Dynamic Deserts Resource Uncertainty in Arid Environments
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The Second Annual Frontiers in Life Sciences Conference Dynamic Deserts Resource Uncertainty in Arid Environments February 26 - March 1, 2009 Arizona State University School Of Life Sciences Old main, Carson Ballroom, Tempe Campus table of contents Acknowledgements . 1 Guest Speaker Biographies . 2 Conference Organizers . 8 Speaker Abstracts . 10 Poster Abstracts . 26 conference overview A timely, multidisciplinary conference on resource uncer- tainty in arid systems, Dynamic Deserts: Resource Uncer- tainty in Arid Environments is a graduate student proposed and organized conference supported by the Frontiers in Life Sciences program in Arizona State University’s School of Life Sciences . The purpose of this conference is to share knowledge and analytical approaches that address the unifying theme of resource uncertainty in deserts across multiple scales of biological and socioecological organiza- tion . This event promotes international, cross-disciplinary collaboration among leading scientists and graduate stu- dents along with natural resource managers, policy mak- ers, and educators to generate both academic and applied advances . We invite you to join us for this exciting event February 26 – March 1, 2009 at Old Main, Carson Ballroom, Tempe Campus . acknowledgements Dynamic Deserts: Resource Uncertainty in Arid Environments would not have been possible without support from the following sponsors: • School of Life Sciences Research and Training Initiatives Committee • Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) • Arizona State University’s Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) • Central Arizona – Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) • Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS) • Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability (SOS) City of Tempe Water Utilities Department We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the School of Life Sciences for their valuable assistance in making this conference a success . • Rhonda Chapman, School of Life Sciences Business Office • Margaret Coulombe, School of Life Sciences Research • Proposal / Media Relations conference • Sabine Deviche, School of Life Sciences Visualization Lab • Anita Dubbs, School of Life Sciences Business Office overview • James Elser, Associate Director, School of Life Sciences • Research and Training Initiatives • Rachel Hayes, School of Life Sciences Business Office • Charles Kazilek, School of Life Sciences Visualization Lab • Jacob Mayfield, School of Life Sciences Visualization Lab • Jacob Sahertian, School of Life Sciences Visualization Lab We would like to thank the following for their assistance with the PhotoGraphy Workshop . • Mark Klett, Regent’s Professor of Art (Photography), Arizona State University • Nancy Grimm, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University • Marcia Nation, CAP Project manager, Global Institute of Sustainability • Brenda Shears, Associate Director Operations and Research Support, Global Institute of Sustainability • Barry Sparkman, Arts and Humanities Liaison, Global Institute of Sustainability 1 guest speakers Keynote Speaker: Dr. Michael Rosenzweig Dr. Mark Klett Trained as a geologist, has spent his career exploring and Mark Klett established his artistic explaining patterns of species diversity perspective on the western American from local to regional scales . By examining landscape as the chief photographer species-area relationships and other for the Rephotographic Survey Project determinants of species diversity, Dr . (1977-1979), which rephotographed Rosenzweig has synthesized information scenes visited by the first photographic and developed mathematical theories surveys of the West in the 1860s and that are the basis of much modern 1870s . Klett’s landscape photographs ecological research regarding diversity have become icons of today’s Southwest, patterns . He is also the author of celebrating its raw beauty while tackling “Win-Win Ecology: How Earth’s Species such volatile issues as land and water Can Survive in the Midst of Human use . The Old West battle between the Enterprise”, a thought-provoking look white hats and black hats has segued at how we can maintain species diversity into developer versus preservationist . He in human dominated environments . has used his large-format camera and tripod to document the interaction of Dr. Larry Venable and students in his man and desert . lab study plant population and community dynamics and plant reproductive ecology . Dr. Rimjhim Aggarwal’s research explores We currently focus on the population global dimensions of sustainability such dynamics of desert winter annual plants . as the links between globalization, local Larry’s theoretical work on plant reproductive ecosystems, and poverty in less-developed ecology deals with aspects of dormancy, countries . She has conducted extensive dispersal, sex allocation, pollen evolution, field work on groundwater-irrigation seed size, hierarchical packaging of institutions in India; her recent research reproduction, and the evolution of examines the emerging tradeoffs between inflorescence design . He is investigating water availability and the growing demands the evolution of leaves and sexual of agriculture in dry-land regions of the world . systems in a speciose Mexican tree genus, and gender evolution in a Sonoran Dr. J. Marty Anderies-My current Desert shrub . He also works on seed research interests focus on robust morphometrics and adaptive geographic management and robust institutional differentiation in a seed heteromorphic design for coupled social-ecological Mexican annual plant . systems . I study a range of archaeological, historical, and present-day examples of social-ecological systems using formal mathematical modeling and analysis to 2 photo credit: Junkyarksparkle develop an understanding of ecological, Dr. Julio Betancourt-The main objective behavioral, social, and institutional of Dr . Betancourt’s research is to study factors that generate vulnerability and/or ecosystem and watershed responses enhance resilience and robustness in to climate variability on different temporal social-ecological systems . Other areas and spatial scales . More often than not, of interest include economic growth, these responses can only be studied demographics, and the environment and understood in retrospect and at and mathematical modeling in regional to subcontinental scales . Along community ecology . with close colleagues and students, Dr . Betancourt has contributed to networks Dr. Jayne Belnap-Over the past 20 years, of rodent midden and tree-ring data in Dr . Belnap has published 175 peer- the Americas . They have always made a reviewed articles and books on biological point of applying this historical knowledge soil crusts and dryland ecology that include not only to fundamental questions of a BLM technical reference (co-authored science, but also to contemporary issues with 3 other BLM scientists) and the facing management of water and other only comprehensive book available on resources . the topic . She is recognized by scientists around the globe as one of world’s Dr. Scott Collins is a community ecologist authorities on soil crusts . Dr . Belnap has broadly interested in vegetation dynamics been invited by many governments to from the patch to landscape scale . As train their scientists in soil crust ecology, Director of the Sevilleta LTER, Dr . Collins including those of South Africa, Kenya, leads a variety of studies on the roles of Zimbabwe, Mongolia, China, Siberia, plant-soil feedbacks, climatic variation, Australia, and Iceland . She travels and disturbance in driving long-term extensively throughout the U . S ., training dynamics of desert grasslands and shifts BLM, NPS, USFS, BIA, DoD, and DOE from range to shrublands . staff and managers on management of soil crusts . She is past Chair of the Soil Dr. Douglas B. Craig’s research interests Ecology chapter of Ecological Society cover a range of topics related to the of America, past President-Elect of the prehistory of the U .S ./Mexico borderlands Soil Ecology Society, and past member region . His published studies have of the Governing Board of Ecological focused on the political ecology of early Society of America . farming communities, in particular, the relationship between environmental variation, agricultural productivity, and the rise of social inequality . Dr . Craig has also been active in efforts to model 3 prehistoric population dynamics across Dr . Frisvold served on the Senior staff the region . He and his colleagues are of the President’s Council of Economic currently conducting investigations at Advisers with responsibility for agricultural, several early farming settlements along natural resource, and international the San Pedro and Santa Cruz rivers . trade issues . Currently, he serves as Co-Editor of the Journal of Agricultural Dr. Dale DeNardo is interested in how and Resource Economics . animals use their environment to meet physiological needs . Of particular Dr. Nancy Grimm’s research concerns interests are the trade-offs associated the structure and function of ecosystems with balancing multiple physiological in arid lands . Her current research focus traits such as thermoregulation, water is on the cycling and retention of the balance, energy balance, and reproduction . element nitrogen, considered in Dr . DeNardo integrates laboratory the context of patch dynamics and studies with field studies to provide a landscape heterogeneity . Current projects balance of