Theoretical Ecology Section

Abstract

The Section was formed in 1993 to (1) foster theoretical research in all areas of ecology; (2) sponsor meetings for the presentation of results; (3) foster communication and research collaboration between theoreticians and experimental/field ecologists; (4) encourage the application of ecological theory to the resolution of societal problems. Cherie Briggs will be stepping down as Chair at the end of the Section's business meeting in Milwaukee. Ben Bolker (the current Vice Chair) will take her place. Gregg Hartvigsen will remain the Section's Secretary for the second year of his 2-year term (2007–2009). The election for next year's Vice Chair is in progress, and the winner will be announced at the business meeting in Milwaukee. The Theoretical Ecology Section awards the Alfred J. Lotka and Vito Volterra prizes for the best presentations given by students during the Annual Meeting of the ESA. The award is open to graduate or undergraduate student members of the ESA who, as sole or first author, present a talk or poster at the ESA Annual Meeting on original research in theoretical ecology. All suitable approaches that yield theoretical insight to ecological phenomena are considered. Prizes are awarded on the basis of merit, originality, and clarity of presentation. The winner of the best talk in 2007 was Colin T. Kremer, an undergraduate at State University of New York at Geneseo, for his talk “Chaotic dynamics lost in small-world network meta-populations” (with co-authors Chris C. Leary, Gary W. Towsley, and Gregg Hartvigsen). The winner of the best poster was Sharon Martinson, a graduate student at Dartmouth College, for her poster “A multiple equilibria model for Dendronctonus frontalis which includes predation and competition” (with co-author Matthew P. Ayres). This year the Section is sponsoring a symposium at the Annual Meeting, “Transient dynamics and its implications for ecological theory,” organized by Robin Snyder and Cherie Briggs. Ecological theory has traditionally centered on long-term dynamics, yet most experiments and monitoring programs observe only short-term dynamics, contributing to a gap between theoretical and empirical work. The symposium will include presentations of new mathematical tools to examine transient dynamics, and examples of the importance of transient dynamics in predator–prey, pathogen–host, competitive, and spatially extended systems. The Theoretical Ecology Section would like to thank Springer for sponsoring the 2007 ESA Section mixer, at which they launched their new journal, Theoretical Ecology, edited by Alan Hastings.