Leibniz-IZW Seminars
The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research regularly organizes scientific seminars on various topics, in which invited speakers or IZW scientists present their work in the form of a lecture. The free lectures take place in the lecture hall of the IZW and are also broadcast live via video.
Interested persons are cordially invited to attend the Leibniz-IZW seminars in person or online. You are welcome to sign up for our seminar newsletter at izwseminar@izw-berlin.de. The lectures will be held mostly in English.
Upcoming events
5th July 2023, 1 pm
Dr. Joanna Kelley (Washington State University), Host: Dr. Camila Mazzoni
Title and abstract tba
12th July 2023, 1 pm
Dr. Maria Paniw (University of Zurich), Host: Dr. Viktoria Radchuk
Title and abstract tba
14th July 2023, 1 pm
Dr. Wolfram Rietschel (Veterinary specialist for zoo and wild animals, veterinary specialist for tropical veterinary medicine), Host: Steven Seet
Conservation and tourism of great apes in East Africa
Abstract tba
20th September 2023, 1 pm
Dr. Adam Clark (University of Graz), Host: Dr. Julie Louvrier
Measuring Ecological Stability in Systems Without Static Equilibria
Ecological stability refers to a range of concepts used to quantify how species and environments change over time and in response to disturbances. Most empirically tractable ecological stability metrics assume that systems have simple dynamics and static equilibria. However, ecological systems are typically complex and often lack static equilibria. To distinguish among these processes, we combine three existing approaches: state space models; delay embedding methods; and particle filtering. These variability estimates can be used to forecast dynamics, classify underlying sources of stochastic dynamics, and estimate the “exit time” before a state change takes place (e.g., local extinction events). Importantly, the time-delay embedding methods that we employ make very few assumptions about the functions governing deterministic dynamics, which facilitates applications in systems with limited data and a priori biological knowledge. We show that stability estimates based on raw observations can greatly overestimate temporal variability and fail to accurately forecast time to extinction. In contrast, joint application of state space modeling, delay embedding, and particle filters can help: (1) correctly quantify the contributions of deterministic versus stochastic variability; (2) successfully estimate “true” abundance dynamics; and (3) correctly forecast time to extinction. Our results therefore demonstrate the importance of accounting for effects of complex, nonstatic dynamics in studies of ecological stability and provide an empirically tractable and flexible toolkit for conducting these measurements.
27th September 2023, 1 pm
Dr. Marion Valeix (Wildlife Conservation Research Unit), Host: Dr. Sarah Benhaiem
The fate of African large carnivores: a tale of interspecific interaction networks shaped by human footprint
Abstract tba
Contact
Organization
Constanze Wiechert
Tel: +49(0)30 5168-336
E-Mail: wiechert@izw-berlin.de, izwseminar@izw-berlin.de
Accounting
Stefanie Lenz
Tel: +49(0)30 5168-459
E-Mail: lenz@izw-berlin.de
Last Update: 24th May 2023