Date
Abstract
For plants, which are sessile for most life history stages, seed dispersal is an essential process. Global change affects the ecology and evolution of dispersal, limiting the ability of species to move or adapt to global change events. Aspects of dispersal ability may trade-off with other aspects of a life history strategy, such as reproduction. However, dispersal has not been incorporated explicitly into investigations of plant life history strategies. Quantifying the influence of dispersal on individual fitness and plant populations is challenging. Empirically, dispersal is difficult to observe, measure, and manipulate at the relevant scales needed to assess the full influence of dispersal. Analysis of spatial models with realistic assumptions about processes at multiple scales is a mathematical challenge. Incorporating dispersal into plant life history strategies and examining dispersal under global change will not only give us a better basic understanding of patterns of biodiversity and species distributions but also allow us to better predict species’ risk to climate change. Integrating empirical and quantitative approaches, my research contributes to an understanding of the mechanisms limiting plant populations and the influence of global change on these processes with consequences for plant communities and ecosystem functions.
Presenters
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Noelle G. Beckman
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Noelle G. Beckman is an assistant professor in the Biology Department and Ecology Center at Utah State University and is affiliated with the Mathematical Biology Program and Climate Adaptation Science Program. Prior to that role, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) and SESYNC. Mitigating the impacts of global change on ecosystems requires a mechanistic understanding of the processes occurring in natural populations and communities that underlie patterns of biodiversity. Global change disrupts many of these interactions, and Noelle’s...
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Noelle G. Beckman
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Noelle G. Beckman is an assistant professor in the Biology Department and Ecology Center at Utah State University and is affiliated with the Mathematical Biology Program and Climate Adaptation Science Program. Prior to that role, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) and SESYNC. Mitigating the impacts of global change on ecosystems requires a mechanistic understanding of the processes occurring in natural populations and communities that underlie patterns of biodiversity. Global change disrupts many of these interactions, and Noelle’s research group examines the consequences of these disruptions for plant communities and ecosystem functions. Within this context, her focus is seed dispersal and seedscape ecology. Noelle integrates interdisciplinary empirical and quantitative approaches to understand the mechanisms underlying variation in plant movement, growth, and survival—specifically during the seed and seedling stage—and consequences for plant performance, populations, diversity, and ecosystem functions. Her research group aims to conduct transdisciplinary and actionable research that contributes to solutions of socio-environmental problems; disseminate results to a broad audience; and promote an inclusive community that welcomes and respects diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Noelle earned her PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and her BS in Biology at Washington and Lee University.
External Links:
https://www.noellebeckman.com
Presenters
Time
11:00 a.m. ET
Location
SESYNC – 1 Park Place, Suite 300 Annapolis, MD 21401
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