judge what is good for the ecology? Or is it more often just some sentimental nostalgia? My point is that whether we claim the motivation to control invasives is selfless preservationism or reduce it to economic loss or other self-interest, it is ultimately anthropocentric, because our management actions rely on our own limited data and understanding of ecology and are given direction by our own limited judgments about what is best for some natural system. The truth is, nature will adjust with or without us, and life will go on. Perhaps our efforts would be better spent figuring out how to better conduct our civilization than on making ridiculously futile managerial adjustments. The real question to my mind is whether we should continue on such a path knowing we so often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight. Reading the authors' justification for invasive management reminded me of Bush the administration rallying support for the Iraq war.. What we already know is scary, so imagine how terrifying the uknown unknowns might be! When will we learn to just leave things alone? Miles On Oct 28, 2013 11:54 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate Positions in Landscape Level Plant-Climate Interactions and Remote Sensing Science
Dr. Jonathan Greenberg and the Global Environmental Analysis and Remote Sensing (GEARS) Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are now inviting applications for Doctoral or Master's work that will start in Fall 2014 for students interested in one or both of the following topics: Landscape Level Plant-Climate Interactions: Students should be interested in applying remote sensing, GIS, and modeling to the following questions at local to global scales: - How do plants respond to their climate at multiple scales? - What will be the future state of vegetated ecosystems under climate change? - How do non-climate factors impact the distribution of plants? Students interested in these topics are encouraged to apply to either the Department of Geography and GIScience (http://www.geog.illinois.edu/) and/or the Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology (PEEC, http://sib.illinois.edu/peec/). A degree or background in biogeography, environmental science, ecology, and/or biology is encouraged for applicants, as well as previous experience in remote sensing and GIS. *** Remote Sensing Science: Students should be interested in developing advanced remote sensing algorithms, particularly those that leverage high performance computing and machine learning algorithms. GEARS is interested in the following general topics: - Computer vision techniques applied to high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery - Fully automated pre-processing techniques including orthorectification and atmospheric correction - Radiative transfer modeling and model inversion - Advanced techniques in hyperspectral, hyperspatial, multitemporal, thermal, and Lidar data processing Students interested in these topics are encouraged to apply to either the Department of Geography and GIScience (http://www.geog.illinois.edu/) and/or the Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology (PEEC, http://sib.illinois.edu/peec/). Previous programming experience and a background in remote sensing and GIS is highly recommended. *** Prospective graduate students will be expected to develop their own research goals, and should have curiosity, motivation, and independence. Prospective students are encouraged to review the research topics on the GEARS website (http://www.geog.illinois.edu/~jgrn/), and email a short summary of their research interests as well as a CV to Dr. Greenberg j...@illinois.edu before applying to the program. Funding will be available from a variety of sources, including fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. -- Jonathan A. Greenberg, PhD Assistant Professor Global Environmental Analysis and Remote Sensing (GEARS) Laboratory Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 259 Computing Applications Building, MC-150 605 East Springfield Avenue Champaign, IL 61820-6371 Phone: 217-300-1924 http://www.geog.illinois.edu/~jgrn/ AIM: jgrn307, MSN: jgrn...@hotmail.com, Gchat: jgrn307, Skype: jgrn3007
[ECOLOG-L] GW's Masters Program in Environmental Resource Policy
Dear Colleague: As you advise graduating seniors, and young professionals, about graduate school opportunities, you may want to suggest that they consider the MA Program in Environmental Resource Policy (ENRP) at George Washington University. The ENRP program has a number of distinctive features -- militantly interdisciplinary, a pragmatic focus on problem-solving, and a DC location -- that make it unique. The program prepares students to enter environmental policy careers in government agencies, non-profit organizations, environmental advocacy groups, think tanks, and the corporate sector. If you, or your advisees, are interested, feel free to check us out at go.gwu.edu/enrp. And if you have any specific questions, feel free to get in touch with me. Cheers, Peter -- Peter Linquiti Visiting Professor of Public Policy Public Administration Interim Director, Environmental Resource Policy Program George Washington University linqu...@gwu.edu http://www.tspppa.gwu.edu/faculty/linquiti.cfm
[ECOLOG-L] TT Assistant Professor in Microbiology - MS State Univ
The Department of Biological Sciences at Mississippi State University invites applications for a 9-month tenure-track faculty position in Microbiology. * * We seek a candidate who will complement existing strengths and allow for new collaborations in the department and across Mississippi State University. Appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor, with a start date of August 16, 2014. Successful candidates are expected to develop an externally funded research program, direct graduate students, and teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and contribute to the service mission of the department. Minimum requirements include a Ph.D. in a relevant area of Biology or Microbiology, post-doctoral experience, evidence of sustained scholarly productivity, and evidence of teaching competence. Candidates with expertise in microbial symbioses, microbiomes, or community structure and function are strongly encouraged to apply. * * Mississippi State University is a comprehensive land-grant university that serves more than 20,000 students. The university is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “very high research activity” university, placing it among the nation’s leading major research universities. Faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences have diverse research interests in bioinformatics, cell biology, developmental biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, microbiology, physiology, and systematics and are funded by the NIH, NSF, USDA, and USGS, as well as numerous private foundations. * * The Biological Sciences department offers degrees at the B.S. (Biological Sciences, Medical Technology, and Microbiology), M.S. (Biological Sciences thesis and non-thesis) and Ph.D. (Biological Sciences) levels. Research space in Harned Hall was recently renovated providing modern facilities for cutting-edge research. Campus research infrastructure includes supercomputing resources, statistical expertise, proteomics, genomics, microscopy and imaging instrumentation, and geospatial technology throughout numerous centers and institutes. Additional details on research facilities, faculty expertise, and potential for collaborations across campus are available at http://www.biology.msstate.edu. * * To apply, submit a CV, statement of research expertise and goals (2-page maximum), a statement of teaching interests and competency (2-page maximum), three letters of reference, and reprints of up to 3 publications. These materials should be submitted to applica...@biology.msstate.edu. Applicants should also complete the Personal Data Information Form associated with this position at https://www.jobs.msstate.edu (PARF/position 7551). Screening of applications will begin December 1, 2013 and will continue until the position is filled. * * MSU is an AA/EOE.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
Miles – ridiculously futile managerial adjustments? often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight? sentimental nostalgia?? nature will adjust, with or without us??? Are you kidding us? Are you saying that, if a brown tree snake appears on the tarmac at Honolulu (it's happened several times already), we shouldn't do anything about it? Are you saying that you aren't willing to judge whether, say, the introduction of the emerald ash borer or the balsam wooly adelgid were or were not good for the ecology? Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin givn...@wisc.edu http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 10/29/13, Miles Medina wrote: I don't think the question is whether invasives are a problem. The criticisms the article raises are rather easily refuted. Sure, invasives are a problem for industry or national security (i.e. our species), and if we are generous perhaps for the integrity of some ecological system as we understand it. But who is to judge what is good for the ecology? Or is it more often just some sentimental nostalgia? My point is that whether we claim the motivation to control invasives is selfless preservationism or reduce it to economic loss or other self-interest, it is ultimately anthropocentric, because our management actions rely on our own limited data and understanding of ecology and are given direction by our own limited judgments about what is best for some natural system. The truth is, nature will adjust with or without us, and life will go on. Perhaps our efforts would be better spent figuring out how to better conduct our civilization than on making ridiculously futile managerial adjustments. The real question to my mind is whether we should continue on such a path knowing we so often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight. Reading the authors' justification for invasive management reminded me of Bush the administration rallying support for the Iraq war.. What we already know is scary, so imagine how terrifying the uknown unknowns might be! When will we learn to just leave things alone? Miles On Oct 28, 2013 11:54 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa --
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
Miles, When will we we learn to just leave things alone? Had we left things alone in the first place, there would be no invasions. You can't have it both ways. So, if you want things left alone, then you don't do the things that bring about invasions -- you don't start aviation activities that move snakes about, for example. But if you did not leave things alone, then you have an obligation to do your best to prevent consequences, monitor what is going on, and fix things where appropriate. Not doing anything after the fact, or not doing anything to prevent consequences neither one constitutes leaving things alone. David McNeely Thomas J. Givnish givn...@facstaff.wisc.edu wrote: Miles – ridiculously futile managerial adjustments? often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight? sentimental nostalgia?? nature will adjust, with or without us??? Are you kidding us? Are you saying that, if a brown tree snake appears on the tarmac at Honolulu (it's happened several times already), we shouldn't do anything about it? Are you saying that you aren't willing to judge whether, say, the introduction of the emerald ash borer or the balsam wooly adelgid were or were not good for the ecology? Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin givn...@wisc.edu http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 10/29/13, Miles Medina wrote: I don't think the question is whether invasives are a problem. The criticisms the article raises are rather easily refuted. Sure, invasives are a problem for industry or national security (i.e. our species), and if we are generous perhaps for the integrity of some ecological system as we understand it. But who is to judge what is good for the ecology? Or is it more often just some sentimental nostalgia? My point is that whether we claim the motivation to control invasives is selfless preservationism or reduce it to economic loss or other self-interest, it is ultimately anthropocentric, because our management actions rely on our own limited data and understanding of ecology and are given direction by our own limited judgments about what is best for some natural system. The truth is, nature will adjust with or without us, and life will go on. Perhaps our efforts would be better spent figuring out how to better conduct our civilization than on making ridiculously futile managerial adjustments. The real question to my mind is whether we should continue on such a path knowing we so often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight. Reading the authors' justification for invasive management reminded me of Bush the administration rallying support for the Iraq war.. What we already know is scary, so imagine how terrifying the uknown unknowns might be! When will we learn to just leave things alone? Miles On Oct 28, 2013 11:54 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- -- David McNeely
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
I mentioned this correspondence to a friend who works a lot in this field. This is what he/she said (i'm leaving off the name since he/she is not available to ask permission to expose it right now!): What I absolutely can't stand is the term invasion biology. It's colonization theory pure and simple. Anything can invade. Painted Turtles or Green Frogs to a new farm pond. Besides being misused, I think that the term prejudices the research approach. As for the debate, the best arguments against studying exotic species and their impacts are embarrassing. What has caused us to move from using colonization theory and to the new term invasion biology? Are they really different? I don't see a difference either. On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 9:58 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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] FINAL CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR SWS DIVERSITY PROGRAM UNDERGRADUATE MENTORING AWARDS
The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) announces the availability of undergraduate student awards for travel to attend the Joint Aquatic Sciences meeting in Portland, Oregon May 18 – May 23, 2014. This unique meeting is co-hosted by SWS, ASLO, PSA and SFS and will build a bridge across the disciplines within the field of aquatic science and will explore many exciting opportunities for collaboration. The mission of this SWS program is to increase diversity in the Society and the field of wetland sciences by offering full travel awards to undergraduate students from underrepresented groups and providing career mentoring and exposure to career options at the Society’s annual meeting (see application form for eligible groups). These awards are supported by the National Science Foundation and several SWS Chapters (Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, South Central, North Central, Western, and Pacific Northwest). The areas of interest of the student participants range from freshwater to marine and involve a wide variety of organism types. Undergraduate participants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An undergraduate student is a student who is enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associates degree. Spring 2014 graduates are eligible as well. Participants are selected based on academic promise, interest in exploring a career in the natural sciences, potential for serving as a mentor, and demonstrated commitment to increasing opportunities for underrepresented students. It is especially important that applications be complete and that the tell us about yourself essay clearly addresses the information requested and that it be well composed. Application materials and additional information are available from Dr. Frank P. Day, Old Dominion University (f...@odu.edumailto:f...@odu.edu) and on the program’s web page (http://www.sws.org/mentoring.mgi). An email to Frank Day expressing interest in the program can serve as a preapplication. Application deadline is November 8, 2013.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
The difference is the scale of invasion, both temporal and spatial. There is a difference in moving from one pond to an adjacent one, where your natural enemies and competitors are likely to exist, vs intercontinental or oceanic movements that occur in short time scales rather than evolutionary time scales. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM, malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org wrote: I mentioned this correspondence to a friend who works a lot in this field. This is what he/she said (i'm leaving off the name since he/she is not available to ask permission to expose it right now!): What I absolutely can't stand is the term invasion biology. It's colonization theory pure and simple. Anything can invade. Painted Turtles or Green Frogs to a new farm pond. Besides being misused, I think that the term prejudices the research approach. As for the debate, the best arguments against studying exotic species and their impacts are embarrassing. What has caused us to move from using colonization theory and to the new term invasion biology? Are they really different? I don't see a difference either. On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 9:58 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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] Merits of invasion science
And, the only way to prevent it, is to know how it happens. And, the only way to correct it (if possible), is to study how it is currently working. This is true of so many things. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 9:49 AM, David L. McNeely mcnee...@cox.net wrote: Miles, When will we we learn to just leave things alone? Had we left things alone in the first place, there would be no invasions. You can't have it both ways. So, if you want things left alone, then you don't do the things that bring about invasions -- you don't start aviation activities that move snakes about, for example. But if you did not leave things alone, then you have an obligation to do your best to prevent consequences, monitor what is going on, and fix things where appropriate. Not doing anything after the fact, or not doing anything to prevent consequences neither one constitutes leaving things alone. David McNeely Thomas J. Givnish givn...@facstaff.wisc.edu wrote: Miles – ridiculously futile managerial adjustments? often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight? sentimental nostalgia?? nature will adjust, with or without us??? Are you kidding us? Are you saying that, if a brown tree snake appears on the tarmac at Honolulu (it's happened several times already), we shouldn't do anything about it? Are you saying that you aren't willing to judge whether, say, the introduction of the emerald ash borer or the balsam wooly adelgid were or were not good for the ecology? Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin givn...@wisc.edu http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 10/29/13, Miles Medina wrote: I don't think the question is whether invasives are a problem. The criticisms the article raises are rather easily refuted. Sure, invasives are a problem for industry or national security (i.e. our species), and if we are generous perhaps for the integrity of some ecological system as we understand it. But who is to judge what is good for the ecology? Or is it more often just some sentimental nostalgia? My point is that whether we claim the motivation to control invasives is selfless preservationism or reduce it to economic loss or other self-interest, it is ultimately anthropocentric, because our management actions rely on our own limited data and understanding of ecology and are given direction by our own limited judgments about what is best for some natural system. The truth is, nature will adjust with or without us, and life will go on. Perhaps our efforts would be better spent figuring out how to better conduct our civilization than on making ridiculously futile managerial adjustments. The real question to my mind is whether we should continue on such a path knowing we so often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight. Reading the authors' justification for invasive management reminded me of Bush the administration rallying support for the Iraq war.. What we already know is scary, so imagine how terrifying the uknown unknowns might be! When will we learn to just leave things alone? Miles On Oct 28, 2013 11:54 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- -- David McNeely -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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
[ECOLOG-L] Adjunct -- senior ecology lab -- Spring 2014
We're looking for someone to teach 2 sections of a senior, writing intensive ecology lab for Spring 2014. The labs are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. (Benedictine University is located in the western suburbs of Chicago.) http://www.benuscience.org Classification: Non-Benefit Eligible Duties: Adjunct faculty sought for ecology lab course for our Lisle campus. This is a writing intensive course with a biostatistics prerequisite, so the ability to coach undergraduates in science writing is a must! Qualifications: Candidates must have 3-5 years of related work experience and a minimum of a Master's degree, PhD in ecology or a related field preferred. Application Process: Please submit a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references. Benedictine University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. MUST HAVE PERMANENT LEGAL AUTHORIZATION TO WORK IN THE U.S.A. -- Cheryl A. Heinz, PhD che...@ben.edu Director, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Benedictine University 5700 College Rd Lisle, IL 60532 (630) 829-6581 phone (630) 829-6547 fax
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
Cattle Egrets were supposed to be a natural dispersal via anemochore as I recall, a one time event wasn't it? Invasive species need not be exotic species, at least from a continental perspective. For example, sugar maple is native to most forests in Illinois, but with changes in fire regimes it becomes invasive crowding out the oak-hickory. Sweetgum does a similar thing in southern wet forests, and there are a pile of other examples. these are NATIVE INVASIVES. Bullfrogs fall in between from a continental pespective. they are native to and widespread in North America, but they have been introduced into habitats in the west where they do not normally occur creating havoc. Technically, these are also exotic invasives at the regional or local level, but native invasives from a continental perspective. Lonicera japanicus is an exotic invasive in streams of North America, although some closely related Lonicera are NONINVASIVE EXOTICS, and some simply cannot even become established!! Likewise, asiatic mussels, zebra mussels, and an assortment of other species are EXOTIC INVASIVES. I don't know why we do it, but often we lump issues about exotics and those about invasives together under the same title. It really is not appropriate because the two overlap, but are not the same things. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Meg Ballard mball...@udel.edu wrote: The difference is the scale of invasion, both temporal and spatial. There is a difference in moving from one pond to an adjacent one, where your natural enemies and competitors are likely to exist, vs intercontinental or oceanic movements that occur in short time scales rather than evolutionary time scales. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM, malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org wrote: I mentioned this correspondence to a friend who works a lot in this field. This is what he/she said (i'm leaving off the name since he/she is not available to ask permission to expose it right now!): What I absolutely can't stand is the term invasion biology. It's colonization theory pure and simple. Anything can invade. Painted Turtles or Green Frogs to a new farm pond. Besides being misused, I think that the term prejudices the research approach. As for the debate, the best arguments against studying exotic species and their impacts are embarrassing. What has caused us to move from using colonization theory and to the new term invasion biology? Are they really different? I don't see a difference either. On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 9:58 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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. -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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
[ECOLOG-L] PhD Position in Forest Productivity Modeling at Univ of Montana
A PhD Graduate Research Assistantship is available to study topographic influences on forest productivity in the Northwest US. The PhD position will be located at the University of Montana but the candidate will work with a multidisciplinary team consisting of personnel at the University of Montana, the US Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The goal of the project will be to link fine-scale models of air temperature, humidity, and soil moisture to improve our understanding of how terrain influences tree growth and productivity. Primary responsibilities for this position include collection of field and climatic data and linking those data with models of forest growth and yield. There is flexibility in selection of research questions depending on the interest and experience of the candidate. Desired qualifications include a M.S. in forestry, ecology, or geography with strong skills in geospatial data analysis preferred. Experience with remote sensing or ecosystem modeling is also desirable. The 3-year position will be based in the College of Forestry at the University of Montana and includes a stipend and tuition waiver. The position is available to start in spring of 2014. Submit letter of interest, CV, and contact information for 3 references to: Dr. David Affleck, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, david.affl...@umontana.edu
[ECOLOG-L] Marine Debris Project Coordinator - University of Washington - COASST
Title: Marine Debris Project Coordinator - COASST Classification: Full-time employment Agency/Organization: University of Washington/COASST Website: http://depts.washington.edu/coasst/ Job Description: The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) is a rigorous citizen science organization based in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Now 15 years old, COASST recruits and trains coastal citizens from northern California north to Kotzebue, Alaska to survey their local beach in a systematic, standardized fashion, returning data on a monthly basis about the number, identity, and condition of beached marine birds. Additional data on the state of the carcass, and the conditions on the beach are also collected. COASST experts independently verify all participant data (i.e., species identification), making the data immediately useful in science and resource management. At present, almost 800 volunteers collect data as part of the COASST program. All participants are trained in a 5-6 hour session, and given a set of data collection materials, including the relevant COASST Field Guide and written protocol. Once data collection starts, COASST interns and professional staff keep in close contact with each volunteer, making sure (s)he has adequate supplies, is identifying carcasses correctly, and is continuing the survey at least monthly. Additional enrichment activities, including refresher trainings and evening public lectures on coastal natural history and conservation are also available to volunteers and their communities. In 2013, COASST received a grant from the Advanced Informal Science Learning (AISL) division of the National Science Foundation to design and implement a new data collection routine focused on marine debris, while simultaneously developing an educational research study on COASST volunteers focused on the issues of recruitment and retention in volunteer-based monitoring programs (such as COASST). As part of this new effort, COASST has an exciting opportunity to recruit a new staff member who will lead the effort to develop and field-test the marine debris data collection module. Responsibilities: The candidate's primary responsibility is to manage student interns working on testing protocol elements as well as to manage COASST volunteers in focus groups testing protocol elements. Additional responsibilities: -Integrating with all of the other pieces of the grant project, including: IT, educational research, evaluation, advisors and consultants, the existing COASST beached bird module and infrastructure, and COASST volunteers; will be an extremely complex task as all pieces of the existing program and the new module must fit seamlessly together so that current and new volunteers are never inconvenienced. This project is also on an aggressive timeline. -Starting from initial test data collected by COASST interns, and the NOAA and CSIRO marine debris protocols, develop, draft (including text and graphics), test, and finalize the Marine Debris COASST protocol. -Work with focus groups of COASST volunteers to field-test the Marine Debris COASST protocol and associated mobile data collection app. -Work with IT team to develop and test mobile and web-based interfaces, including Marine Debris ID App, Marine Debris Data Collection App, crowd-source Marine Debris Identification Portal, Harm-to-Wildlife Interactive Map. -Work with marine debris, marine science, and marine wildlife experts to solicit expert knowledge to incorporate into the Marine Debris Protocol and Harm-to-Wildlife Interactive Map. Required qualifications: -Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science or a related science and two to three years of work experience -Demonstrated experience with sampling design in field biology, natural resources, or conservation -Ability to work in a multi-tasking, fast-paced environment and respond to both short-term crises and long-term needs while maintaining a positive, interactive, and team-focused demeanor -Experience working in a field situation for extended periods of time -Project management experience, including but not limited to: developing a workplan and timeline for long-range, multi-task project; staying on time and on budget; positive, effective interfacing with consultants and specialists -Communication skills, including but not limited to: writing for professional scientific audiences, and for public (non-professional) audiences; integration of graphics and text in well-designed outputs -Experience with course material or curriculum development -Experience working with volunteer or citizen science organizations, not including K-16 students, in data collection -Ability to efficiently and effectively travel locally to alternate work sites as needed; valid driver's license Desired qualifications: -Oral communication skills, including
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
When I first entered my PhD program I remember asking a few of the biology and geography faculty why they thought conservation biology and invasion biology were important fields of study. I was having trouble understanding why it was important to make sure a given ecosystem/community continued to function in the same way given what I knew about natural selection, niche differentiation and 'evolution at short time scales' (I would call that ecology, but that's a different debate!). Going hand-in-hand with this, why do we need to manipulate the 'natural' world to maintain biodiversity? The line of reasoning I received was generally, we don't know if a given ecosystem/community will continue to function in the same way when species' start to be removed/added, there might not be any 'fixing' that ecosystem after the fact by adding/subtracting species, which is scary both for the ecosystem/community/species in question and for humans if that particular ecosystem/community/species provides us with some 'service'. Taken to an extreme, all ecosystems probably provide humans with a 'service', so it makes sense for us to conserve them as a best practice, with ecosystems/communities/species that we perceive as being more important to humans (whether in a material sense or nostalgic sense) getting the most attention. Another line of reasoning offered to me was that we have a moral obligation to preserve species. This is a much more entangled issue, which I think Miles was at least in part alluding too, that is rife with conflicting ideology. If we have a moral obligation to preserve species that are impacted by humans, we should protect all species, big and small, and down to the smallest of levels. Put away your hand sanitizer! We shouldn't just be concerned with a loss of biodiversity of birds in HI, but also the loss of biodiversity (and ecosystem function) as a result of the introduction, for instance, of earth worms to North America. Granted, there are folks that care about the earth-worm issue, but the birds in HI get a lot more press by virtue of being a heck of a lot more charismatic, leading to disproportionate effort being put into their conservation. Is that a moral dilemma? If we don't put equal effort into conserving pandas and freshwater clams, are we hypocrites? Which species are worthy of being 'saved'? Should we focus primarily on species that provide a direct 'service' to humans? Leaving the issue of preserving species aside for a moment, is it morally right to interfere with a speciation event that may or may not be about to occur, but that probably won't occur if the species is being managed to conserve it? At what point does a species need intervention to 'save' it? Are humans simply accelerating natural selection? How do we balance species preservation with human lives... at what point does preserving rare Amazonian fish become more important than an isolated Amazonian Indian village eating a fish dinner as their ancestors have for generations? Lots of food for thought here... and lots of room to debate varying view points! Nate Ruhl PhD Rowan University From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Thomas J. Givnish [givn...@facstaff.wisc.edu] Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 10:02 AM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science Miles – ridiculously futile managerial adjustments? often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight? sentimental nostalgia?? nature will adjust, with or without us??? Are you kidding us? Are you saying that, if a brown tree snake appears on the tarmac at Honolulu (it's happened several times already), we shouldn't do anything about it? Are you saying that you aren't willing to judge whether, say, the introduction of the emerald ash borer or the balsam wooly adelgid were or were not good for the ecology? Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin givn...@wisc.edu http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 10/29/13, Miles Medina wrote: I don't think the question is whether invasives are a problem. The criticisms the article raises are rather easily refuted. Sure, invasives are a problem for industry or national security (i.e. our species), and if we are generous perhaps for the integrity of some ecological system as we understand it. But who is to judge what is good for the ecology? Or is it more often just some sentimental nostalgia? My point is that whether we claim the motivation to control invasives is selfless preservationism or reduce it to economic loss or other self-interest, it is ultimately anthropocentric, because our management actions rely on our own limited data and understanding of ecology and are given direction by our own limited judgments about what is best for some natural
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
Unfortunately, many do not want (care) to know how it is working, which contributes to ridiculously futile managerial adjustments. Steve ... Stephen L. Young, PhD Weed Ecologist University of Nebraska-Lincoln http://ipcourse.unl.edu/iwep Twitter: @NAIPSC -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of malcolm McCallum Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 10:56 AM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science And, the only way to prevent it, is to know how it happens. And, the only way to correct it (if possible), is to study how it is currently working. This is true of so many things. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 9:49 AM, David L. McNeely mcnee...@cox.net wrote: Miles, When will we we learn to just leave things alone? Had we left things alone in the first place, there would be no invasions. You can't have it both ways. So, if you want things left alone, then you don't do the things that bring about invasions -- you don't start aviation activities that move snakes about, for example. But if you did not leave things alone, then you have an obligation to do your best to prevent consequences, monitor what is going on, and fix things where appropriate. Not doing anything after the fact, or not doing anything to prevent consequences neither one constitutes leaving things alone. David McNeely Thomas J. Givnish givn...@facstaff.wisc.edu wrote: Miles - ridiculously futile managerial adjustments? often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight? sentimental nostalgia?? nature will adjust, with or without us??? Are you kidding us? Are you saying that, if a brown tree snake appears on the tarmac at Honolulu (it's happened several times already), we shouldn't do anything about it? Are you saying that you aren't willing to judge whether, say, the introduction of the emerald ash borer or the balsam wooly adelgid were or were not good for the ecology? Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin givn...@wisc.edu http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 10/29/13, Miles Medina wrote: I don't think the question is whether invasives are a problem. The criticisms the article raises are rather easily refuted. Sure, invasives are a problem for industry or national security (i.e. our species), and if we are generous perhaps for the integrity of some ecological system as we understand it. But who is to judge what is good for the ecology? Or is it more often just some sentimental nostalgia? My point is that whether we claim the motivation to control invasives is selfless preservationism or reduce it to economic loss or other self-interest, it is ultimately anthropocentric, because our management actions rely on our own limited data and understanding of ecology and are given direction by our own limited judgments about what is best for some natural system. The truth is, nature will adjust with or without us, and life will go on. Perhaps our efforts would be better spent figuring out how to better conduct our civilization than on making ridiculously futile managerial adjustments. The real question to my mind is whether we should continue on such a path knowing we so often make more of a mess by trying to set things straight. Reading the authors' justification for invasive management reminded me of Bush the administration rallying support for the Iraq war.. What we already know is scary, so imagine how terrifying the uknown unknowns might be! When will we learn to just leave things alone? Miles On Oct 28, 2013 11:54 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- -- David McNeely -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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,
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
I’m not sure I understand this difference either. Don't all colonization events occur in ecological time? Whether it is through their own “natural” dispersal efforts, traveling under their own power, or through assistance by wind / water currents or other species that move faster or over longer distances (be they migratory birds to whom you cling, or airplanes in whose holds you may be transported, perhaps deliberately), every colonizing species does so through a few individuals reaching a new patch of habitat. How is there a fundamental difference in the ecological / evolutionary outcomes that result from such colonization events? Madhu ~ Dr. Madhusudan Katti Associate Professor, Department of Biology, M/S SB73 California State University, Fresno 2555 E San Ramon AVe Fresno, CA 93740 http://about.me/mkatti On Oct 29, 2013, at 8:12 AM, Meg Ballard mball...@udel.edu wrote: The difference is the scale of invasion, both temporal and spatial. There is a difference in moving from one pond to an adjacent one, where your natural enemies and competitors are likely to exist, vs intercontinental or oceanic movements that occur in short time scales rather than evolutionary time scales. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM, malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org wrote: I mentioned this correspondence to a friend who works a lot in this field. This is what he/she said (i'm leaving off the name since he/she is not available to ask permission to expose it right now!): What I absolutely can't stand is the term invasion biology. It's colonization theory pure and simple. Anything can invade. Painted Turtles or Green Frogs to a new farm pond. Besides being misused, I think that the term prejudices the research approach. As for the debate, the best arguments against studying exotic species and their impacts are embarrassing. What has caused us to move from using colonization theory and to the new term invasion biology? Are they really different? I don't see a difference either. On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 9:58 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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] ONLY 30 PLACES LEFT! Predator-Prey Interactions Gordon Conference
We have an outstanding list of confirmed speakers and contributors (below) and there are only 30 places remaining so please register soon for the first ever Gordon Research Conference on Predator-Prey Interactions 5-10 January, 2014; Ventura, California www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2014program=predator The theme of this inaugural conference is From Genes to Ecosystems to Human Mental Health Liana Zanette (Chair, Western U), Andy Sih (Vice-Chair, UC Davis) Gordon Conferences are recognized as the “world's premier scientific conferences”, where 150-200 leading investigators from across the globe meet biennially for a full week of intense discussion of the frontier research in their field. To register please visit: www.grc.org/application.aspx?id=16779 The goal of the Predator-Prey Interactions Gordon Research Conference is to explore the unique insights to be gained from an interdisciplinary focus on phenomena specific to predator-prey interactions, and our list of confirmed speakers and contributors accordingly includes ecologists, evolutionary biologist, neuroscientists, physiologists, developmental biologists and human psychologists. The structure of the meeting aims to foster as much dialogue as possible in order to facilitate as many new collaborations as possible, that are sure to lead to new synergies and new avenues of research. Please visit our updated website that includes details on registration, organization and the confirmed speakers. Please spread the word about this exciting new conference among your colleagues and please also encourage post-docs and students to attend. Our primary objective is to ensure that every attendee is an active participant. SESSIONS AND CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Establishing an Interdisciplinary Approach to Predator-Prey Interactions Larry Dill (Discussion leader) Oswald Schmitz, David Diamond The Neurobiology of Predator-Induced Fear Phillip Zoladz (Discussion leader) Joel Brown, Newton Canteras, Ajai Vyas, Jacqueline Blundell Inducible Morphological Defences Peter Eklöv (Discussion leader) Rick Relyea, Ralph Tollrian Predators as Stressors: Integrating Human and Animal Models Jay Schulkin (Discussion leader) Michael Clinchy, Michael Sheriff, Vivette Glover, Rachel Yehuda Fear Effects on Population- and Ecosystem-Level Processes Barbara Peckarsky (Discussion leader) Scott Creel, Dror Hawlena Learning, Unlearning and Communicating Fear Ken Lukowiak (Discussion leader) Maud Ferrari, Dan Blumstein, Robert Magrath, Peter Banks Predators, Prey and Plants: Does Fear Make the World Green? Evan Preisser (Discussion leader) Geoffrey Trussell, Mark Boyce Restoring the Balance Between Predators and Prey James Estes (Discussion leader) Craig Packer, Michael Heithaus, Bodil Elmhagen, David Macdonald Evolutionary Ecology of Predator-Prey Interactions Andrew Beckerman (Discussion leader) Johanna Mappes, Andy Sih CONFIRMED CONTRIBUTORS Zvika Abramsky, Brad Anholt, Joy Anogwih, Tiffany Armenta, Erica Baken, Adalbert Balog, Brandon Barton, Melissa Bateson, Lutz Becks, Peter Bednekoff, Jodi Berg, James Biardi, Leon Blaustein, Sonny Bleicher, Rudy Boonstra, Stan Boutin, Justin Brashares, Tomas Brodin, Grant Brown, Joseph Bump, Alline Campos, Lauren Chaby, Anna Chalfoun, Simon Chamaille, Michael Cherry, Douglas Chivers, David Christianson, Rulon Clark, Alan Covich, Adam Crane, Will Cresswell, Chris Darimont, John DeLong, Christopher Dickman, Ian Donohue, Sean Ehlman, Cady Etheredge, Esteban Fernandez-Juricic, Joseph Fontaine, Adam Ford, Alexander Forde, Daniel Fortin, Anke Frank, Tiffany Garcia, Grant Gilchrist, James Gilliam, Jarl Giske, Blaine Griffen, Daniel Gruner, Lars-Anders Hansson, James Harwood, Gustav Hellstrom, Andrew Higginson, Mark Hixon, Thomas Hossie, Emily Jones, Francis Juanes, Sara Kaiser, Ryan Kindermann, Michel Kohl, Burt Kotler, Billy Krimmel, Joseph LaManna, David Lank, Jessica Laskowski, John Laundré, Sophia Lavergne, Steven Litvin, Robert Lonsinger, Barney Luttbeg, Ross Macleod, Dan MacNulty, Elizabeth Madin, Peter Mahoney, Katie McGhee, Evelyn Merrill, Lindsey Messinger, Jennie Miller, Rupshi Mitra, Andrea Morehouse, Chiara Morosinotto, Dennis Murray, Rahmat Naddafi, Thomas Newsome, Tobin Northfield, Maria Ocasio-Torres, John Orrock, Juan Oteyza, Marinde Out, Paul Paquet, Scott Peacor, Blake Pellman, Sinthya Penn, Rolf Peterson, Nicholas Pilfold, Lauren Pinter, Catharine Pritchard, Laura Prugh, Jennifer Rehage, Pamela Reynolds, April Ridlon, Euan Ritchie, Gary Roemer, Bernard Roitberg, Adam Rosenblatt, Timothy Roth, Lauren Sallan, Stuart Sandin, Ken Schmidt, Rebecca Selden, Vahan Serobyan, Robert Serrouya, Jonathan Shurin, Michael Sitvarin, David Skelly, Justine Smith, Theodore Stankowich, Adrian Stier, Justin Suraci, Aimee Tallian, Maria Thaker, Jennifer Thaler, Sarah Thomsen, Robert Thomson, Strahan Tucker, Abi Vanak, Sacha Vignieri, Kevina Vulinec, Aaron Wagner, Robert Warner, Wolfgang Weisser, Shawn Wilder, Terrie Williams,
[ECOLOG-L] ecosystem ecology Ph.D. opportunities
Dear Colleagues, The Billings lab at the University of Kansas is seeking energetic and motivated Ph.D. students interested in pursuing investigations in terrestrial ecosystem ecology. We investigate carbon and nitrogen fluxes into, within, and out of diverse forest and grassland ecosystems. Our work ranges from reductionist laboratory experiments to field work at several spatial and temporal scales. Current research is focused on the influence of temperature on soil microbial communities and the biogeochemical fluxes they mediate, and on past land use change as a driver of contemporary ecosystem functioning. For details, please contact me, after visiting the web pages below. Instructions are there for how best to express interest in my lab. Thanks very much, Sharon Billings ** Dr. Sharon A. Billings Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Kansas Biological Survey, Higuchi Hall University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66047 785-864-1560 http://kbs.ku.edu/people/staff_www/billings/http://kbs.ku.edu/people/staff_www/billings/ http://kuerg.ku.edu/
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate Student Position (PhD or MS): Forest Restoration Ecology
Graduate Student Position (PhD or MS): Restoration of mixed-conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada of California A Ph.D. or Master’s level graduate student position is available in the Applied Forest Ecology lab of Dr. Steve Chhin (www.msu.edu/~chhin) in the Department of Forestry (www.for.msu.edu) at Michigan State University (MSU) (www.msu.edu). Background: The graduate student will help complete field and laboratory work for a forest restoration project conducted in the mixed-conifer forest of the Sierra Nevada region of California. Prior to the policy of fire suppression in this region, forests were more open and contained lower stand density. Fires historically burned more frequently than today and were predominantly understory fires. Today, forests in this region have increased in the density of shade tolerant tree species. The high density stands are considered a risk for large-scale, high intensity, stand replacement fires, especially in the context of future climate warming. Thinning treatments are needed to help restore these forests to their pre- fire suppression state, and help reduce fire risk. The general objective of the project is to determine the effective intensity of mechanical thinning treatments to remove shade tolerant competitors and thereby promote the productivity and health of the remaining trees. Prior to treatment application, dendrochronological analyses will be conducted to reconstruct historical forest stand dynamics which will also be related to the impact of past climate and disturbances. Post-treatment responses in physiological variables (e.g., photosynthesis, stable carbon isotopes), micro-environmental variables (e.g., temperature, precipitation, snowfall), and growth and stand development will also be examined. Field work will be conducted in California while lab work and course work will be completed at MSU. This position includes a tuition waiver and health benefits, and a competitive stipend (PhD stipend is currently ~ $24,500 and MS is ~ $22,000). Qualifications: Applicants for the PhD position should have completed a MS. Applicants for the MS position should have completed a BS. A completed degree in forestry, biology, ecology, environmental sciences, or a similarly related natural resource field is acceptable. Preference will be given to applicants that are highly self-motivated, possess a strong work ethic, and have strong oral and written communication skills. A background or strong interest in conducting field based research and working in a laboratory environment is desirable. Applicants must enjoy working and living outdoors (e.g., camping) and possess a valid driver’s license. A cumulative GPA greater than 3.0 in undergraduate and graduate coursework is preferred. Short-listed candidates eventually will be asked to submit a writing sample. The start date for this position is May 2013 (summer semester) but preference will be given to applicants who can start 1-2 months earlier to assist with the field work planning. Application materials: Please submit: 1) cover letter, 2) curriculum vitae, 3) unofficial transcripts, 4) GRE scores, 5) contact information of three references, and 6) TOEFL scores (for international applicants). Please describe your career goals in the cover letter. Applications will be considered immediately and continue until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration for departmental and university fellowships, please e-mail your application material to Dr. Steve Chhin (ch...@msu.edu) and also apply to the MSU Graduate School (http://grad.msu.edu/apply/) by December 1, 2013; preference will be given to applicants who can meet this deadline. Otherwise, please submit your application by January 13, 2014. For further information, please contact: Dr. Steve Chhin Assistant Professor, Applied Forest Ecology Department of Forestry Michigan State University Natural Resources Building 480 Wilson Road, Room 126 East Lansing, MI 48824 Tel: (517) 353-7251 Fax: (517) 432-1143 E-mail: ch...@msu.edu Web: https://www.msu.edu/~chhin/
[ECOLOG-L] 2013 OTS Outstanding Student Paper Award
Contact me if you have any questions Kimberly G. Smith University Professor of Biological Sciences Department of Biological Sciences University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR 72701 Phone: 479-575-6359 fax: 479-575-4010 Email: kgsm...@uark.edu 2013 OTS Outstanding Student Paper Award The Organization for Tropical Studies is pleased to announce the fifth annual OTS Outstanding Student Paper Award. We invite nominations for a $500 cash prize for excellence in research via an outstanding publication in tropical biology written by a student. Eligibility and Nomination At the time of the nomination deadline, the paper must be published or accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and reporting work completed within the tropics. To be eligible: 1. The author must have been a student (undergraduate or graduate) when the research was completed, and, 2. Satisfy at least one of the following three criteria: * nominee is an alum of an OTS course * work was completed at an OTS research station (La Selva, Las Cruces, Palo Verde) * nominee is (was) a student at an OTS member institution (Institutional members may be found here: http://ots.ac.cr) 3. The author must be within two years of completing a Ph.D. In addition, the nominee must be the first author and the paper must be published no more than 36 months before the award deadline. Self-nominations or nominations by research advisors or colleagues are invited. Selection Criteria Applications will be reviewed by an Awards Committee formed by a subcommittee of the OTS Assembly of Delegates. Papers will be judged upon the papers contribution to the field including originality, study design and potential impact on the field of study. Nomination packets should consist of a single pdf document and include: 1. A nomination letter briefly describing the paper and outlining the qualification criteria from the list above 2. A copy of the paper 3. A brief letter from an advisor, colleague or scientist in a relevant field of study describing the impact of the paper on the field (optional, but strongly suggested). 4. A C.V from the nominee Submitting Applications: Send nomination packet electronically as a pdf to the Chair of the Awards Committee, Dr. Kimberly G. Smith, University of Arkansas. If you have questions, please email Dr. Smith at kgsm...@uark.edumailto:kgsm...@uark.edu. Application Deadline: December 2, 2013.
[ECOLOG-L] Assistant Professor of Environmental Social Sciences at Wofford College
Assistant Professor of Environmental Social Sciences Fall 2014 The Environmental Studies Department at Wofford College, a Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts institution in Spartanburg, South Carolina, invites applications for a tenure-track position at the assistant professor level to begin the fall of 2014. Candidates from any social science discipline will be considered; a focus on environmental policy is desired. The successful candidate will be a dynamic teacher with demonstrated experience and enthusiasm in interdisciplinary teaching and research. He or she will actively engage in the programs valued tradition of field studies and experiential education. The ideal candidate will also embrace the collaborative spirit that characterizes the College. Teaching commitments will include interdisciplinary introductory and senior seminar courses, a sophomore-level course in environmental social sciences, and topical courses in the candidates area(s) of expertise. The candidate will also mentor senior capstone projects in environmental studies; these take a variety of forms and topics that reflect the diverse interests of our students. The 3-1-3 load includes a 4-week January interim term. Our Environmental Studies Department provides the foundation for students to address the complex environmental problems of their generation, recognizing that approaches from the humanities and arts, natural sciences and social sciences are all needed for effective local and global change. Field experiences foster the wonder and love for natural environments that motivate their personal and professional choices. Our graduates have entered the fields of law, business, energy and conservation, among others, through employment and further studies. Please visit our website, www.wofford.edu/environmentalstudies, to learn more about our program and the Goodall Center for Environmental Studies. Applicants should have obtained the Ph.D. by September 2014. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and statement of teaching philosophy to the address below. Applicants should include the names and contact information for three references. Review of applications will begin immediately; applications received by December 15, 2013 will be guaranteed full consideration. Please email all application materials, as attachments, to envs-sea...@wofford.edu. Wofford College is a private, selective liberal arts college with approximately 1600 students. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is the policy of Wofford College to provide equal opportunities and reasonable accommodation to all persons regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or other legally protected status in accordance with applicable federal and state laws.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
It's a matter of temporal and spatial scale. It's one thing if species are arriving via trans-oceanic dispersal on their own power every million years or so, and quite another if they're arriving via jet every decade or so. Similar, species range expansions are of much more limited concern if only small areas are added to the range, perhaps over thousands of years, than if ocean and air travel can get them to many different places at once. So ... not all colonization events occur in what most of us regard ecological time, and I say that as someone in the field who is regarded as seeing (via calibrated molecular phylogenies) evidence for a relatively large amount of long-distance dispersal. And, ecologically, there is all the difference in the world between seeing a rock or two occasionally rolling downhill ... and getting buried in an avalanche. In Hawaii, it's estimated that fewer than 300 long-distance dispersal events were successful over the last 5 million years in establishing the native flora. By comparison, over the 300 years post-Cook, more than 1000 additional plant species have become established there. Numbers of species are probably important in terms of increasing the chance of a pernicious weed appearing, free of the natural enemies that held it in check on its long-established home range but which didn't disperse with it. Given enough time, new natural enemies to such unchained plants will indeed evolve, but that might take hundreds or thousands of years, and in the interim those super-plants can wreak tremendous damage. Tom Givnish On 10/29/13, Madhusudan Katti wrote: I’m not sure I understand this difference either. Don't all colonization events occur in ecological time? Whether it is through their own “natural” dispersal efforts, traveling under their own power, or through assistance by wind / water currents or other species that move faster or over longer distances (be they migratory birds to whom you cling, or airplanes in whose holds you may be transported, perhaps deliberately), every colonizing species does so through a few individuals reaching a new patch of habitat. How is there a fundamental difference in the ecological / evolutionary outcomes that result from such colonization events? Madhu ~ Dr. Madhusudan Katti Associate Professor, Department of Biology, M/S SB73 California State University, Fresno 2555 E San Ramon AVe Fresno, CA 93740 http://about.me/mkatti On Oct 29, 2013, at 8:12 AM, Meg Ballard mball...@udel.edu wrote: The difference is the scale of invasion, both temporal and spatial. There is a difference in moving from one pond to an adjacent one, where your natural enemies and competitors are likely to exist, vs intercontinental or oceanic movements that occur in short time scales rather than evolutionary time scales. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM, malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org wrote: I mentioned this correspondence to a friend who works a lot in this field. This is what he/she said (i'm leaving off the name since he/she is not available to ask permission to expose it right now!): What I absolutely can't stand is the term invasion biology. It's colonization theory pure and simple. Anything can invade. Painted Turtles or Green Frogs to a new farm pond. Besides being misused, I think that the term prejudices the research approach. As for the debate, the best arguments against studying exotic species and their impacts are embarrassing. What has caused us to move from using colonization theory and to the new term invasion biology? Are they really different? I don't see a difference either. On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 9:58 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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
[ECOLOG-L] ECOLOG-L now has 18,000 subscribers
Sometime in the past few days the number of ECOLOG-L subscribers reached 18,000, up a thousand in the past six months. Thanks again to the University of Maryland for hosting the list. It is now the largest LISTSERV list hosted by the University, equivalent to half the student population (which means that I have to limit the number of postings per hour). There are 1,200 subscribers from outside the United States, representing 61 countries, so the audience is quite international. Many subscribers are members of the Ecological Society of America, but those of you who aren't can get information about membership (including student memberships) at the ESA Web site, http://www.esa.org/www.esa.org. Additional related lists are the the ESA-STUDENTS listserv list, and the ESANEWS list that provides a bi-monthly summary of policy news relevant to ESA members and other ecologists (see http://www.esa.org/esa/?page_id=5550 to subscribe), and occasional other messages from the ESA headquarters. David Inouye, list owner and moderator Dr. David W. Inouye, Professor Associate Chair, and Director of Graduate Studies Dept. of Biology University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742-4415 Rocky Mtn. Biological Laboratory PO Box 519 Crested Butte, CO 81224 ino...@umd.edu 301-405-6946 2013-14 President-elect, Ecological Society of America
[ECOLOG-L] Please Recommend Ecotoxicology PhD program?
I have a excellent undergraduate researcher who wants to do marine, ecotoxicology research for her PhD. Can you recommend a PhD advisor? Thanks Ecolog!
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
A better term than native invasive to apply to species that become pests within their native geographic range (Eastern Red Cedar is an excellent example in the southern plains and prairies) is noxious. Or, we might simply call them pests. Invasive makes no sense for such species. From where have they invaded? Hence, your sugar maple example would be a noxious weed species. The bull frog is a true invasive in that it did not occur in the western part of North America prior to introduction. David McNeely malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org wrote: Cattle Egrets were supposed to be a natural dispersal via anemochore as I recall, a one time event wasn't it? Invasive species need not be exotic species, at least from a continental perspective. For example, sugar maple is native to most forests in Illinois, but with changes in fire regimes it becomes invasive crowding out the oak-hickory. Sweetgum does a similar thing in southern wet forests, and there are a pile of other examples. these are NATIVE INVASIVES. Bullfrogs fall in between from a continental pespective. they are native to and widespread in North America, but they have been introduced into habitats in the west where they do not normally occur creating havoc. Technically, these are also exotic invasives at the regional or local level, but native invasives from a continental perspective. Lonicera japanicus is an exotic invasive in streams of North America, although some closely related Lonicera are NONINVASIVE EXOTICS, and some simply cannot even become established!! Likewise, asiatic mussels, zebra mussels, and an assortment of other species are EXOTIC INVASIVES. I don't know why we do it, but often we lump issues about exotics and those about invasives together under the same title. It really is not appropriate because the two overlap, but are not the same things. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Meg Ballard mball...@udel.edu wrote: The difference is the scale of invasion, both temporal and spatial. There is a difference in moving from one pond to an adjacent one, where your natural enemies and competitors are likely to exist, vs intercontinental or oceanic movements that occur in short time scales rather than evolutionary time scales. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM, malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org wrote: I mentioned this correspondence to a friend who works a lot in this field. This is what he/she said (i'm leaving off the name since he/she is not available to ask permission to expose it right now!): What I absolutely can't stand is the term invasion biology. It's colonization theory pure and simple. Anything can invade. Painted Turtles or Green Frogs to a new farm pond. Besides being misused, I think that the term prejudices the research approach. As for the debate, the best arguments against studying exotic species and their impacts are embarrassing. What has caused us to move from using colonization theory and to the new term invasion biology? Are they really different? I don't see a difference either. On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 9:58 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Merits of invasion science
Really? You want us to go from “invasive” which is already contentious because it attaches some anthropocentric value to an ecological process, to even more strongly negative value-laden terms like “noxious” and “weed”? What room is there then, on a planet dominated by humans (and our values), for any range expansions or distributional changes by any species in response to, say, climate change? ~ Dr. Madhusudan Katti Associate Professor, Department of Biology, M/S SB73 California State University, Fresno 2555 E San Ramon AVe Fresno, CA 93740 http://about.me/mkatti On Oct 29, 2013, at 12:09 PM, David L. McNeely mcnee...@cox.net wrote: A better term than native invasive to apply to species that become pests within their native geographic range (Eastern Red Cedar is an excellent example in the southern plains and prairies) is noxious. Or, we might simply call them pests. Invasive makes no sense for such species. From where have they invaded? Hence, your sugar maple example would be a noxious weed species. The bull frog is a true invasive in that it did not occur in the western part of North America prior to introduction. David McNeely malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org wrote: Cattle Egrets were supposed to be a natural dispersal via anemochore as I recall, a one time event wasn't it? Invasive species need not be exotic species, at least from a continental perspective. For example, sugar maple is native to most forests in Illinois, but with changes in fire regimes it becomes invasive crowding out the oak-hickory. Sweetgum does a similar thing in southern wet forests, and there are a pile of other examples. these are NATIVE INVASIVES. Bullfrogs fall in between from a continental pespective. they are native to and widespread in North America, but they have been introduced into habitats in the west where they do not normally occur creating havoc. Technically, these are also exotic invasives at the regional or local level, but native invasives from a continental perspective. Lonicera japanicus is an exotic invasive in streams of North America, although some closely related Lonicera are NONINVASIVE EXOTICS, and some simply cannot even become established!! Likewise, asiatic mussels, zebra mussels, and an assortment of other species are EXOTIC INVASIVES. I don't know why we do it, but often we lump issues about exotics and those about invasives together under the same title. It really is not appropriate because the two overlap, but are not the same things. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Meg Ballard mball...@udel.edu wrote: The difference is the scale of invasion, both temporal and spatial. There is a difference in moving from one pond to an adjacent one, where your natural enemies and competitors are likely to exist, vs intercontinental or oceanic movements that occur in short time scales rather than evolutionary time scales. On Tue, Oct 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM, malcolm McCallum malcolm.mccal...@herpconbio.org wrote: I mentioned this correspondence to a friend who works a lot in this field. This is what he/she said (i'm leaving off the name since he/she is not available to ask permission to expose it right now!): What I absolutely can't stand is the term invasion biology. It's colonization theory pure and simple. Anything can invade. Painted Turtles or Green Frogs to a new farm pond. Besides being misused, I think that the term prejudices the research approach. As for the debate, the best arguments against studying exotic species and their impacts are embarrassing. What has caused us to move from using colonization theory and to the new term invasion biology? Are they really different? I don't see a difference either. On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 9:58 AM, lisa jones lajone...@hotmail.com wrote: A quick and interesting editorial piece from Richardson Ricciardi Misleading criticisms of invasion science: a field guide in Diversity and Distributions (2013, 19: 1461-1467). A link to the article can be found here on the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN) website (listed near the bottom of the page): http://www.caisn.ca/en/publications I am sure there will be a response from those who see no value in invasion science but as one reviewer pointed out when invasions are driven by us (ballast waters, trade, aquaculture, you name it) and overcome wide ecological barriers... well, I would be very careful in saying that there is no problem. Lisa -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology 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
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate positions:NorthernArizonaU.Plant-herbivore interactions
Ph.D. and M.S. positions are available to begin in the fall of 2014 in the lab of Liza Holeski (http://nau.edu/CEFNS/NatSci/Biology/Faculty-Staff/Faculty-Pages/Liza-Holeski/), Dept. of Biological Sciences at Northern Arizona University. Research in the lab broadly focuses on the evolution, genetics, and ecology of plant-herbivore interactions within Mimulus and Populus species. The graduate students will use a variety of greenhouse, laboratory, and field-based approaches to investigate the genetics and phenotypic plasticity of plant morphological and chemical traits that influence plant-herbivore interactions. For more information about the NAU Biology department and graduate programs, visit http://nau.edu/cefns/natsci/biology/ Northern Arizona University (http://www.nau.edu) is a comprehensive public institution located in Flagstaff, AZ (population 65,000; elevation 7000ft) on the southern Colorado Plateau, adjacent to mountains, deserts, and the Grand Canyon. Interested candidates should contact me (liza.hole...@nau.edu) by December 15th, 2013. Please include a C.V. and a brief description of your background and research interests.
[ECOLOG-L] GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP (M.S.) in Wildlife Ecology
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP (M.S.) in Wildlife Ecology The School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences and the South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Clemson University is seeking candidates for a graduate research assistantship (M.Sc) in Wildlife Fisheries Biology to take the lead on a research project designed to better understand the ecological impacts and damage caused by invasive feral pigs in a variety of habitats throughout South Carolina. The student will lead an effort to quantify feral pig habitat preferences and levels of habitat disturbance using a variety of tools such as camera traps, live trapping, habitat surveys, and habitat suitability modeling. While a large deal of the research effort will involve fieldwork throughout the state, the student should also have strong quantitative and analytical research skills necessary for modeling disturbance over time and space. The ideal candidate will also have an inquisitive mind towards developing novel solutions for mitigating the habitat destruction caused by this invasive species. Experience with geospatial referencing tools and habitat suitability modeling is a plus. The ultimate goals of this project will be to gain a broader understanding of the ecosystem damage invasive species such as hogs may have on different habitat types. This work will directly support the development of an adaptive management plan for feral hog harvest and population management in the state. The project will focus on South Carolina populations but the results of this work will have far reaching impacts on invasive species management throughout the southeast. The position will be available beginning in January or August of 2014. Research stipends are approximately $14,000, and a full tuition waiver is available. Applicants should possess an undergraduate degree in Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Biostatistics, or related field, a good work ethic, and strong quantitative or modeling skills. Experience with statistical analyses of ecological data, proficiency in ArcGIS, and/or population and occupancy modeling are desired, but not required. To be competitive, applicants must have undergraduate and graduate GPAs 3.0 and GRE scores above the 60th percentile. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applicants that are selected for a phone interview will be contacted directly by Dr. Kate McFadden. Interested applicants should send a cover letter outlining their qualifications for the project, copies of undergraduate transcripts and GRE scores, and contact information for at least 3 references. Application materials can be sent by e-mail and should be saved as a single pdf in the following format: Last Name_FeralHogs MS.pdf Contact information is: Dr. Kate McFaden, G20 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, 29634, 864-656-4141, mailto:k...@clemson.eduk...@clemson.edu
[ECOLOG-L] GradCourse: Tropical Biology An Ecological Approach
Hello everyone, I apologize for the cross-posting. However I wanted to share the following information: OTS is offering several graduate level courses for 2014. All are accredited courses, meaning students that participate will receive academic credit. OTS is a consortium of over 50 universities worldwide so credits from our courses are recognized by all the member institutions (http://bit.ly/1078fLg). I wanted to point out the following course for summer 2014: Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach ( http://bit.ly/19cC8fT) -Coordinator: Jane Zelikova (lab website) and Jennifer Stynoski -Course duration: 6 weeks (June 10 July 21, 2014) -Credits: 6 credits awarded by the University of Costa Rica -Early Application Deadline: November 1, 2013 -Final Application Deadline: February 3, 2014; followed by rolling admission until course is full. Andres S.
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate Research: Evolutionary Ecology of Host-Parasite Interactions
Graduate Research: Evolutionary Ecology of Host-Parasite Interactions Clayton-Bush Lab, Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Utah We are seeking one or two highly motivated Ph.D. students interested in the evolutionary ecology of host-parasite systems. Projects in our lab focus on factors governing parasite specificity, speciation, co-speciation, competition, adaptive radiation, and reciprocal selective effects between parasites and hosts. We also do taxonomic and phylogenetic work on birds and their host-specific feather lice. Positions are available for Fall Semester, 2014. Students in our lab are supported by a combination of fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. Support is guaranteed for five years, contingent upon performance. Please visit www.biology.utah.edu for departmental information. Admission requirements and applications are available at www.biology.utah.edu/graduate/eeob. The application deadline is January 6th, 2014. Lab website: http://darwin.biology.utah.edu/ Inquiries are welcome via email to: Dr. Sarah E. Bush (b...@biology.utah.edu) Dr. Dale H. Clayton (clay...@biology.utah.edu).
[ECOLOG-L] Graduate positions in biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology at Portland State University
Dr. Jen Morse in the Environmental Biogeochemistry Lab at Portland State University in Portland, OR, is recruiting motivated graduate students with interests in biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology to join the group in Summer or Fall 2014. The lab's research encompasses nutrient biogeochemistry in terrestrial and aquatic systems, with a focus on soil nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas emissions. Potential research topics include: nitrogen and phosphorus retention in urban green infrastructure, denitrification and greenhouse gas emissions in forests and wetlands, restoration ecology, and linkages between atmospheric pollution and soil nitrogen cycling in urban ecosystems. More information can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/jlmorsehttps://sites.google.com/site/jlmorse/home-1 / Prospective students should send an email to Dr. Morse (jlmo...@pdx.edu) that describes their research interests and career goals, along with their CV, by December 15, 2013 to discuss opportunities for joining the lab group. Funding is available through graduate teaching and research assistantships. More information about applying to the MS or MEM program in Environmental Science and Management can be found at http://www.pdx.edu/esm/prospective-grad-students. Procedures for applying to the Ph.D. program in the School of Environment are found here: http://www.pdx.edu/environment/applying-to-the-phd-program. The application deadline is January 15, 2014. Portland State University is a large, vibrant, urban university with a distinct emphasis on sustainability and community engagement. Many opportunities exist to connect researchers with partners in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in the Portland metropolitan region. .. Jennifer L. Morse, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Environmental Science and Management School of the Environment PO Box 751 (ESM) Portland State University Portland, OR 97207 tel: +1 503 725 2826 office: SRTC B1-04B lab: SRTC B1-13 jlmo...@pdx.edu
