You are here

Home | Events | Biodiversity Research Seminar Series

Biodiversity Research Seminar Series

The Biodiversity Research Seminar Series (BRS) is held on Wednesdays at noon in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum auditorium

The BRS series organizers are Diane Srivastava, John Richardson, and Judith Mank. Cookies and coffee are provided in the Biodiversity Research Centre atrium at 11:30am. To update the title/speaker changes, please contact Katie Beall.

Upcoming Events

BRS: Jonah Piovia-Scott "Understanding variation in the effects of predators and pathogens on ecological communities"

December 11, 2019
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: John Richardson, cookies provided by Laura P. and Amelia H. abstract: Predators and pathogens can have dramatic effects on the diversity and abundance of lower trophic levels. Here, I present results from ongoing research on such top-down effects in two different study systems. First, I...

BRS: Steve Franks "Evolutionary shifts in plant populations in response to climatic changes"

January 8, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: Amy Angert, cookies: Libby N and Rashika R Abstract: To what extent do climatic changes cause evolutionary responses in natural populations? This seminar presents research addressing this question using quantitative genetics, genomics, and the resurrection approach of comparing ancestors and...

BRS: Nadia Singh "Phenotypic Plasticity in Recombination in Drosophila"

January 15, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: Judith Mank, cookies: Lydia F and Kaleigh D Abstract: Meiotic recombination rate is phenotypic plastic, varying in response to a number of environmental stimuli. Recombination seems particularly plastic in response to stressors, including pathogens, aging, and starvation. Though plastic...

BRS: Lisa D. White "Integrating field and fossil data with visualization tools to enhance instruction in biodiversity, Earth system processes, and global climate change"

January 22, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: Bridgitte Clarkson, cookies: Sierra S and Chelsea L Lisa D. White, Director of Education, Museum of Paleontology, University of California at Berkeley The extensive fossil holdings and significant online resources at the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) are accessible...

BRS: Chelsea Little "Everything Is Moving: Ecosystem Function in a Changing World"

January 29, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: Rachel Germain, cookies: Sean M and Gil H Topic: My research centers on how connections between ecosystems influences their dynamics and functioning. In this talk, I will present how spatial configuration of ecosystems in a landscape affects the flow of materials and organisms between them;...

BRS: Noelle Beckman "Seed dispersal ecology under global change"

February 5, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: Jennifer Williams, cookies Sarah S-T and Megan S Abstract: Dispersal influences individual fitness, population persistence, and biodiversity across scales, as well as a population’s ability to track shifting habitats, deal with large-scale environmental variability, and adapt to novel...

BRS: Lauren Shoemaker "The role of environmental variability and food web structure for species coexistence"

February 12, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: Rachel Germain, cookies Angie N and Mia W Abstract: Environmental variability and interspecific interactions are two cornerstones of the longstanding effort to understand how species coexist and the mechanisms that maintain biodiversity. Recently it has become evident that these two factors...

BRS: no seminar READING WEEK

February 19, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: none

BRS: Evolution lecture Nancy Emery

February 26, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: graduate students, cookies Pirmin N and Tom B

BRS: Cathy Pfister "The dynamics of Kelp forests in the northeast Pacific and their diverse contributions to coastal productivity."

March 4, 2020
2212 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
Canada

host: Chris Harley, cookies provided by Alyssa G and Sandra E abstract: As foundational species, the underwater forests comprised of kelp species have known importance as habitat for fishes and invertebrates. I will show kelp forests also have significant effects on seawater chemistry, productivity...