You are what you eat, but where are you?

Slides for the QCBS 2016 meeting in Montréal, Canada.

Transcript

1. You are what you eat so where are you? Timothée Poisot Université de Montréal tim@poisotlab.io @tpoi / @PoisotLab
2. Niches Grinnellian niche What type of conditions do I need to persist locally? Eltonian niche What type of interactions do I establish in a community?
3. Niches and distribution
4. The problem with interactions Primary producer Consumer needs to find a good environment needs to find a good environment needs something to eat!
5. Hypotheses about co-distribution
6. Hypotheses about range limits “I’d go, but I’d have nothing to eat” “I’d have something to eat, but I’d freeze”
7. BUT! species tend to distribute at large scales
8. Synthetic datasets
9. Synthetic datasets Statistical models
10. Want to know more? Summer school in data science for ecological synthesis Week-long class with projects Cooperation with local stakeholders Best food of all field stations in Canada Get 3 credits with CRÉPUQ Register at http://poisotlab.io/summerschool/
11. Back to the problem of distributions... Distribution data http://gbif.org/ Environmental data http://worldclim.org/ Interaction data http://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/
12. For all species... Observations Distribution model Using BIOCLIM Range map Contains 95% of obs.
13. Verdict (C. latrans) Suitable habitats, not occupied because of dispersal
14. A variety of situations
15. A variety of problematic situations ?? ?!
16. A variety of problematic situations
17. Information gap at high latitudes
18. Predator Number of preys Diet gaps Northern limit Southern limit C. latrans 64 G G V. velox 15 G G L. rufus 27 G G C. lupus 110 E G U. cinereoargenteus 23 G E P. concolor 9 G (too southern) L. canadensys 4 mixed G T. taxus 16 G mixed V. vulpes 83 E G G. gulo 3 north G M. americana 6 north G V. lagopus 5 north
19. Back to the hypotheses Relatively uncommon Overwhelming limiting factor
20. Take home messages More evidence for abiotic than for biotic range limitations in predators Small effect of number of preys Identification of gaps in our knowledge of interactions