30. Plant population syndromes

Organised by Yvonne Buckley, University of Queensland and CSIRO First meeting was held at University of Queensland 10-14 March 2008

PARTICIPANTS Yvonne Buckley, University of Queensland (Plant population dynamics, statistical modelling, invasion ecology) Johan Ehrlén, Stockholm University (Plant population dynamics, demographic modelling) Simon Blomberg, University of Queensland (Statistical modelling, comparative ecology, phylogeny) Elizabeth Crone, University of Montana, USA (Plant population dynamics, conservation biology, demographic modelling) Richard Grenyer, Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College London, UK (Comparative ecology, phylogeny, conservation biology) Satu Ramula, Swedish Research Council Formas & Queensland, Australia (Stochastic matrix models, plant population dynamics, demographic modelling) Tiffany Knight, Washington University St Louis, USA Jean Burns, Washington University St Louis, USA Glenda Wardle, Sydney University Ian Watson, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Townsville Jean-Baptiste Pichancourt, CSIRO Entomology, Brisbane

Mar 08 >

We are interested in how measures of population structure and dynamics derived from matrix models vary between species, between higher phylogenetic levels, and across space and time within a species. A database of matrix population models for 69 species of perennial herbs has been assembled (Quested & Ehrlén unpublished data), and more are being added. Initial results from analysis of the spatial and temporal components alone have shown that variance between species is of the same magnitude as variance through time and spatial variance is of a much lower magnitude. These pilot studies suggest that “space for time” data-sets may be seriously underestimating variability in plant population dynamics through time.

The working group met in March 2008 and determined a protocol for putting together the database and carrying out analyses. The database is currently being compiled and the data-frame for analysis prepared from the database. We have put forward a symposium to run at Intecol 2009 on plant population dynamics, members of the working group have also been asked to contribute to an organised oral session at the Ecological Society of America meeting in August 2009. We have outlined six potential papers which different people in the working group are leading, these will form the basis for the Intecol symposium.

Our second meeting will be in August 2009 during which results of the statistical analysis will be presented and discussed and at least two main papers from the working group will be written.

In parallel with these analyses of datasets about perennial herbs, possibilities will be investigated for developing equivalent datasets and analyses for woody species.

Last updated September 2008