NIMBioS Tuesday Seminar Series
In conjunction with the interdisciplinary activities of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS), a seminar series on topics in mathematical biology will be hosted at NIMBioS every other Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) in the NIMBioS Lecture Hall on the 4th floor of 1534 White Ave., Suite 400. Seminar speakers will focus on their research initiatives at the interface of mathematics and many areas of the life sciences. Light refreshments will be served beginning 30 minutes before each talk.
Faculty and students from across the UT community are welcome to join us.
| Date | Speaker |
Topic |
|---|---|---|
| January 2012 | ||
| Jan 17 | Andrew Kanarek, NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellow | Ecological and evolutionary consequences of Allee effects in small founder populations of invasive species |
| Jan 31 | Maud Lélu, NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellow | Interactions between the transmission modes of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii |
| February 2012 | ||
| Feb 9 | Rosemary Gillespie, Environmental Science, Univ. of California, Berkeley; Darwin Day event | Community assembly across an island chronology |
| Feb 28 | Russell Lande*, Natural Sciences, Imperial College London | Adaptation to an extraordinary environment by evolution of phenotypic plasticity and genetic assimilation |
| March 2012 | ||
| Mar 27 | Judy Day, Depts. Mathematics and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Univ. of Tennessee | TBA |
| April 2012 | ||
| Apr 3 | Andrew Pomiankowski*, Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoPLEX), Univ. College London | TBA |
| Apr 24 | Joshua Plotkin*, Mathematical Biology, Univ. of Penn | TBA |
NIMBioS Spring 2012 Interdisciplinary Seminar Series: Printable Flyer
NIMBioS Seminar Abstracts
Time/Date/Location:
3:30 p.m, Jan 17, NIMBioS Lecture Hall (RM 403), 1534 White Ave., Suite 400
Speaker: Andrew Kanarek, NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellow
Topic: Ecological and evolutionary consequences of Allee effects in small founder populations of invasive species
Abstract: Despite the obvious threats invasive species pose to ecosystem health, studying the characteristics that influence their colonization can provide valuable insight on fundamental issues in ecology, evolution, and biogeography. This talk will focus on the role of intraspecific interactions and the implications of positive density dependence for the establishment and persistence of small founder populations. When individuals experience a low density of conspecifics, one or more components of their fitness may suffer (i.e., component Allee effects) and thus constrain population growth and spread (i.e., demographic Allee effects). This dynamical relationship between fitness and population size can be driven by a myriad of mechanisms, and provides selective pressure for adaptations to overcome Allee effects. In this research, I have theoretically explored how small founder populations can nonetheless succeed when faced with Allee effects and the conditions for a heightened risk of extinction. I will present a reaction-diffusion framework followed by individual-based simulations of increasing complexity in order to demonstrate the ecological and evolutionary consequences of Allee effects that influence successful colonization. Click here for more information. Seminar flyer.
Time/Date/Location:
3:30 p.m, Jan 31, NIMBioS Lecture Hall (RM 403), 1534 White Ave., Suite 400
Speaker: Maud Lélu, NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellow
Topic: Interactions between the transmission modes of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii
Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous parasite, responsible for the zoonosis toxoplasmosis. It is mainly transmitted through a complex life cycle, with its definitive hosts being Felids (mostly domestic cats Felis catus) and the intermediate hosts being potentially all warm-blooded animals. This parasite shows a high plasticity in its life cycle, with possibilities of transmission between cats and the environment only (simple life cycle) or directly between intermediate hosts through vertical transmission or carnivorism. Moreover, manipulation of the behavior of infected intermediate hosts such as rodents in order to facilitate transmission to cats has been reported. Thus the dynamics of T. gondii transmission may depend on the host dynamics and on the interaction of its several transmission modes. This talk will investigate the contributions and the interactions of different transmission strategies on T. gondii spread using epidemiological deterministic models. Click here for more information. Seminar flyer.
Time/Date/Location:
3:30 p.m, Thursday, Feb 9, NIMBioS Lecture Hall (RM 403), 1534 White Ave., Suite 400
Speaker: Rosemary Gillespie, Environmental Science, Univ. of California, Berkeley; Darwin Day event
Topic: Community assembly across an island chronology
Abstract: Recent years have seen a tremendous growth in both micro-evolutionary and ecological understanding of biodiversity, with the former allowing unprecedented insights into mechanisms of diversification, the latter yielding general predictions as to how communities are assembled. Linking processes that can be observed over recent timescales to those that are apparent over deeper time periods, remains problematic. In this talk I will provide an ecological and micro-evolutionary perspective on patterns of biodiversity generated over evolutionary timescales. I use the model system of the chronology provided by the islands in the Hawaiian archipelago to examine snapshots of evolutionary history in micro-evolutionary and ecological contexts. I will use this system to examine: (1) the role of population structure and adaptive plasticity in shaping patterns of differentiation and speciation; and (2) patterns of species accumulation and decline over time, and how this can be influenced by the rate of diversification. Finally, I consider how change in the rate of species arrival due to human activity has affected the original dynamic of these island communities. Click here for more information. Seminar flyer.
