23.4.14

Long distance dispersal by migratory birds

Next Monday 28th 2014, at 11:00, Duarte Viana will defend his PhD Thesis at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Sevilla).

Duarte is a member of Jordi Figuerola's Group at EBD. His thesis focuses on the long-distance dispersal of plant seeds and animal resting eggs by migratory birds, and includes:
- 1D models of propagule dispersal by migratory birds
- an observational experiment testing for the actual occurrence of seeds in the guts of birds engaged in migratory flights
- the results of a continental-wide survey of aquatic biodiversity
- a manipulative experiment testing the role plaid by two components of biotic resistance (diversity resistance and priority effects) during the (re)colonization of Doñana's temporary ponds.

If you are around Sevilla next Monday, don't miss it. If not, you can check the two modelling papers in AmNat and Ecography - and keep posted for an update on the publication of chapters currently under review.

21.4.14

Metaanalysis on the effects of forest fragmentation on species interactions


A team of four led by Ainhoa Magrach, a former SEG PhD-er  now based at ETH Zürich, uses meta-analytical techniques to evaluate whether mutualisms are more sensitive than antagonisms to the negative effects of forest fragmentation.

The paper is on early view in Conservation Biology:

Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Forest Fragmentation on Interspecific Interactions