final syllabus (.pdf)

download all readings (except photocopied chapters; .zip)

download all citations (Endnote library; .enl)

download all discussion synopses

week

date

topic / global reading(s)

individual reading(s)

scribe / synopsis / audio file of discussion

Instructor:  Dr. Matt Forister

Graduate organizers: Kevin Burls, Chris Moore

Time: Fridays at 10 AM

Location: OSN-202

Email:  forister AT gmail DOT com (Matt)

             kburls AT unr DOT edu (Kevin)

             cmmoore AT unr DOT edu (Chris)

Office location:  Fleishman Agriculture (FA) 257 (Matt)

                             FA 142 (Kevin)

                             FA 140 (Chris)

Office phone:  775.784.6770 (Matt)

Office hours:  by appointment

SCHEDULE

1

INTRODUCTION

Organizational meeting

21/01/10

2

EVOLUTION OF DISPERSAL

Intraspecific interactions

Lambin et al. 2001 (photocopied)

28/01/10

3

04/02/10

4

11/02/10

5

18/02/10

6

25/02/10

7

04/03/10

8

11/03/10

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Gibbs et al. 2010

Dieckmann et al. 1999

none

Interspecific interactions

Heterogeneity in time and space

Internal condition

ONTOGENY

External condition

Pattern / population-level consequences

Migration

Van Valen 1971

Josh, Chris, Amy

Stoen et al. 2006

Nova, Matt

Travis et al. 1999

Cynthia, Cody

Lebigre et al. 2010

Stephanie, Joy

Devillard et al. 2004

Mandy, Steve

Moore et al. 2006

Chad, Jason, Abby

Ellner 1986

Kevin, Bridgette

Steve Olson

Jason Smith

Audio

Chris Moore

Audio

Stephanie Wakeling

Audio

Amy Seaman

Audio

Abby Lawson

Audio

Josh Jahner

Audio

Janzen 1970

Wilson and Sherman 2010

Josh, Nova, Mandy

Tschirren et al. 2007

Steve, Stephanie, Joy

Travis et al. 2005

Bridgette, Kevin, Cynthia

Lomascolo et al. 2010

Cody, Chad, Jason

Barrett et al. 2008

Matt, Amy, Chris, Abby

Ronce 2007

Bergelson et al. 1993

Cynthia, Cody, Chad, Abby

Revilla and Weigand 2008

Jason, Matt, Amy

Brown and Venable 1986

Josh, Nova

Mathias et al. 2001

Mandy, Steve, Kevin

Muller-Landau et al. 2003

Joy, Bridgette, Stephanie

Ronce et al. 2001 (photocopied)

Genetics

Donohue et al. 2005

Abby, Cody, Chad

Gu et al. 2006

Cynthia, Jason, Matt

Saastamoinen 2008

Amy, Josh, Nova

Physiology / ability

Sapir et al. 2010

Chris, Mandy, Steve

Hanski et al. 2006

Stephanie, Joy, Bridgette

Siewert and Tielborger 2010

The empirical paper Chris read dealing with testing theory using annual plants in Israel.

Grinnell 1922

This is a classic read and was, perhaps, the first paper published on dispersal in English.

Maternal effects

Tielborger and Petru 2010

Nova, Abby, Jason

Honer et al. 2010

Mandy, Josh, Amy

Environment

Davis and Stamps 2004

Chris, Cody, Matt

Stamps et al. 2009

Steve, Stephanie, Kevin

Holland et al. 2006

Chad, Cynthia, Joy

Ronce and Promislow 2010

Not quite related to population patterns, but it deals with our discussion last week (evolution of fecundity, senescence, etc.).  Further, I find it very thought provoking and will hopefully contribute to our working understanding of dispersal.

Extreme lifespan of the human fish (Proteus anguinus): a challenge for ageing mechanisms

Link to the human fish (actually an amphibian) that Matt was talking about last week.  You don’t have to read this, I am just posting it for fun.

US

Nova

Abby

Jason

Mandy

Josh

Amy

Matt

Chris

PAPER

Gypsy dispersal

Disruptive dispersal

Age movement

Fat tails

Habitat fragmentation

Spatial patterns

Disease-induced dispersal

Seed shadows

THEM

Nick

Steve

Stephanie

Kevin

Chad

Cynthia

Joy

Sarah

DISPERSAL DEFINITIONS FROM 18 FEBRUARY 2011

Chris: “Q:  What is dispersal? A:  Population interaction.

There are two types of dispersal: ecological and genetic dispersal.  Genetic dispersal is always ecological dispersal, but ecological dispersal is not always genetic dispersal.

Both ecological and genetic dispersal should be examined at the level of the population.

Ecological dispersal is tantamount to migration.  Once an individual has left its population, there is one less individual and changes population dynamics (e.g., recourse allocation).  Consequently, an immigrant changes its new population dynamics (e.g., it “took’r jybs”).

Genetic dispersal is tantamount to gene flow. Once an individual has left its population, there is one less individual and changes the population genetic composition and structure.  Notice that emigration in genetic dispersal does effect the population, as it reduces the population size and is not longer a potential contributor to that gene pool.  Consequently, an immigrant—one that contributes its genes to the new population (e.g., “Anchor Baby”)—changes the population genetic composition and structure.

These definitions are highly contingent upon the definition of a population.  I think that much of the confusion actually deals with the definition of a population.  Likewise to dispersal, I think that populations can be viewed as ecological and genetic and ideas about dispersal are relative to the population relation to other populations and the environment.”

Chad: “My simple definition of dispersal: movement that results or may result in fitness gain.”

Mandy: “Movement away from one population and into another.”

Nova: “. . . movement of an individual away from an existing population or away from the parent organism in which the consequences create changes in species distribution, population dynamics, population genetics, or an individual's fitness.”

Matt:”I am interested in: Movement in space by individuals or propagules.

Consider example:

Some silly chipmunks in the Sierra.  Imagine you have each one radiotagged within a pretty large area of continuous habitat, and you observe movement at roughly four scales... (1) most individuals move within a short radius around their dens; constant movement within this area.  (2) occasionally an individual is seen to move on a wider trajectory, apparently crossing into the "home ranges" (if they are that) of other individuals, but returning to the area in #1.  (3) even less frequently an individual moves to a peripheral area and starts activities like those in #1.  (4) even less frequently (it happens once during your study) an individual takes off over the pass and is not heard from again.

So, the question: what explains movement at these different scales. Hypotheses: 

#1 is foraging for food

#2 is stealing other individuals' food or looking for mates (not sure)

#3 is a juvenile looking for a place to set up shop

#4 who knows... maybe that individual is responding to packed conditions.... maybe that individual has a gene that says get the crap out of town and found a new colony....

Personally, I don't see anything to be gained by saying some of those are "dispersal" and some are not.  They are patterns of movement in space, and we can ask questions about each one.  Someone might be tempted to call only #4 dispersal, but beware that the distinction between #3 and #4 might be pretty fuzzy.....”

Chad August

Audio

Mandy Van Dellen

Audio

Cody Schroeder

Audio

Kevin Burls

Audio

Cynthia Scholl

Audio

Joy Newton

Audio

everybody  write of their breaks, whether it be science, travels, or relaxing.  it is good for the soul.

Copyright, M.J. Grimson & R.L. Blanton. Biological Sciences Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Texas Tech University.

Community-level consequences

Species-level consequences

Population-level consequences

Measuring dispersal

Modeling dispersal

Movement ecology overview

ECOLOGY OF DISPERSAL

Spring break

9

29/04/10

15

22/04/10

14

15/04/10

13

08/04/10

12

01/04/10

11

25/03/10

10

PARTNERS

Nick + Mandy

Matt + Joy

Amy + Kevin

Cynthia + Cody

Chris + Jason + Josh

Stephanie + Sarah

PAPER

What is migration?

Migrating Bee-Eaters

Plant migrations

Ried’s paradox

Zooplankton DVM

People of the Pacific from a bacterial perspective

Alerstam et al. 2003

A review of the determinants and evolution of long-distance migration across taxonomic and spatiotemoral scales as an introduction to the topic.

Nathan et al. 2008.pdf

PARTNERS

Sarah + Joy

Nick + Jason

Stephanie + Kevin

Cynthia + Cody

Abby + Chad

Mandy + Steve

Josh + Matt

Chris + Amy

PAPER

Fragmented space & plants

Movement modes of large herbivores

Movement data and processes

Trends and missing parts of movement ecology

Seed dispersal in contrasting atmospheric conditions

Migrating vultures

Climbing boas

Foraging bats

I couldn’t get my mind off dispersal :

FINAL PAPER DUE 06 May 2011

DRAFT OF PAPER / PEER REVIEW

PARTNERS

Kevin + Steve

Stephanie + Chris

Matt + Abby

Cody + Cynthia

Nick + Joy

Josh + Mandy

Chad + Sarah

Amy + Jason

Levin et al. 2003 (outline)

PAPER

Human-mediated dispersal of mustard

Behavioral intermittence, Levy patterns, and randomness

Fitting Probability Distributions to Animal Movement Trajectories

Dispersal, demography and spatial population models for conservation and control management

Photocopied chapter from Peter Turchin’s Quantitative Analysis of Movement: measuring and modeling population redistribution in plants and animals.

Dispersal and gene flow

Neutral theory and the theory of island biogeography

SLIME MOULDS!!!

Neither could Cynthia on an independent post-semester trip: