Predicting Species Abundance Responses with Intertrophic Interaction
Group Leaders: Dr. Courtney Collins, Biodiversity Research Centre, UBC, Dr. Nathalie Isabelle Chardon, Biodiversity Research Centre, UBC, Haley Branch, Department of Botany, UBC, Dr. Ryan Langendorf, University of Colorado Boulder
Date of Working Group: April 23-28, 2023
In person location: Maple Ridge, B.C.
Deadline: August 24, 2022
Apply here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dgSxOU7xG4kOiMe
There is now a broad recognition of the importance of biotic interactions in determining how, and if, species respond to environmental change, and that these interactions may play an even larger role than species direct responses to the environment. Yet few studies have quantified the extent to which trophic interactions may predict changes in species abundances over large spatial and temporal scales. Predictable relationships between abundance changes across different trophic levels would improve forecasts of species responses to global change, which are currently quite inaccurate. Furthermore, establishing such relationships would allow for better predictions for species for which data is lacking, as long as their trophic interactions are known. We will host a 5-day working group to analyze existing global abundance time series datasets (e.g., BioTIME) to ask 1) Do yearly abundance changes in a trophic level predict abundance changes in another trophic level? and 2) Which type(s) of trophic interactions (pollination, mutualism, herbivory) most strongly predict changes in other trophic levels?
Date of Working Group: April 23-28, 2023
In person location: Maple Ridge, B.C.
Deadline: August 24, 2022
Apply here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dgSxOU7xG4kOiMe
There is now a broad recognition of the importance of biotic interactions in determining how, and if, species respond to environmental change, and that these interactions may play an even larger role than species direct responses to the environment. Yet few studies have quantified the extent to which trophic interactions may predict changes in species abundances over large spatial and temporal scales. Predictable relationships between abundance changes across different trophic levels would improve forecasts of species responses to global change, which are currently quite inaccurate. Furthermore, establishing such relationships would allow for better predictions for species for which data is lacking, as long as their trophic interactions are known. We will host a 5-day working group to analyze existing global abundance time series datasets (e.g., BioTIME) to ask 1) Do yearly abundance changes in a trophic level predict abundance changes in another trophic level? and 2) Which type(s) of trophic interactions (pollination, mutualism, herbivory) most strongly predict changes in other trophic levels?