Biosciences Science Club Series - Winter 2018
26 February 2018 - 12pm - Wallace 113
Wolves for Yellowstone: dynamics in time and space
Prof Mark Boyce
We are delighted to welcome Prof Mark Boyce, from the Department of Biological Sciences
at the University of Alberta (Canada). Mark is Professor of Ecology and Alberta Conservation Association Chair in Fisheries & Wildlife and is widely known for his research in wildlife population biology in North America and Africa, ranging from elk, to wolves, cougars and wolverines ecollogy and prey selection, elk movement ecollogy and population dynamics, to harvesting effects on wildlife population, to carbon sequestration and conservation, as well as his work developing Resource Selection Analysis.
Predation is increasingly recognized as an ecological process that structures natural communities, and has been targeted as an important focus for conservation. Yet, others have argued that the extent and magnitude of trophic cascades has been overstated and that few clear examples exist in terrestrial ecosystems, especially for behaviourally driven trophic cascades. I will review the details of this debate regarding wolf recovery in Yellowstone National Park and conclude that as predicted by theory we see spatial and temporal variability in predator-prey systems that likewise generate spatial and temporal variability in the expression of trophic cascades. Outside protected areas in western North America, however, humans have a dominant influence that overwhelms trophic cascades and can result in bottom-up influences on community structure and function.
Hope to see many of you - everyone most welcome to attend!
For the list of forthcoming seminars see here
For the list of forthcoming seminars see here
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