Coral Reef Macroecology in the Anthropocene
Julia Baum
Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Victoria
Macroecology, the broad spatial‐scale study of relationships between organisms and their environment, has provided novel insight into species' abundance, distribution and diversity patterns, and their underlying mechanisms. These fundamental ecological properties are, however, increasingly influenced by human disturbances. Macroecological research in the Baum lab seeks to elucidate how anthropogenic disturbances are changing the structure of marine communities,
and the influence of these disturbances relative to natural influences. Our focus is coral reefs of the Pacific Ocean: this region includes most of the world's remaining intact coral reefs, and its many islands and atolls span multiple disturbance gradients embedded within regional gradients of biodiversity, oceanographic productivity, and temperature. I will present evidence of changes to coral reef predator communities, and discuss the potential changes that may occur over the next year during the current massive El Niño event.
12:00‐1:00 FREE EVENT in Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall
Lunch will be provided – first come, first served