Biology Seminars

Date

Guest Speaker

Description

Photo

28 Aug

Jeff Welker

The hubble of Ecology for measuring and monitoring climate and
land use changes across America

-Cancelled-

11 Sept 

Doug Causey

Predicting Complex Interaction Patterns
In Aleutian Marine Bird Communities 
-
Causey and students have been investigating the
ecological complexity structuring marine bird communities
in the Arctic and Bering Sea.  This summer three graduate
students worked in the farthest western group of islands in the
Aleutian Islands—the Near Islands—gathering data
designed to test whether microscale oceanography can
provide ecological structure in a near shore environment.

 18 Sept

Andrew Kulmatiski

Getting 'the dirt' on plant growth 
-

He will describe a field of research that explores how plants
change soils and how this affects subsequent plant growth.  
He will describe a number of experiments that demonstrate these

plant-soil feedback effects as well as present a mathematical
model that attempts to capture this relationship.  He will also show
that a review of the literature as well as his own experiments

and models suggest that these plant-soil feedbacks
are critical in determine when and where individual plants grow.

 25 Sept

Dr. Cory Williams

Using Stable Isotopes and Fatty Acids as Dietary Tracers
 in Seabird Trophic Ecology 
-
As always, for our off campus guests, please note that
parking on the UAA campus is free of charge on Fridays. No-host
refreshments will be provided for which your contributions
are greatly appreciated.

2 Oct 

Roman Dial

Vegetation Change on the Western
Kenai Peninsula: Causes and Consequences
-
The Kenai Peninsula offers an excellent opportunity to observe vegetation change
 in a boreal, non-permafrost region during the last half century that appears
to follow climate change rather than land-use change. Climate records from the city of Kenai
show an overall drying and warming trend since the 1950s. Historic aerial
photography on the eastern Kenai Peninsula documents changes in
vegetation during this time period, changes that suggest an accelerating drying of
wetlands, a widespread increase in willow and alder cover, and a rising tree-line.
Fieldwork has shown invasion of wetlands by more upland plants, including trees, and
recruitment of trees into the alpine zone that parallels the timing of warming.
Peat cores suggest that the invasion by trees into the wetlands may be unprecedented
since the last glaciation. Taken together, the evidence is very suggestive that the changes
in vegetation cover are due to a changing climate. The consequences of these changes for
greenhouse gas flux, as well as bird and other wildlife abundance have not yet been determined.

9 Oct 

Bjartmar
Sveinbjornsson 

White spruce growth above and below the forest
boundary across Alaska:
Carbohydrate source or sink limitation?

White spruce branch extension growth has been reported to be lower in
the treeline zone above the forest boundary than below it in Alaska.
This has been attributed to a shorter growing season and greater
needle loss. There are two main hypotheses regarding carbon
limitation affecting tree growth. The carbon source limitation
hypothesis states that at the treeline there is less photosynthesis,
greater respiration or greater loss of carbon stored from previous season.
The carbon sink limitation hypothesis states that there is ample
carbon supply in the tree at treeline but instead there are limits on their use,
e.g. for biosynthesis, cell division, and growth because of low temperatures.
Patterns of variation in needle non-structural carbohydrate concentration
and content are examined to evaluate the above hypotheses for white spruce.

 16 Oct

Round-table
Discussion

Are We Being Misled by Climate Change?
-

Climate change has become the buzz-phrase of our time. Almost anything
can be blamed on it. Recently, there is great interest in adapting
to change at all levels: from resource management to re-designing
lifestyles to corporate responsibility. However, what if we've oversimplified
the big picture? What if we're looking to "adapt" to the wrong things?

Our panel will be: 

Dr. Mark Altaweel, University of Chicago
Dr. Paddy Sullivan, ENRI
Dr. Christopher Bone, RAM
Dr. Paula Williams, UAA Sustainability Director

23 Oct 

-Cancelled-

Seminar is cancelled do to the grand opening of the CPSB.

30 Oct 

Don Spalinger 

 6 Nov

Matt Carlson 

 13 Nov

 Jeff Welker 
Round-table
discussion

27 Nov 

 Thanksgiving
weekend

- No Seminar -

4 Dec 

Kim Peterson