Spring Semester 2019
Thursdays at 3:30-4:30pm
Lewis Hall Room 304

The basis of the Spring Ecology Seminar Series is BIOE 555, Communication in Ecological Sciences, a course in which Ecology graduate students gain experience presenting scientific information using a variety of communication methods. The seminar format and schedule are significantly different than the fall semester series, but the topics continue to be centered in ecology. Graduate students in the course prepare several presentations and topics presented in a variety of formats. The first four sessions consist of presentations focused on scientific papers, the next four sessions consist of no-slide presentations on each student's thesis or dissertation research, and the last two sessions are 6-Minutes of Science presentations, formatted for the lay audience on a topic not directly related to students' thesis or dissertation topic. The titles of the presentations will be provided a week in advance and listed in campus-wide seminar announcements.

Owl on a Lewis Hall windowsillAttendance from campus and extended communities is encouraged and requested.
All who attend will be invited to evaluate each presentation.

Advance notice is requested so that accommodations can be made for special needs.
Contact ecology@montana.edu or (406) 994-4548.

In addition to presentations, students are interviewed about their research and what inspired them to get into a career in conservation for the podcast “Today’s Voices of Conservation Science.” You can listen to the podcast on Buzzsprout or on iTunes or Stitcher.

Date Seminar Details
February 21
professional paper presentations

Matea Djokic
Pallid sturgeon on the road to recovery: a need for the exploration of physiological assessment tools

Michael MacDonald
Can stream invertebrates modify flow patterns at the interface of the benthic and hyporheic zone?  

Shane Petch
Evaluating the influence of maternal phenotype on the development of early swimming behavior in the Weddell seal (­Leptonychotes weddellii)
February 28
professional paper presentations

Madeline Lewis
Outmigration dynamics of juvenile bull trout in tributaries to the lower Clark Fork River

Taylor Preul
Improving hatchery production of Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi by identifying phenotypic profiles vulnerable to artificial selection pressures

Kristen Cook
The reproductive events and timing of the western pearlshell mussel in Montana
March 7
professional paper presentations

Tanner Cox
Reproductive ecology of hatchery-origin pallid sturgeon in the upper Missouri River

Johnathan Merkle
A rock and a hard place: how do endangered African wild dogs balance threats from lions and humans?

March 14
professional paper presentations

Paige Maskill
Assessment of the reproductive structure of hatchery-origin white sturgeon in the lower Columbia River, Canada

Holden Reinert
Biotic responses to beaver dam analog installation

James Waxe
Assessing the influence of carry-over effects on pre-breeding body condition and reproductive success in Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)

March 21

 Spring Break. No presentations this week.

March 28
no-slide presentations on student's
thesis or dissertation topic

Michael MacDonald
Do caddisflies reduce streambed permeability? A novel laboratory experiment for evaluating invertebrate impacts on subsurface hydrology

Shane Petch
Investigating diverse sources of variation in the amount of time Weddell seal pups spend in the water during lactation

Kristen Cook
Reproductive events and timing of the western pearlshell in Montana
April 4
no-slide presentations on student's
thesis or dissertation topic

Taylor Preul
Assessing inter-individual variation in phenotypic profile of wild-captured westslope cutthroat trout at Sekokini Springs Hatchery

Matea Djokic
A physiological approach to assessing the status of pallid sturgeon in the upper basin of the Missouri River

Madeline Lewis
Methods for assessing the outmigration dynamics of juvenile bull trout in an adfluvial population
April 11
no-slide presentations on student's
thesis or dissertation topic

Tanner Cox
Methods to evaluate reproductive ecology of pallid sturgeon in the upper Missouri River

Johnathan Merkle
Evaluating the effects of lion density and snares on survival of endangered African wild dogs
April 18
no-slide presentations on student's
thesis or dissertation topic

Holden Reinert
Methods to quantify biologic responses to beaver dam analog installation in a low-gradient, incised stream

James Waxe
Assessing the influence of carry-over effects on reproduction in greater sage-grouse

Paige Maskill
Methods to determine the reproductive structure of hatchery-origin white sturgeon in the lower Columbia River, Canada

April 25
6-Minutes of Science presentations

Taylor Preul
Ladies choice: an alternative theory of evolution

Kristen Cook
Adaptive strategies used by freshwater mussels to infect fish

James Waxe
Range riding: a new look and an old profession

Paige Maskill
Sex is complicated

Michael MacDonald
Removal of a non-timber forest product and the hidden costs of antler collection

Madeline Lewis
Release the tigers: using biological controls in aquatic systems

Tanner Cox
The role of species charisma in a conservation setting

Johnathan Merkle
Making sense of the noise: bioacoustics

Matea Djokic
The psychology behind #Craftastherapy

Shane Petch
Antarctic toothfish: indications of a familiar management story in a mysterious species

James Reinert
A brief overview of the lower Snake River dams
May 2 Finals Week. No presentations this week.