Tuesday, August 5, 2008: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
202 A, Midwest Airlines Center
OOS 5 - Have Microbes Read the Book? Theoretical Ecology for Microbial Communities
We have witnessed a surge of interest in microbial ecology research in the past five years. Molecular tools have allowed researchers to rapidly improve our understanding of the complex biotic and abiotic interactions structuring microbial communities. Many microbial ecologists are now applying traditional ecological theory developed for plant and animal communities to identify patterns in composition, diversity, and dynamics both within and across microbial systems. Application of theoretical frameworks such as island biogeography, predator-prey interactions, and disturbance has met with moderate success. This session will present a series of case studies that apply traditional ecological theory to microbial community data. The goal is to present successful case studies as an advertisement to microbial and theoretical ecologists alike. The session can serve as evidence for microbial ecologists to show that their communities of interest are structured by coherent ecological forces, such that their composition or dynamics can be generalized and possibly predicted. The session will also function as a showcase of the endless possibilities that microbial systems provide for testing new ecological theory. Microbes have short generation times and their communities respond rapidly to chemical, physical, and biological drivers. These qualities allow for rapid and well-replicated experimental evaluation of ecological theory. In this way, our session will provide for interesting interaction between a longstanding (theoretical ecologists) and rapidly growing (microbial ecologists) membership of the ESA. Speakers have been selected to represent a diverse set of ecosystems (terrestrial, freshwater, and marine), ecological theories (disturbance, dispersal, predator-prey dynamics), and level of advancement in academia (Ph.D. student to tenured faculty).
Organizer:Katherine D. McMahon, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Co-organizer:Stuart E. Jones, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Moderator:Katherine D. McMahon, University of Wisconsin - Madison
8:00 AMOOS 5-1Can the study of microbial community succession improve our understanding of successional processes in plant and animal communities?
Noah Fierer, University of Colorado-Boulder, Amanda J Redford, University of Colorado-Boulder, Michael S. Strickland, University of Georgia-Athens, Christian Lauber, University of Colorado-Boulder, Mark A. Bradford, University of Georgia-Athens
8:20 AMOOS 5-2Dispersal in freshwater aquatic bacterial communities
Stuart E. Jones, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Katherine D. McMahon, University of Wisconsin - Madison
8:40 AMOOS 5-3Theoretical ecology for microbial diversity
Helene Morlon, University of Oregon, Jessica Green, University of Oregon, Jessica Bryant, University of Oregon
9:00 AMOOS 5-4Disturbance in aquatic microbial communities
Ashley Shade, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Katherine D. McMahon, University of Wisconsin - Madison
9:20 AMOOS 5-5Maintenance of microbial diversity in soils: Assessing the importance of habitat heterogeneity and physiological stress with theory and experiments
Jay T. Lennon, Michigan State University, Zach T. Aanderud, Michigan State University, Christopher, A. Klausmeier, Michigan State University
9:40 AM Break
9:50 AMOOS 5-6Geography affects trophic control in soil food webs
Jennifer Adams Krumins, University of Pennsylvania, John Dighton, Rutgers University, Dennis Gray, Rutgers University, Rima B. Franklin, Virginia Commonwealth University, Peter J. Morin, Rutgers University, Michael S. Roberts, Dynamac Corporation
10:10 AMOOS 5-7Linking structure and function: Consistent shifts in denitrifying bacteria communities in polluted urban streams
Si-Yi Wang, Duke University, Matthew D. Wallenstein, Colorado State University, Emily Bernhardt, Duke University, Justin Wright, Duke University
10:30 AMOOS 5-8Ecological stoichiometry and prokaryotic diversity
Timothy M. LaPara, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Meghan Funke, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Kara Holzmiller, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Alison Ling, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Katheryn Hope, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, J. Thad Scott, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, James B. Cotner, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
10:50 AMOOS 5-9Towards an ecophysiological understanding of microbial communities in soil: The importance of microbial stress response
Teri C. Balser, University of Wisconsin-Madison
11:10 AMOOS 5-10Rhizodeposition-induced decomposition increases nitrogen availability to wild and cultivated wheat genotypes under elevated CO2
Marie-Anne De Graaff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Johan Six, University of California - Davis, Chris Van Kessel, University of California - Davis

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See more of The 93rd ESA Annual Meeting (August 3 -- August 8, 2008)