Jon Yearsley
My main research interests are in spatial ecology and population genetics, and look at dispersal ecology and invasion dynamics. This research addresses both applied and theoretical issues in spatial ecology by combining ecological data with mathematical models.
1. Dispersal Ecology
a. Estimating metapopulation demographic parameters (e.g. dispersal rates) from genetic data
b. Larval dispersal of deep-sea invertebrates
c. Larval dispersal of coastal marine invertebrates
2. Invasion Dynamics
a. Invasion success of biocontrol species
b. Fixation probability of beneficial alleles in heterogeneous environments
c. Propagation of smouldering fire.
I have also worked on life history theory (food intake, compensatory growth and sexual segregation), community ecology, matrix population models (transient dynamics and density dependence), soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, foraging ecology and spatial models of parthenogenesis.
*************Opportunities******************
/*Wanted: Biocontrol population dynamics and transient effects */
A student to undertake a Masters by research with myself and Dr Jan Robert-Baars. Applicants should have a first class honours degree in biology, maths or physics.
Contact myself or Jan for more information by 10th Jan 2012.
Postgraduate and postdoctoral research positions are available in my group.
We welcome people with
* strong biological skills and an interest in developing quantitative modelling skills
* strong mathematical skills and an interest in applying these skills to ecological problems
Please get in contact to discuss possibilities.
Phone: +353 1 716 2265
Address: Science Centre West
Belfield
Dublin 4
Ireland
1. Dispersal Ecology
a. Estimating metapopulation demographic parameters (e.g. dispersal rates) from genetic data
b. Larval dispersal of deep-sea invertebrates
c. Larval dispersal of coastal marine invertebrates
2. Invasion Dynamics
a. Invasion success of biocontrol species
b. Fixation probability of beneficial alleles in heterogeneous environments
c. Propagation of smouldering fire.
I have also worked on life history theory (food intake, compensatory growth and sexual segregation), community ecology, matrix population models (transient dynamics and density dependence), soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, foraging ecology and spatial models of parthenogenesis.
*************Opportunities******************
/*Wanted: Biocontrol population dynamics and transient effects */
A student to undertake a Masters by research with myself and Dr Jan Robert-Baars. Applicants should have a first class honours degree in biology, maths or physics.
Contact myself or Jan for more information by 10th Jan 2012.
Postgraduate and postdoctoral research positions are available in my group.
We welcome people with
* strong biological skills and an interest in developing quantitative modelling skills
* strong mathematical skills and an interest in applying these skills to ecological problems
Please get in contact to discuss possibilities.
Phone: +353 1 716 2265
Address: Science Centre West
Belfield
Dublin 4
Ireland
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Papers by Jon Yearsley
Many deep-sea benthic animals occur in patchy distributions separated by thousands of kilometres, yet because deep-sea habitats are remote, little is known about their larval dispersal. Our novel method simulates dispersal by combining data from the Argo array of autonomous oceanographic probes, deep-sea ecological surveys, and comparative invertebrate physiology. The predicted particle tracks allow quantitative, testable predictions about the dispersal of benthic invertebrate larvae in the south-west Pacific.
Principal Findings
In a test case presented here, using non-feeding, non-swimming (lecithotrophic trochophore) larvae of polyplacophoran molluscs (chitons), we show that the likely dispersal pathways in a single generation are significantly shorter than the distances between the three known population centres in our study region. The large-scale density of chiton populations throughout our study region is potentially much greater than present survey data suggest, with intermediate ‘stepping stone’ populations yet to be discovered.
Conclusions/Significance
We present a new method that is broadly applicable to studies of the dispersal of deep-sea organisms. This test case demonstrates the power and potential applications of our new method, in generating quantitative, testable hypotheses at multiple levels to solve the mismatch between observed and expected distributions: probabilistic predictions of locations of intermediate populations, potential alternative dispersal mechanisms, and expected population genetic structure. The global Argo data have never previously been used to address benthic biology, and our method can be applied to any non-swimming larvae of the deep-sea, giving information upon dispersal corridors and population densities in habitats that remain intrinsically difficult to assess.
Many deep-sea benthic animals occur in patchy distributions separated by thousands of kilometres, yet because deep-sea habitats are remote, little is known about their larval dispersal. Our novel method simulates dispersal by combining data from the Argo array of autonomous oceanographic probes, deep-sea ecological surveys, and comparative invertebrate physiology. The predicted particle tracks allow quantitative, testable predictions about the dispersal of benthic invertebrate larvae in the south-west Pacific.
Principal Findings
In a test case presented here, using non-feeding, non-swimming (lecithotrophic trochophore) larvae of polyplacophoran molluscs (chitons), we show that the likely dispersal pathways in a single generation are significantly shorter than the distances between the three known population centres in our study region. The large-scale density of chiton populations throughout our study region is potentially much greater than present survey data suggest, with intermediate ‘stepping stone’ populations yet to be discovered.
Conclusions/Significance
We present a new method that is broadly applicable to studies of the dispersal of deep-sea organisms. This test case demonstrates the power and potential applications of our new method, in generating quantitative, testable hypotheses at multiple levels to solve the mismatch between observed and expected distributions: probabilistic predictions of locations of intermediate populations, potential alternative dispersal mechanisms, and expected population genetic structure. The global Argo data have never previously been used to address benthic biology, and our method can be applied to any non-swimming larvae of the deep-sea, giving information upon dispersal corridors and population densities in habitats that remain intrinsically difficult to assess.