Guest Speakers Dr. Atoossa (Tessa) Bakhshaii JUNE 10-12 SPRING NATURALIST WEEKEND AGENDA We are pleased to have you join us for the 26 th annual Spring Naturalist Weekend at the Biogeoscience Institute. These informative presentations highlight the latest and ongoing research of the Kananaskis area. Dr. Christopher Cully David Ensing PhD Candidate Dr. Robert Barclay BIOGEOSCIENCE INSTITUTE #1 James Cragg Road, Kananaskis AB https://bgs.ucalgary.ca/
AGENDA Friday, June 10, 2016 7:00 to 7:30 pm Registration at Main Lodge, accommodation allocated 7:30 to 7:45 pm Introduction safety talk with Adrienne Cunnings 7:45to 9:00 pm Ed Johnson s annual book review highlights Saturday, June 11, 2016 8:00 to 9:00am Breakfast in Main Lodge 9:00 to noon Session #1: Dr. Atoossa Bakhshaii (meet in classroom) 12:00 to 1:00pm Hot Lunch in Main Lodge 1:00 to 3:30pm Session #2: Dr. Christopher Cully (meet in classroom) 3:30 to 5:30pm Free Time 5:30 to 6:30pm Dinner in Main Lodge 7:00 to 10:00pm Session #3: Dr. Barclay (meet in classroom) Sunday, June 12, 2016 8:00 to 9:00am Breakfast in Main Lodge; Make Bag Lunch 9:00 to after lunch Session #4: Dave Ensign (meet in Main Lodge) Lunch Bag Lunch in Kananaskis
GUEST SPEAKERS Dr. Atoossa (Tessa) Bakhshaii, general associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at University of Calgary will discuss the modern weather forecast systems around the world. Her research interests are: Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Model Output Statistics (MOS) and model evaluation, Air quality modeling, Data assimilation, Electric load forecasting, Evolutionary programming and its application in environmental models and, the last but not the least, wildland fire models. Dr. Christopher Cully, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary. The Van Allen radiation belts are regions of near-earth space filled with energetic particles. During geomagnetic storms, these particles precipitate into Earth's atmosphere in two bands centered on the magnetic poles. Much of the Prairie Provinces lie in the northern of these bands. To better understand the physical processes driving this precipitation, Dr. Cully s team are deploying an array of sensitive radio receivers across Western Canada. The first instrument was installed at Biogeosciences Institute in summer 2013. Dr. Robert Barclay, Professor, Department Head, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Calgary. Dr. Barclay is particularly interested in the relationships among roosting and foraging behavior, thermoregulation, reproduction and life histories of bats. The ability to use torpor provides bats with a means of saving energy, but torpor is detrimental to offspring growth and avoidance of predators. His team are thus investigating how bats select roosts to balance predation risk and thermoregulatory benefits. As suitable roosts may limit the distribution of bats, they are also using DNA techniques to determine the landscape-scale patterns of movement among populations. His team also studies the effects of various types of disturbance on bats. For example, they investigate the causes and consequences of migratory-bat fatalities at wind energy facilities, and the impact of urbanization on prairie bats. In the Yukon, they are studying how bats cope with short seasons, low temperatures and short nights, and how logging, fire and bark-beetle infestations influence habitat selection. David Ensing, PhD Candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences, at Queen's University Nearly all species have range limits, indicating a limit to adaptation by natural selection at the range margin. This poses a fundamental problem for evolutionary ecology and despite a long history of inquiry and a more recent resurgence of interest, the mechanisms constraining adaptation at range margins remain unclear. The objective of David s PhD studies is to test how phenology, via tradeoffs in time to / size at reproduction and individual fitness, contributes to elevational range limits in yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor), an annual plant with a distinct elevational distribution in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. Using regular visits to natural populations, transplant experiments and landscape and population genomics David will determine how tradeoffs due to phenological traits may limit this species' range. David s work will provide a useful case study for populations of any species at their range margin, particularly for those species whose ranges are subject to shifts under climate change.
SUGGESTED PACKING LIST: Rain gear Hiking boots (preferably water proof) Water bottle Sunhat/sunglasses/sunscreen Mitts/Toque Insect repellent Indoor shoes (slippers/sandals) Backpack and hiking pole Binoculars Extra socks and clothing layers Toiletries The field station will provide linens, bedding, and towels. If you require further information, please contact Adrienne Cunnings by email (amcunnin@ucalgary.ca) or phone (403-673-3662).