Linking Community and Ecosystem Dynamics
Please note: this event is fully booked. Registration is closed.
Organizers
- Matty P. Berg (Chair; VU University, Amsterdam / GELIFES, University of Groningen)
- Han Olff (GELIFES, University of Groningen)
- Corine Eising (RSEE, University of Groningen)
Under auspices of the research schools RSEE, PE&RC and SENSE
Scope of the course
The research fields community and ecosystem ecology have diverged more or less independently over the last decennia. In community ecology progress is made in understanding shifts in community composition under the influence of environmental change and how these shifts can be explained by functional trait approaches of component species. Also, the importance of positive feedbacks in community dynamics is more and more appreciated, and merged with trophic interactions in ecological networks. Studies in ecosystem ecology traditionally have a strong focus on energy and nutrient fluxes and how deviation in these fluxes affect ecosystem functioning and stability. Recent studies reveal tight links between these sub-disciplines that enforce us to rethink how communities and ecosystems interact.
This course focuses on theoretical concepts, such as autocatalytic loops and positive and negative feedbacks between organisms in ecological networks as well as the importance of non-trophic interactions by ecosystem engineers. The course will address how these principles can be used to link communities to ecosystems enabling a better understanding of how environmental changes affect community and ecosystem dynamics. Students will construct ecological networks of their own study system or based on literature data and analyse these using structural equation modelling.
Course Set-up
The course is composed of a series of lectures, a poster session, analysing ecological networks using structural equation modelling and finalized with a debating session.
- Poster session: Prior to the course, participants submit a poster of their work (A4-size) in PDF, which will be printed and included in the course reader. The poster contains your name and affiliation, title and short description of research project (including concepts) with one highlight (something exciting) and the reason you want to participate in this course. During the course, participants briefly pitch their research (maximum 3 slides) amd indicate where they would like to receive input from the course particpants and lecturers.
- Lectures and discussion: Each day starts with a key speaker who will give a lecture on one of the key course topics (covering both general theory and own research). After the lecture we'll have a discussion which is convened by three participants who challenge the speaker on the lecture and two papers that the speaker submitted which are related to the topic of the lecture (participants will receive these before the course to prepare them self).
- Group activities: In the afternoons, participants will be split into working groups, which will work on specific group assignments associated with the topic of the course (design ecological networks and analysing these). The exact topics of these activities will be selected by the participants. Each group will present the results to all course participants the following day. Group activities will be supervised by the lecturers and course organizers (which are present the whole course), so that the students can optimally benefit from experts that are among the leaders in their fields.
- Debating session: We will debate propositions that have been brought forward by speakers, students or have appeared to be a point of discussion during the course.
Preliminary Programme
The programme for the course has been updated as of 22 March. The final programme for the course will be published in due time.
Monday April 18:
Afternoon | Arrival of the participants at the "Herdershut" |
17.15-18.15 | Introduction & Student pitches 1 |
18:15-19:15 | Dinner |
19:45-20:45 | Student pitches 2 & Getting to know each other (meaning drinks) |
Tuesday April 19:
08:00-08:45 | Breakfast + cleaning up |
09:00-10:00 Matty Berg | Setting the scene: aim, an overview of concepts and approaches |
10:00-10:30 | Coffee |
10:30-11:30 Han Olff | Lecture: Introduction to coastal ecosystems and their networks |
12:00-13:00 | Lunch + cleaning up |
13:00-17:30 | Interactive field trip to salt marsh & dunes to learn about hybrid networks |
18:00-19:00 | Dinner |
19:30-20:30 | Student pitches 3 |
Wednesday April 20 :
08:00-08:45 | Breakfast + cleaning up |
09:00-10:30 Han Olff | Lecture: Ecosystem Dynamics (Marsh vs Mud) |
10:30-11:00 | Coffee |
11:00-12:30 | Hands on: working group Ecosystem Dynamics |
12:00-13:00 | Lunch + cleaning up |
13:00-14:45 Han Olff |
Hands on: R course, how to analyse network data? |
14.30-15.00 | Tea |
15:15-17:30 | Hands on: R course, how to analyse network data? |
18:00-19:00 | Dinner |
19:30-20:30 | Student pitches 4 |
Thursday April 21:
08:00-08:45 | Breakfast + cleaning up |
08:45-12:00 Tjisse vd Heide | Interactive field trip to mud flats networks |
12:00-13:00 | Lunch + cleaning up |
13:00-17:00 Tjisse vd Heide | Hands on: working group interaction network assignment |
18:00-19:00 | Dinner |
19:30-21:00 | TBD |
Friday April 22:
08:00-08:45 | Breakfast + cleaning up |
09:00-10:30 Matty Berg |
Lecture: Ecosystem engineering networks and landscape organization |
10:30-11:00 | Coffee |
11:00-12:30 | Hands on: working group interaction network assignment |
12:30-13:30 | Lunch |
13:30-14:30 | Hands on: working group interaction network assignment |
14:30-15:00 | Tea |
18:00-19:00 | Dinner |
19:30-20:30 | Closure and evaluation |
Saturday April 23;
08:00-08:45 | Breakfast + cleaning up |
09:00-10:30 | Cleaning up |
10:30-11:00 | Boat departure - End of course |
General Information
Required Knowledge & Preparation
Course participants need to read some articles that will be made available beforehand and prepare some challenging questions as well as prepare a poster in PDF format on their own work.
Course Material
Please bring your own laptop to the course.
Course Credits
2 ECTS
Location
The course will be held in the fieldstation of the University of Groningen, The Herdershut, on Schiermonnikoog.
Duration
5 Days; arrival Monday, start course Tuesday, course end Saturday at 10.30 (Boat departure 11:00).
Costs
The registration fee for all participants belonging to the RSEE and co-organizing research schools (e.g., PE&RC, WIMEK) pay € 350. All other participants, including participants from SENSE, pay € 500. This includes lodging, meals, and the course material at the course venue. The reduced course fee is possible due to a contibution of the co-organizing Research Schools.
Registration
Please note: this event is fully booked. Registration is closed.
Please take note of our general course information on payment, registration and cancellation, applicable to all registrations.
Information
Corine Eising
Email: c.m.eising rug.nl
Last modified: | 23 March 2022 10.05 a.m. |