Symposium

SYMP 3 - Advancing Theory for Pressing Ecological Issues

Organizer(s)

• KS

  Katriona Shea

  The Pennsylvania State University
  University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

Co-organizer(s)

• AH

  Alan Hastings

  University of California Davis
  Davis, CA, United States

Moderator(s)

• KS

  Katriona Shea

  The Pennsylvania State University
  University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

Almost all ecological research stems from some aspect of ecological theory. An underlying theoretical construct guides research on what to observe or measure, on experimental approaches, and on interpretation of results; in short, theory drives innovation in both basic and applied ecology. Theory, both mathematical and conceptual, has complemented observation to advance ecological understanding for decades, but as global change and unprecedented events increase in frequency and intensity, new approaches are needed to reinvigorate ecological theory to guide future research. “A Change is Gonna Come”; we cannot take each new problem in isolation. If we are forced to reinvent the wheel each time a new problem arises, it will not be possible to address everything that requires our attention. For this reason, we need theory that can flexibly address the multiple challenges arising in an ever-changing world. Such challenges, posed by complex, adaptive systems and by rapidly increasing data streams, argue for new coordination and integration across families of ecological theories and perspectives. We need guidance from a predictive science that focuses on the real world and identifies key commonalities across systems despite the many complexities that exist and will arise. New theory is therefore needed to extract deeper understanding, develop models, formulate testable hypotheses, identify general principles, and test intuition from a burgeoning flow of empirical data. Our symposium focuses on four key topics/themes, each with broad implications for multiple ecological systems. Specifically, we address how theory should most usefully be integrated across organizational levels, the shifting and interacting role of internal and external forces in ecological systems, the role of transient dynamics and non-stationarity in a changing world, and the challenges and opportunities posed by uncertainty in the age of Big Data.

Presentations:

• 3:30 PM – 3:50 PM EDT

  Theory to integrate internal ecological processes and external driving forces
  

  Presenting Author: Marie-Josée Fortin – University of Toronto

  Co-author: Donald DeAngelis – U. S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Florida

  Co-author: Emily Howerton – The Pennsylvania State University

  Co-author: Julie Blackwood – Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Williams College

  Co-author: Orou G. Gaoue – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Unviersity of Tennessee at Knoxville

  Co-author: Hidetoshi Inamine – Pennsylvania State University

  Co-author: Olivia Prosper – Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee

  Co-author: Tanjona Ramiadantsoa – University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Co-author: Katriona Shea – The Pennsylvania State University

  Co-Author: Justin Yeakel – University of California Merced
• 3:50 PM – 4:10 PM EDT

  Integrating theory and big data to advance ecological understanding
  

  Presenting Author: Colin T. Kremer – University of California, Los Angeles

  Co-author: Michale Cortez – Florida State University

  Co-author: Trevor Drees – Pennsylvania State University

  Co-author: Rebecca Epanchin-Niell – Resources for the Future

  Co-author: Marie-Josée Fortin – University of Toronto

  Co-author: Emily Howerton – The Pennsylvania State University

  Co-author: Hidetoshi Inamine – Pennsylvania State University

  Co-author: Tom E.X. Miller – Rice University

  Co-author: Roger Nisbet – UC Santa Barbara

  Co-author: Jody Reimer – University of Utah

  Co-author: Katriona Shea – The Pennsylvania State University

  Co-author: Mridul Thomas – University of Geneva
• 4:10 PM – 4:30 PM EDT

  The current and future role of transients in ecological theory
  

  Presenting Author: Alan Hastings – University of California Davis

  Co-author: Joel E. Cohen – The Rockefeller University

  Co-author: Michael Cortez – Florida State University

  Co-author: Hidetoshi Inamine – Pennsylvania State University

  Co-author: Michael G. Neubert – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

  Co-author: Suzanne M. O’Regan – University of Georgia

  Co-author: Jody Reimer – University of Utah

  Co-author: Katriona Shea – The Pennsylvania State University
• 4:30 PM – 4:50 PM EDT

  Integrating theory across levels of organization: from physiology to evolution
  

  Presenting Author: Priyanga Amarasekare, PhD – University of California- Los Angeles

  Co-author: Jordi Bascompte – University of Zurich

  Co-author: Donald DeAngelis – U. S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Florida

  Co-author: Hidetoshi Inamine – Pennsylvania State University

  Co-author: Colin T. Kremer – University of California, Los Angeles

  Co-author: Simon Levin – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

  Co-author: Damie Pak – University of Michigan

  Co-author: Mercedes Pascual, n/a – Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago

  Co-author: Allison Shaw – University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

  Co-author: Fernanda S. Valdovinos, PhD – University of California Davis

  Co-author: Roger Nisbet – UC Santa Barbara
• 4:50 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

  Discussion