Tuesday, August 4, 2009: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
Brazos, Albuquerque Convention Center
OOS 14 - Species Interactions and Communities in the Context of Relatedness (1 of 2)
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition among ecologists of the potential importance of evolutionary relationships among species on the outcomes of their interactions and the consequences for community structure. Because of their shared ancestry, related species are likely similar in their phenotype and ecology, and are thus expected to overlap in their environmental preferences and resource requirements, or niches. Consequently, close relatives are also predicted to compete more intensely with each other, and experience similar interactions with other species and trophic levels, including antagonists and mutualists. Such ecological interactions may lead to evolutionary shifts in species traits or niches that prevent local exclusion by reducing species similarity, or, alternatively, to community patterns that reduce co-occurrence of similar close relatives. The consideration of species relatedness, whether at the level of phylodiversity of a larger community, or within a single clade or genus, can provide a powerful conceptual framework for addressing some of the classic questions in community ecology. Researchers now increasingly apply this framework to studies of local community structure and assembly, species coexistence, competition, niche theory, functional trait diversity, and phylogenetic conservatism in a variety of systems. Their innovative approaches helped create an emerging field of phyloecology, and improve our understanding of community organization; yet, several crucial challenges remain. For instance, what is the relative importance of species relatedness and ecological similarity at different phylogenetic and spatial scales? Do species interactions within and across trophic levels reflect signals of relatedness detected in community structure? How can we use experimental manipulations to identify ecological processes that generate patterns we observe in community surveys? This two-part organized oral session will serve as an overview of the recent conceptual and empirical advances in this field, and strive for a new synthesis. Talks will explore a diversity of ecological and evolutionary questions centered around species relatedness, and feature a wide sample of approaches across diverse study systems. The session will aim to critically assess the contribution of evolutionary relationships and traits in explaining current ecological pattern and process in communities, expand the present conceptual framework of relatedness to other types of ecological interactions, and connect species interactions and local community structure.
Organizer:	Michael Stastny, Cornell University
Moderator:	Krzysztof Sakrejda-Leavitt, University of Massachusetts
8:00 AM	OOS 14-1		Evolution of hydrological niches Jonathan Silvertown, The Open University, Yoseph Araya, The Open University, Peter Linder, University of Zurich, David Gowing, The Open University, Kevin McConway, The Open University, Guy Midgley, South African National Biodiversity Institute
8:20 AM	OOS 14-2		Ecological consequences of relatedness: Mesocosm experiment with co-occurring old-field Asteraceae Michael Stastny, Cornell University
8:40 AM	OOS 14-3		Phylogenetic turnover and diversity in tropical forests through space and time Nathan G. Swenson, Harvard University Herbaria
9:00 AM	OOS 14-4		Plant traits, community assembly and coexistence David D. Ackerly, University of California, Berkeley, Nathan J.B. Kraft, University of California, Berkeley
9:20 AM	OOS 14-5		On the outcomes of interactions: using relatedness and trait variation to understand patterns of plant productivity Marc W. Cadotte, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, University of Minnesota, David Tilman, University of Minnesota, Todd H. Oakley, University of California
9:40 AM			Break
9:50 AM	OOS 14-6		Phylogenetic depth of species turnover in time and space in Minnesota oak savanna communities Jeannine Cavender-Bares, University of Minnesota, Charles G. Willis, Harvard University, Peter B. Reich, University of Minnesota
10:10 AM	OOS 14-7		Ecology without species: phylogenetic perspectives on microbial diversity Steven W. Kembel, University of Oregon, Jessica L. Green, University of Oregon
10:30 AM	OOS 14-8		Conserved microhabitat affinities drive phylogenetic clustering among Psychotria on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Brian E. Sedio, University of Michigan, S. Joseph Wright, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Christopher W. Dick, University of Michigan
10:50 AM	OOS 14-9		Plant genotype differentially affects colonization by generalist and specialist insect herbivores Martijn L. Vandegehuchte, Ghent University, Eduardo de la Peña, Ghent University, Dries Bonte, Ghent University
11:10 AM	OOS 14-10		Spilling the beans: Spatial, temporal, and genetic variation in a tritrophic system in Mexico Sarah G. Kenyon, Universite de Neuchâtel, Betty Benrey, Universite de Neuchâtel

See more of Organized Oral Session

See more of The 94th ESA Annual Meeting (August 2 -- 7, 2009)