"Resolving the ecological causes and consequences of animal mass mortality events"

Death is a ubiquitous demographic process central to understanding ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Although all organisms eventually die, the timing and magnitude of deaths within populations varies greatly. In contrast to mortality that affects one specific age or stage class, mass mortality events (MMEs) represent demographic catastrophes that can simultaneously affect all life stages and can rapidly remove a substantial proportion of a population over a short period of time relative to the generation time of the organism. Yet due to their rare and unpredictable nature, we lack an understanding of how MMEs impact ecosystems– which is disconcerting in the wake of ongoing global and regional perturbations to natural systems. This seminar will focus on the use of observational data, mathematical models, and experiments that collectively address what the primary causes and ecological consequences of MMEs are in three parts. I will 1) describe contemporary patterns in the occurrence, cause, and magnitude of animal mass mortality events, 2) present food web theory aimed at understanding the ecological aftermath of MMEs, and 3) present the results of a recent experiment aimed at testing this theory using freshwater lake food webs.

Dr. Sam Fey's resesarch seeks to understand how environmental variation both maintain and erode the composition, structure, and functioning of biological communities and to enhance ecological predictions associated with a warming climate and altered patterns of nutrient cycling

11:50 am- Snacks & Socializing
noon- Talk Begins