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Aaron M. Ellison
- Current research topics:
- Food
webs in dynamic habitats
- Spatial dimension of
species interactions -
Ecologists
have long recognized that coexistence of interacting species depends on a diversity
of separate, but linked habitats. Most models of species coexistence treat these
habitat "patches" as unchanging elements of the landscape, but in reality,
they are constantly changing in size and shape. The structure and dynamics of
the food webs that inhabit them both control and depend on these changes. In a
five-year (2006-2011) collaborative project, Nick Gotelli (University of Vermont)
and I are seeking to understand how species interactions change the spatial distribution
of dynamic habitat patches across the landscape, and to determine how food webs
are structured within and among these patches. The experimental system for this
five-year research project is the Sarracenia "microecosystem":
the northern pitcher-plant Sarracenia purpurea; the unique food web of
bacteria, protozoa, rotifers, mites, and fly larvae that live within its rainwater-filled
leaves; three species of bog-inhabiting ants that are the primary prey for this
carnivorous plant; and larvae of the pitcher-plant moth, Exyra fax, which
cut and drain pitchers and remove food web habitat. Results from surveys of 50
New England bogs and three field experiments conducted at the Harvard
Forest Long-Term Ecological Research site will parameterize a simulation model
to predict changes in spatial structure of ant, moth, and plant populations, and
the structure and composition of the aquatic food web associated with the plant.
This work is funded by the U.S. National
Science Foundation, through collaborative awards 0541680
and 0541936.
- Nutrient limitation and stoichiometry of carnivorous plants
- Frank
Morton Jones and carnivorous plant research in the early 20th century
- Foundation
species in forests
- Arthropods
of the Harvard Forest
- Statistics
for ecologists
- Cyberinfrastructure
tools for ecological synthesis
- Full
cv (PDF)
- Opportunities
for students, post-docs, and senior researchers
- Publications
- Software
- Favorite
links
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