Wed, April 6, 2016 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PETER WALL INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES. Free. Please register by clicking on the link below:. Talk from 4:00-5:00 pm. Reception to follow.
University Centre, Seminar Room (307), 6331 Crescent Road
Abstract:
We have entered a period of rapid environmental change, and ecological responses to this change are beginning to outpace our ability to understand and predict them. There are four major hurdles to surmount as we grapple with ongoing ecological change: 1) the effects of multiple stressors acting in combination, 2) cumulative effects of environmental stress across an organism’s life cycle, 3) the potential for acclimation and adaptation to environmental change, and 4) “ecological surprises” generated by changes in the way that species interact with one another. I will touch upon all four of these phenomena as they apply to British Columbia’s rocky shore ecosystems as they respond to ongoing changes in salinity, temperature, and acidity.
Speaker:
Dr. Christopher Harley is a Wall Scholar and Professor in the Department of Zoology at UBC. Through his research, Dr. Harley attempts to understand how various aspects of global change, alone and in combination, affect the ways in which species interact with one another and ultimately influence the distribution and abundance of marine plants and animals. To link patterns of change to underlying mechanisms, he combines eco-physiological work in the laboratory with long-term monitoring and ecological experiments in the field.