		Theoretical Ecology Group		UNIVERSITETET I BERGEN Institutt for biologi

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2013

New PhD Student: Nadia Fouzai

We have a new PhD student in the group - Nadia Fouzai started late last year and is already developing her first paper on how temperature operates to influence physiology, behaviour and eventually growth and survival in larval cod. Her PhD project is connected to the Nordic Centre of Excellence NorMER (The Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change). Her thesis will be on how temperature and other climate-related environmental factors can affect the survival of larval cod. Supervisors will be Øyvind Fiksen, Anders F. Opdal, and Christian Jørgensen.

Nadia is from Tunisia, and did her undergraduate at National Institute of Agronomy of Tunisia (INAT), then she went to Spain to take a Masters of Science degree within the field of Fisheries economics and management, at University of Barcelona. Her Masters thesis was entitled Management of the Adriatic Sea Exploited Marine Ecosystem by means of the Application of Ecopath Modelling and the Simulation Tool Ecospace, taken at Institute of Marine Science (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain. Her thesis was later published in Journal of Marine Systems, see below. She speaks Arabic, French, Spanish and English - and has just started on a Norwegian course.

According to her own words she is not deterred by the climate in Bergen. We hope she will adapt to the climate, just as her cod larvae!
N. Fouzai, M. Coll, I. Palomera, A. Santojanni, E. Arneri, and V. Christensen. 2012.
Fishing management scenarios to rebuild exploited resources and ecosystems of the Northern-Central Adriatic (Mediterranean Sea)
Journal of Marine Systems 102–104: 39-51. [ pdf ]

[11 Feb 2013]

Negative Effects of Trawling Receives Attention in National Newspaper

The Norwegian national newspaper VG recently published an article focusing on the negative effects of trawling, directed towards the ongoing debate concerning future oil production in Lofoten, an important spawning area for the Northeast Arctic cod. Journalist Inga R. Holst argued that not only the oil industry, but also the fishing industry faces serious environmental challenges. Researcher Anders F. Opdal commented on the ongoing research in the Theoretical Ecology Group regarding the negative consequences trawling, and how a modern trawl fishery has altered the both demography and spawning distribution of the Northeast Arctic cod stock. You can read the whole story here.

[10 Feb 2013]

Darwin Day 2013 with Andrew Read and Evolutionary Medicine

The program for the annual Darwin Day, on Tuesday 12 February, is now out. Professor Andrew Read from Pennsylvania State University will talk about drug resistance, evolving pathogens, and evolutionary medicine. At 12:00 he will give a talk at Haukeland University Hospital, and at 18:00 a lecture at the Student Centre. The evening lecture is arranged in collaboration with the Horizons seminar series by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at UiB, and the lunch lecture in collaboration with Centre for International Health and Haukeland University Hospital.

The web pages of the Darwin Day in Bergen.
The web pages of his research group.

[9 Jan 2013]

Evolution of Mating Systems Featured in National Newspaper

Project leader Sigrunn Eliassen and researcher Christian Jørgensen recently received news that a new four-year project on the evolution of mating systems received funding by the Research Council of Norway. The Norwegian national newspaper Aftenposten highlighted this as the type of innovative science that the national funding body would like to support more strongly in the coming years. A post-doc will be recruited to the project, and work in collaboration with the University of Bergen's Center for Women's and Gender Research.

Read the article in Aftenposten here [In Norwegian].

Read story at The Research Council of Norway webpages here [In Norwegian].

[3 Jan 2013]

2012

Trait-Based Ecosystem Models

Trait-based ecosystem models are becoming more popular and taken into use in a wide range of applications and questions in oceanography. Øyvind Fiksen has been on a one-year sabbatical at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA, working with Mick Follows and his group The Darwin Project. Read more about what they think about the future for Trait-based ecosystem models here:

S. Dutkiewicz, M. Follows, Ø. Fiksen, and T. Kiørboe. 2012.
Trait-based ecosystem models
International Innovation 2012 June: 120-122. [ pdf ]

[6 Sep 2012]

Featured Article in MEPS: Internal Waves and Vertical Migrations

A figure from the article, illustrating the effect of the internal wave on fish distributions. Each wace cycle is about 30 minutes. (Illustration by Hege Vestheim.)

The major upwelling systems of the oceans sustain a large part of the world fisheries. The high productivity of these systems has been attributed to high primary production, short food chains, and high trophic transfer efficiency. The study Internal wave-mediated shading causes frequent vertical migrations in fishes suggests that frequent vertical migration (FVM) in fish might contribute to increased prey encounters and the time available for safe visual foraging, thus improving fish growth and survival and trophic transfer efficiency in the Benguela upwelling system. The observed FVM appears to be facilitated by the periodic shading of downwelling irradiance due to the action of internal waves. The thickness of a turbid surface layer varies with the wave and causes a fluctuation in light intensity of 3 to 4 orders of magnitude. Like diel vertical migration, the fish respond by vertical migration, but now with a period of 30 min instead of 1 day. Thus it is hypothesized that fish feeding is enhanced due to an increase in the daily number of antipredation windows for feeding in the water column.

[26 Apr 2012]

Special Issue on Fish-Zooplankton Interactions in the Norwegian Sea

Effects of interactions between fish populations on ecosystem dynamics in the Norwegian Sea - results of the INFERNO project is the title of a special issue of Marine Biology Research published today. Geir Huse, Jens Christian Holst, Kjell Rong Utne, Leif Nøttestad, Webjørn Melle, Aril Slotte, and Geir Ottersen are guest editors. The volume includes several articles using the Norwecom end-to-end model, with contributions from Geir Huse, Solfrid Sætre Hjøllo, Morten D. Skogen, and Kjell Rong Utne, among others. The Special Issue is found online at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/smar20/8/5-6.

[25 Apr 2012]

Seminar Series in Marine Ecosystem Modelling

Starting April 2012, the Theoretical Ecology Group arranges a weekly seminar series on marine ecological modelling, with a special focus on issues of relevance for development of the NORWECOM end-to-end ecosystem model. Talks may include a wide variety of topics in quantitative ecology. The seminar series is a meeting point for ecologists, geophysicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists from UiB (Dept. of Biology, Geophysical Institute, Dept. of Mathematics), Uni Research, Institute of Marine Research, and other research institutes, and is open to all interested. Check here for location and upcoming program.

[21 Apr 2012]

PhD Position: 45 Applications Received

A total of 45 applications was received for the 3-year PhD position connected to the Nordic Centre of Excellence NorMER. The successful candidate will model responses in cod larvae to climate change, and work with Øyvind Fiksen, Christian Jørgensen, and Anders F. Opdal.

[11 Apr 2012]

Open PhD Position: Cod Larvae and Climate Change

A 3-year PhD position connected to the Nordic Centre of Excellence NorMER is now announced.

The successful applicant will perform theoretical modelling studies on larval cod growth and survival in scenarios of future oceanographic conditions. The research question is how recruitment success of larval cod will depend on changes in environmental and ecological conditions such as ocean temperature, acidity, primary production, optics and prey availability. The candidate will apply optimality modelling and individual-based models to integrate from physiological processes to ecological and evolutionary mechanisms involved in long-term changes of the environment.

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with background in one or more of the following disciplines: biological oceanography, ecology, evolution, behavioural ecology, larval fish biology, life history theory, physiology and theoretical biology. Candidates with backgrounds from related disciplines will also be considered. Good communication and writing skills in English and a desire to engage in collaborative research are essential.

For further information and to apply, please visit

http://www.jobbnorge.no/job.aspx?jobid=81311

(you may need to click 'English' in the top menu to change language). The application deadline is 30 March 2012.

[23 Feb 2012]

2011

Visitor from the Red Sea Research Center

Perdana Karim Prihartato is an Indonesian PhD student of professor Stein Kaartvedt at the Red Sea Research Center at KAUST in Saudi Arabia. He visits TEG in October 2011 to learn Dynamic Programming and to start modeling the life history and behavior of Red Sea mesopelagic fish by this method. He is cooperating here with Rune Rosland (who studied Norwegian mesopelagic fish by the same modeling tools in his PhD) and Jarl Giske, who is also his co-supervisor at KAUST.

[4 Oct 2011]

Group Meeting at Herdla

Jarl blended in perfectly as he gave a talk on modelling proximate mechanisms for decision-making in fish.

The Theoretical Ecology Group met for two days at Herdlevågen Gjestehus. The hotel used to be the marine biological station of Bergen, but was abandoned to avoid noise and pollution as the city's airport was planned at Herdla. As the institute moved to Espegrend, so did the airport plans, and Espegrend is ironically now the closest neighbour to Flesland.

In addition to members from the Department of Biology, researchers from Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and Uni Research (Uni) were also present. Part of the discussions revolved around plans for how to establish a research centre with all three research institutions involved.

Two new faces also joined the meeting and presented their science. Rebecca Holt is beginnig a PhD on cod and climate change in September. Leo Zijerveld is a long-term visitor from the Sottish Agricultural College in Edinburgh, and is completing a PhD on the dynamics of disease outbreaks.

Since Øyvind Fiksen will be on sabbatical at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology the upcoming academic year, Dag L. Aksnes was elected new group leader from 1 August 2011.

The extended Theoretical Ecology Group at Herdla. Back row (from left): Jarl Giske, Nicolas Dupont, Rune Rosland, Rebecca Holt, Frode Vikebø (IMR), Geir Huse (IMR), Kjell Utne (IMR), Christian Jørgensen (Uni). Front row: Agurtzane Urtizberea, Dag Aksnes, Sigrunn Eliassen, Øyvind Fiksen, Anders Frugård Opdal (Uni), Leo Zijerveld (visitor). In front: Marco Castellani.

[14 Jun 2011]

New PhD Student: Rebecca Holt

Rebecca Holt from Plymouth, United Kingdom, has been offered the position as PhD Student in connection with the Nordic Centre of Excellence NorMER (The Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change). She plans to begin in September, and her thesis will study temperature adaptations in cod. Supervisors will be Christian Jørgensen and Øyvind Fiksen.

There were a total of 52 applicants, ten were interviewed, and Rebecca was ranked first by the committee.

[13 Jun 2011]

Long-Term Visitor: Leo Zijerveld

Leo Zijerveld is a visiting PhD Student from Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland, Sottish Agricultural College. His interests are stochastic models for the spread of disease in heterogeneous wildlife populations. To derive parameter estimates for such models, he uses time series data and Markov Chain Monte Carlo inference techniques.

[12 Jun 2011]

Many PhD Applicants

A stunning fifty-two applications were received for the recently announced PhD position as part of the Nordic Centre of Excellence NorMER (The Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change). Several of the candidates are excellent, and interviewing will begin soon. But first one has to get throughly through the nearly 2000 pages of letters and documentation to make sure everyone has been evaluated fairly.

[27 Apr 2011]

Open Position: 4-year PhD Scholarship

We currently have a four-year PhD scholarship open. The position is part of The Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change, and will involve evolutionary modelling of adaptations to climate change in the Atlantic cod. The application deadline is 30 March 2011. Follow this link to find out more.

[17 Feb 2011]

Anders Frugård Opdal Hired as Researcher

Anders F. Opdal defended his PhD thesis in November 2010 and has now been hired as researcher in Uni Computing. His focus will be to combine models of fish larval survival and drift from oceanography models, with life history models for the adult phase in a fish's life. The aim is to close the life cycle in a broad perspective by coupling these modelling tools. The research is funded by the Research Council of Norway through the Havet and Kysten thematic programme.

[10 Feb 2011]

Marc Mangel Becomes Adjunct Professor

Professor Marc Mangel at University of California Santa Cruz joined TEC in November 2010 as Adjunct Professor at Department of Biology.
His relationships with TEC date back to the early 1990s. He has been guest lecturer on several UiB PhD courses, co-supervisor for UiB PhD students, host for TEC researchers at sabbaticals, and co-authors in several of our journal articles. In his adjunct professorship he will participate in three TEC core activities, namely Evolution of mating systems, Evolution in Fisheries Science, and Animal Decision Making.
More information about Marc can be found at his web page: http://users.soe.ucsc.edu/~msmangel/.

[1 Feb 2011]

Nordic Center of Excellence Launched

The Nordic Center of Excellence NorMER (The Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change) was granted funding November 2010 and is now launching its activities.
The center is led from the Univesity of Oslo (chaired by Professor Nils Christian Stenseth) in conjunction with the Stockholm Resilience Center (Professor Carl Folke is co-chair). Department of Biology, University of Bergen, is one of nine nodes across the Nordic countries. Øyvind Fiksen leads the UiB involvement. You can read more about the network and its organisation at http://www.normer.org
The network will research climate change effects on Atlantic cod, a species with a wide distribution

in Nordic waters and of great regional economic importance. The main activity of the centre will be to fund 16 PhD students and 4 postdocs that will visit several of the nodes. The first positions will be announced 18 February 2011 with application deadline 30 March 2011.