Thursday, August 5, 2010: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
303-304, David L Lawrence Convention Center
OOS 40 - Latitudinal Gradients in Consumer-Resource Interactions: Bridging the Gap Between Pattern and Processes (Part 1 of 2)
Latitudinal variation in the strength of species interactions is thought to maintain patterns of biodiversity. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain why the intensity of interactions such as competition, herbivory, and predation might increase at low latitudes; however, rigorous experiments that directly test hypotheses across broad geographic ranges are empirically difficult. Global threats to biodiversity and current rates of species loss make it critical to understand how diverse communities are maintained across broad spatial gradients. This organized oral session highlights the research of eight leading researchers using novel approaches to examine the causes and consequences of broad scale patterns in species interactions. We will synthesize current knowledge, and foster collaboration among scientists presenting the most recent theoretical, empirical and technological advances, an approach that is critical to understanding the long and short term consequences of global biodiversity loss. Specifically, the first half of the session will focus on patterns of trophic interactions across latitude. We will first begin by presenting a synthetic overview of some of the major ecological hypotheses proposed by scientists to explain latitudinal patterns of species interactions and gaps in the literature. Next, we will focus on latitudinal gradients in top-down versus bottom-up pressure, describing examples from four different habitat types, and consequences for food-web structure. The final part of the session will focus on the consequences of latitudinal variability on entire communities and ecosystems in the face of global climate change. Together, these talks will synthesize population, food web, and ecosystem perspectives in effort to explain the causes and consequences of latitudinal gradients in biodiversity.
Organizer:	Tania N. Kim, Florida State University
Co-organizers:	Steven C. Pennings, University of Houston Jessica Hines, EAWAG
Moderator:	Tania N. Kim, Florida State University
8:00 AM	OOS 40-1		Biotic interactions and the latitudinal diversity gradient: Introduction and synthesis Gary G. Mittelbach, Michigan State University
8:20 AM	OOS 40-2		Effects of nutrient loading in North American bogs and fens: Multi-trophic effects of nutrient loading on a continental scale Nicholas J. Gotelli, University of Vermont, Benjamin Baiser, Harvard University, Hannah L. Buckley, Lincoln University, Aaron M. Ellison, Harvard University, Thomas E. Miller, Florida State University
8:40 AM	OOS 40-3		Environmental constraints on mammalian body size:  Procyon lotor, Odocoileus virginianus, and Homo sapiens Michael A. Huston, Texas State University, Steve Wolverton, University of North Texas
9:00 AM	OOS 40-4		Impacts of predation on marine epifaunal communities across latitude Amy L. Freestone, Temple University, Richard W. Osman, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Gregory M. Ruiz, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
9:20 AM	OOS 40-5		Revisiting a classic paradigm: Assessing consumer control of rocky shores in the southern and northern Gulf of Maine Elizabeth S. Bryson, Northeastern University, Geoffrey C. Trussell, Northeastern University
9:40 AM			Break
9:50 AM	OOS 40-6		Anti-predator defenses along a latitudinal gradient in Rana temporaria Anssi Laurila, Uppsala University, Beatrice Lindgren, Uppsala University
10:10 AM	OOS 40-7		Latitudinal variation in plant-herbivore interactions in salt marshes Steven Pennings, University of Houston
10:30 AM	OOS 40-8		Latitudinal gradients in plant-herbivore interactions and consequences for global climate change Nigel Andrew, University of New England
10:50 AM	OOS 40-9		Climate, niche conservatism, and the global diversity gradient of angiosperm families Bradford Hawkins, University of California-Irvine, Miguel A. Rodriguez, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Stephen G. Weller, University of California-Irvine

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