@keila-stark
Simons Postdoctoral Fellow in Marine Microbial Ecology Litchman-Klausmeier Lab | Kellogg Biological Station | MSU Using metabolic theory & omics to understand causes and consequences of thermal trait diversity in communities
Also grad students & postdocs (& PIs wanting to give your trainees one of the greatest gifts ever): Consider attending the GRS right before the GRC (chaired by @ewaldoleitao.bsky.social & myself). A great way to meet fellow early-careers in a relaxed setting before the main event! shorturl.at/fXzOL
Attending the Unifying Ecology Across Scales GRC was one of the highlights of my PhD, and this year's edition is going to be excellent! All biologists interested in integrating diverse approaches to further our understanding of the natural world are welcome. Register early! shorturl.at/rIjWx
Not really a "figure" but many of you have heard me talk about this gender bias calculator and, since we're in rec letter writing season, I thought I'd share it. slowe.github.io/genderbias/ #figaday 4.164/n #year4
It's been rewarding to continue wearing my conservation policy hat outside my ecology research. This work was supported by @cpaws-snap.bsky.social
national marine program and originally presented at IMPAC5. Use this link for free full access! authors.elsevier.com/a/1m7qy_,iw2...
The paper unpacks the literature underlying the tool, and discusses existing examples of conservation economy activities in Canada, the majority of which are Indigenous-led.
Screening tool for determining whether a marine activity qualifies for inclusion in the blue conservation economy based on its conservation and human well-being outcomes.
The conservation economy refers to the collection of activities/industries that yield human well-being & conservation benefits. This screening tool helps users determine whether an activity likely qualifies for inclusion in the conservation economy and therefore should be prioritized for investment.
Canada’s federal blue economy strategy avoids the most harmful marine industries, but permitted ones (shipping, fisheries) may still have negative biodiversity impacts & detract from our 30x30 targets. My new paper defines the conservation economy to help reconcile this... surl.li/jbnvxh
Screening tool for determining whether an activitity qualifies for inclusion in the blue conservation economy, based on its conservation and human well-being outcomes.
I define Canada's conservation economy, or activities that generate human well-being & conservation benefits. This screening tool helps users determine whether an activity likely qualifies for inclusion in the conservation economy and therefore should be prioritized for investment.
@annualreviews.bsky.social @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social @zoology.ubc.ca
Excited to share our fresh-off-the-press Annual Review on the role of temperature in metabolic scaling! We review the state of the field on this topic and unpack confusion about the various ways the term "scaling" is used in metabolic theories. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Had lots of fun thinking about this with fearless leader @tessgrainger.bsky.social, and @clsong.com, Matt Barbour, @gerlame.bsky.social !
Most major theories in ecology assume some sort of equilibrium, but only ~half of empirical tests acknowledge it & even fewer observed it in their system. Does this matter? How did the idea become so pervasive in ecology anyway? Find out in our new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Special Feature available ahead of print! Stark et al. revisit assumptions in the metabolic theory of ecology that explains macroecological patterns in biological rates from individuals to ecosystems through fundamental constraints on metabolism. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
This is the paper I wished I had when starting grad school. I hope it helps clarify the theory's assumptions, its similarities and differences from other metabolic theories, and where it needs to go next for folks at all stages :) Feel free to DM for a copy!
In the paper we unpack classical MTE's assumptions, & explain how misapplying the theory in its original form can lead to blind spots in understanding temperature effects on ecological systems. We review recent theoretical & empirical advances that have overcome this, and identify open questions.
To link individual metabolism to population & ecosystem-scale processes, MTE invoked assumptions of steady state & static thermal response curve distributions. But perturbations from steady state & plastic/evolving thermal response curves are common in many systems, & will likely increase under CC
Metabolic theory of ecology was originally a macroecological theory, explaining variation in biological rates&states across taxonomic groups spanning orders of magnitude in body size. Its temperature predictions spurred interest in using it to answer global change Q's in single systems with dynamics
Thrilled to share our new paper in @asn-amnat.bsky.social "Toward a more dynamic metabolic theory of ecology for predicting climate change effects on biological systems" www.naturl.link/9jpy6M
It's one of several papers in an upcoming special feature "Demystifying Fundamental Theories in Ecology"