Island Biology 2016

09/01/2017

IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD THE BOOK "WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM ISLANDS? THE PERSPECTIVES OF EIGHT RESEARCHERS"

We have been quiet for a while, but... we have been working on something new, that we now want to share with you :)

The book "What can we learn from islands? The perspectives of eight researchers is now available for free download!

This publication brings together the interviews conducted by Marta Daniela Santos (Communication Office - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes - ce3c) to the eight plenary speakers of Island Biology 2016, organized by the Azorean Biodiversity Group.

The conversations, now gathered in a single publication, aim to explore the research area of each interviewee in an accessible language.

+info:

Is now available for free download.

21/10/2016

JENS OLESEN IN INTERVIEW

Networks surround us in every aspect of our lives. Social networks, transportation networks, power grids...there are innumerous examples. And of course, networks are also an invaluable tool in Biology.

Jens Olesen (Aarhus University, Denmark) is interested in looking at islands in their entire complexity by studying the networks of interactions between the species that live on them. What can we learn with this approach, that we cannot learn by studying individual species? Which predictions can be made?

In this interview Jens Olesen talks not only about this interdisciplinary research area, but also about interesting patterns he found while studying species interactions in the Galapagos Islands, and the (exhausting) experience of organizing an International Biology Olympiad:

14/10/2016

ISABEL SANMARTÍN IN INTERVIEW

What is more determinant for the geographical distribution of a species: its dispersal, or the geographical barriers it encounters? The answer is far from straightforward and represents an ongoing debate in historical biogeography, to which Isabel Sanmartín (Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid, Spain) dedicates her research.

An enthomologist that started working on botanics along the way, in this interview Isabel Sanmartín talks about her work of reconstructing the past by using data about the present distribution of species, and reflects about the main trends and challenges she sees for this research field in the near future.

What is more determinant for the geographical distribution of a species: its dispersal, or the geographical barriers it encounters?

07/10/2016

GEORGE RODERICK IN INTERVIEW

Do you think it is impossible to create a detailed digital replica of an island’s entire ecosystem? Well, think again. The Island Digital Ecosystem Avatars (IDEA) Project is assembling an international group of researchers to recreate the entire ecosystem of Moorea, an island of volcanic origin in French Polynesia and one of the most studied ecosystems in the world.

George Roderick (Environmental Science, Policy, & Management (ESPM) - UC...) is currently working on the IDEA Project, which allows him to pursue his research interests in biological invasions, the history and structure of populations and sustainability and global change. But this is only one among his several research projects:

Descrição do Site

23/09/2016

ROBERT WHITTAKER IN INTERVIEW

Robert Whittaker ( Oxford School of Geography and the Environment) became interested in ecology very early; probably since when he first learned about Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands. From there, it was a brief step until he started working on island biology, on the opposite side of the world, and on biogeography – understanding which species are where, a knowledge that can bring new insights to questions in ecology, evolution and conservation:

Descrição do Site

09/09/2016

SUSAN CLAYTON IN INTERVIEW

Most people go to the zoo to see the animals. But some people go to the zoo to watch the people see the animals. Meet Susan Clayton ( College of Wooster, Ohio, USA) a specialist in the new and emerging field of conservation psychology.

As part of some of her research projects, Susan Clayton spends a significant amount of time observing people at zoos, not only to study their response to the animals but also to understand how people interact with one another in the presence of the animals - how they turn the visit into a social experience. Through this, Susan Clayton aims to examine how people connect with the environment, and how it can lead them to the conservation of Nature:

Descrição do Site

02/09/2016

FROM ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY TO INVASION BIOLOY: DANIEL SIMBERLOFF INTERVIEWED FOR CE3C

What happens when a species is introduced in an area outside its geographic range? What are the impacts on the existing community? How can these invasions be managed? These are a few of the several questions in which Daniel Simberloff currently works and which characterize the recent research field of Invasion Biology.

In this interview, Daniel Simberloff talks about his research and his scientific passions: not only Biology, which fascinates him since he was a little boy collecting insects, but also Mathematics – an area in which he considered graduating, before taking a Biology course for non-majors that made him change his mind.

Descrição do Site

01/09/2016

ISLAND BIOLOGY 2016 - INTERVIEWS

Holidays are near its end. While you get ready for another academic year, we have news for you: the Island Biology congress did not quite end last july.

Starting tomorrow, Friday September 2nd, we will publish on a weekly basis some interviews with the plenary speakers. Stay tuned!

27/07/2016

408 participants, of which almost a quarter were students.
46 countries.
402 communications, involving 1040 authors.

Thank you all for your presence. See you on the next Island Biology!

Photo by Paulo Borges.

26/07/2016

ISLAND BIOLOGY 2016 - RAVE "MISTÉRIOS NEGROS"

These were the winner photos in each of the categories of the photographic contest Rave "Mistérios Negros", announced last Friday during the closing session of the congress.

Congratulations to all the winners!

25/07/2016

22/07/2016

ISLAND BIOLOGY 2016 - DAY 5 (LAST DAY)

And today was the last day of the 2nd International Conference on Island Evolution, Ecology and Conservation. This was a week of intense exchange of ideas and experiences among the over 400 participants that were present. We hope the congress has met your expectations!

Before you leave, here is the sum-up in photos of this last day of the congress.

A huge thanks to all that made this congress possible :)