What does global climate change mean for wildlife populations? For some species, warmer temperatures enable an expansion of range and an increase in numbers. For others, especially endemic species or extreme habitat specialists- those at high latitudes, montane or low lying coastal areas for example, a changing climate and rising sea levels pose large, sometimes insurmountable problems.

The precarious natural history of the Saltmarsh Sparrow

Recent SBE seminar lecturer Chris Elphick of the University of Connecticut and lead editor of the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, studies the Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus), an extreme habitat specialist endemic to the middle/high stratum of saltmarshes on the east coast of the United States. Because these birds nest at the level of high tide, routine nest flooding dominates their biology and at least one in three nests is lost to flooding. To mitigate the threat of tides, the sparrows weave domes of grasses over the nests to contain the eggs but even with these adaptive measures tidal cycles are extremely significant to the reproductive success of the saltmarsh sparrow. Only if the female can fit her nesting cycle (with an average length of 26 days) within the tidal cycle (an average length of 28 days) is there a guarantee of her brood surviving the tides.

Predictions of the changing climate invariably include predictions of rising sea levels. Based on brood data and hatchling success rates Elphick and his students have collected and calculated, he estimates that a sea level rise of 28 cm will eliminate all reproductive possibility for the Saltmarsh Sparrow. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that sea level rise will cross the 28 cm threshold between 2040 and 2070. It's clear that human activity threatens the habitat an long-term viability of the species.

Won't the marshes just move inland?

Work by saltmarsh specialists suggest that while marshes will altogether move inland, the proportion of high marsh area to low marsh area will change, trending to a predominance of low marsh. The Saltmarsh Sparrow relies on the vegetation of the mid to high marsh for nesting. All indications suggest that saving the Saltmarsh Sparrow from extinction will require "hands-on management".

The Saltmarsh Sparrow is among thousands of species threatened by climate change. Its enthusiasts claim it as 'the most promiscuous bird in the world' citing its unusual reproductive strategies. They praise its rare song and its non-terrirorial behavior. Despite Elphicks's partiality for the sparrow, he realizes biologists, conservation scientists and policy-makers face tough choices as a changing climate transforms landscapes and habitats. Ultimately, as a predicted 10-30 per cent of species worldwide will face the risk of extinction in the next 100 years, many argue that conservation efforts will need to be prioritized and that the extensive protection effort  species like the Saltmarsh Sparrow will require for conservation might be better spent on species with higher likelihoods of surviving. The work of Elphick and others in the field will help inform those decisions in the coming decades, for better or worse for saltmarsh birds.

Biology and other science students are encouraged to attend the Study Abroad Poster and Information Session for Science Majors, Wednesday, 18 November in 105 DPC. The poster session begins at 3:30 pm.

Biology student Yin Chiu will present about her semester in Galway, Ireland.

The School of Biology and Ecology is collecting non-perishable food items for a food drive through Crossroads Ministries in Old Town. Food donations can be left in the marked box in Murray 100, and Trish Costello and Sue Anderson (also in Murray 100) will be collecting cash donations for the Bangor Homeless Shelter.

Donate for a chance to enter into the drawing for a beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece. Join the School of Biology and Ecology in our holiday effort to help those who are less fortunate.

John Tjepkema, Professor Emeritus of the School of Biology and Ecology in Plant Physiology returns to lecture on an area of interest rather than an area of research. Tjepkema, a two-time Boston-marathoner and a nutrition enthusist, shared "Foods for Health- the old and the new" as the first informational seminar in the 2009 Fall Seminar Series.

Books published in the last decade, notably The Okinawa Program (2002) and The Blue Zones (2009), have popularized the research interest in communities of individuals who exceed the average life span and exhibit lower rates of cancer and heart disease. Most of the conclusions generated from the study of the lifestyles and diets of the Seventh day Adventists of Loma Linda, CA, Costa Ricans living on the Nicoyan Peninsula, the Barbagians of Sardinia, among others, come as little or no surprise: plant-based diets, rich in grains and legumes and where animal products plat a small roll, correlate with longer life. Of course, more research leads to more robust and specific conclutions, and the study of human longevity and diet receives ample clincal and popular attention. Recent findings point to nut consumption as a factor that correlates with health as strongly as the standard indicators of body mass index and exercise levels.

Tjepkema dedicates his personal website to nutrition and health. In a disclaimer on the site, Tjepkema explains that his scientific approach to nutritional information and research grows out of his experience researching and writing in plant physiology. The information he deisseminates is based on published research and he incourages individuals to draw their own dietary conclusions.

As prefaced by Tjepkema in his presentation, the most important section of his seminar focused on new data on the amount of sugar in the U.S. diet  and its consequences of weight gain and an increased triglyceride load in the bloodstream. Glucose, one of the simple monosaccharides comprising sucrose, can be used by the brain, used or stored by the muscles as glycogen, or stored by the liver as glycogen. A small amount is stored as fat, depending on the activity level of the individual. The other component of sucrose, fructose, due to its slightly different molecular composition, has an altogether different metabolic fate. Fructose cannot be used immediately when the liver is processing glucose, and as a result, fructose is instead turned into triglycerides -fats- that circulate in the bloodstream. Recent research points to high blood triglyceride concentrations as a risk factor for heart disease. Additionally, the liver works very rapidly to process fructose, which can raise uric acid concentration in the blood. Elevated levels of uric acid may contribute to increased blood pressure and higher rates of kidney disease and gout. These findings are of particular interest as high fructose corn syrup becomes increasingly pervasive in the American diet.  

For the keynote address of the semester-long Celebration of Darwin, Daniel Dennett, Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, will present "Darwin's 'Strange Inversion of Reasoning'" in Hauck Auditorium, on 13 October 2009.

Photo taken in Tahiti in 1984 by Hayford Peirce of Bangor, Maine.

Join us in celebrating Darwin's life and his monumental contibution to biology. These lectures explore the theory of natural selection as bedrock for biological sciences and its influence on evolutionary thought in the humanities and social sciences. The lectures are free and can be heard Monday (m) and Wednesday (w) mornings from 8:35 through 9:50 in 130 Little Hall.

Historical Context
(m) 31 August
Larry Smith, Associate Professor of Psychology

Darwin, the Reluctant Revolutionary?
(w) 2 September
Larry Smith, Associate Professor of Psychology

Historical and Cultural Impact
(w) 9 September
Francois Amar, Associate Professor of Chemistry

Darwinism, Religion, and Social Darwinism in the 19th Century
(m) 14 September
Howard Segal, Professor of History

Natural Selection
(m) 21 September
Michael Kinnison, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Unnatural Selection
(w) 23 September
Michael Kinnison, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Sexual Selection
(m) 28 September
Irving Kornfield, Professor of Biology and Molecular Forensics

The Laws of Variation and the Genome
(w) 30 September
Keith Hutchison, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The Genome: Changing Slow, Changing Fast
(m) 5 October
Keith Hutchison, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Speciation and Cladogenesis
(w) 7 October
Irving Kornfield, Professor of Biology and Molecular Forensics

Prokaryotic to Eukaryotic Evolution
(w) 14 October
Mary Rumpho-Kennedy, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Evolution of Nervous Systems
(w) 21 October
Alan Rosenwasser, Professor of Psychology

Evolution of Biological Clocks
(m) 26 October
Alan Rosenwasser, Professor of Psychology

Historical Perspectives of Development
(w) 28 October
Marie Hayes, Professor of Psychology

Struggle for Existence, Brain Stem Structure, Human/Fetal Interaction
(m) 2 November
Marie Hayes, Professor of Psychology

Evolution of Human Response to disease, vaccines
(w) 4 November
Carol Kim, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology

Hominid Evolution, Human Migrations, and Ancient DNA
(m) 16 November
Kristin Sobolik, Professor of Anthropology and Climate Change

Struggle for Existence, Biocultural Evolution
(w) 18 November
Jim Roscoe, Professor of Anthropology

Evolution of Warfare
(m) 23 November
Jim Roscoe, Professor of Anthropology

Biocultural Evolution, Group Selection
(m) 30 November
Constanza Ocampo-Raeder, Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Evolution of Facial Expressions
(w) 2 December
Peter LaFreniere, Professor of Psychology

Basic Emotions in Infancy
(m) 7 December
Peter LaFreniere, Professor of Psychology

Overview of Darwin's Contributions to the Science of Evolution
(w) 9 December
George Jacobson, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Ecology, and Climate Change

The University of Maine begins its semester-long celebration of the life and work of Charles Darwin with the first in a series of twenty-four lectures. Psychology professor Larry Smith opened up the series with a lecture on the historical context of Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, 150 years ago this year. Slated for Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8:35 to 9:50 in 130 Little Hall, the lectures comprise a portion of INT-289, an interdisciplinary course that explores the influence of Darwin's ideas within the field of biology and beyond. All of the lectures are free and the public is encouraged to attend.

On October 15 2009 the College of Arts and Sciences hosts Darwin scholar, philosopher and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, Daniel Dennett for a keynote lecture. This event is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences. Fogler Library will host Darwin-related displays throughout the semester, and the celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of his seminal text will culminate week of Novemver 9-12 with a spotlight evolutionary research at UMaine, a panel on social Darwinism and discussions on Darwin and the Arts. 

The School of Biology and Ecology introduces two new concentrations within the department. Students pursuing a BS in Biology or Zoology may elect to concentrate in Pre-Medical Studies, and students pursuing either a BS or a BA in Biology or Zoology may concentrate in Ecology. Either concentration will be recorded on the student's transcript to provide formal recognition of their focused coursework.

The concentration in Pre-Medical Studies offers guidance to students preparing for a career in medicine or in any other health profession. In addition to requiring the affiliated science and mathematics courses required for the BS degree, the concentration requires coursework in psychology, analytical and persuasive writing, and biomedical ethics.

The concentration in Ecology is intended for students interested in a focus on ecological prinicples within the rigorous curriculum of the biological sciences. In addition to the requirements for the BA or BS degree, the Ecology concentration requires Statistical Ecology and a course in environmental influences. A total of 32 credits is required for recognition of an Ecology concentration.

The Geddes W. Simpson Distinguished Lecture Series, named in 2001 to honor Geddes W. Simpson, offers lectures that focus on the intersection of science and history. Dr. David R. Foster, Director of the Harvard University Forest, gave the eighth annual address on Maine Day 2009. His talk, titled “Reading and Conserving New England Using History to Interpret and Manage Nature”, serves also as an apt description of his management philosophies wherein ecological history plays a central role. Foster’s management paradigm holds that understanding the past processes that shaped the current ecology of the forest is a powerful tool that can be applied to present and future management strategies. Foster earned a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Minnesota and is the author of Thoreau's Country--Journey Through a Transformed Landscape, New England Forests Through Time, Forests in Time--The Environmental Consequences of 1000 Years of Change in New England, and Wildland and Woodlands: A Vision for the Forests of Massachusetts.  He directs the graduate program in forest biology at Harvard and serves as the Principal Investigator for the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Program.

Foster‘s management message is simple: “If we are going to understand present and predict future- if we are going to manage our landscapes- it’s critical we look back and understand the past and integrate that information.” His theme echoes a quotation by one of his research interests, Henry David Thoreau: “Yet, if we attended more to the history of our lots we should manage them more wisely”.

Indeed, current forest managers can look to the past for hints and lessons. During Thoreau’s lifetime more than 80% of New England had been deforested. However, as the population of New England moved away from agrarianism and centralized in cities in the last century, forests succeeded where farms once stood. Greater population densities often allow for more uninhabited land, which in New England, results in forests. Massachusetts, for instance, is the third most densely populated state and also the eighth most forested state in the country. Though the rate of present-day deforestation pales to the rampant deforestation Thoreau and his contemporaries witnessed, the farmlands they created and later abandoned quickly and easily underwent succession and now young forests are growing up in their place. Conversion of forest to farmland alters the landscape less permanently than does present-day development, where industrial structures and pavement, should we ever abandon them, will delay succession. Foster estimates that development claims forty acres of Massachusetts’ forest per day. The forests that have been thriving in the last century are again disappearing.

According to Foster, New England’s present-day young forests are an example of the constant dynamism of ecology. As the forests are growing up where old farms once stood, wildlife, notably moose, respond to the changes, more carbon is stored, and forest scientists are able to manage the land in different ways. Under Foster’s direction, history guides the ecological management strategies of the Harvard Forest Research Program but many of the current challenges are unprecedented. Rapid change in climate, the introduction of exotic and invasive species and increased nitrogen presence in soils pressure the forests in novel ways. Natural history, like any other single source of information, will not offer complete answers to management questions, but a healthy dose of ecological thought will certainly aid Dr. Foster and his colleagues in managing the tremendous resource of New England's forests.

To conclude the Spring 2009 Seminar Series, Jasmine Saros hosted colleague Dr. Craig Williamson, Ohio Eminent Scholar of Ecosystem Ecology at Miami University of Ohio. Dr. Williamson presented recent research on biotic response to ultraviolet radiation, focusing on two particularly exciting findings.

Dr. Williamson’s extensive UV research channels broad questions about the change in structure of trophic relationships in pelagic communities through zooplankton and fish communities.

The media frenzy about the growing ozone hole focused popular attention on UV in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The Montreal Protocol (1987) successfully prevented dangerously high UV conditions, and with the popular impression that the crisis has been averted, attention shifted, again, away from ozone and UV science altogether. Dr. Williamson’s research reminds that UV is a “potent force”, regardless of any ozone depletion issues: “The sky is not falling in, but there are some things we should keep an eye on”.

The link between climate change and invasive species is commonly recognized. With fish populations, a key to successful invasion lies in spawning depth: if the lake is much colder than optimal, invading fish populations may be restricted to the shallow, warmer regions of the water where light penetrates best. Clearer lakes allow for deeper spawning, but also higher UV levels at greater depths. UV radiation causes irreparable DNA damage that kills fish larvae. Dr. Williamson studied bluegill and largemouth bass, both invasive fish populations in Lake Tahoe. Highly transparent lakes like Tahoe offer “no invasion window” because the UV penetrates deep into the lake, and warm water invading fish can’t spawn at lower depths because of the temperature drop. Dr. Williamson’s research presents the first evidence that UV could play a role in invasion ecology: clearer water may prevent the invasion of new fish.

The Chilean altiplano, the plateau atop the Andes Mountains, is the site of the harshest UV conditions on earth. Lakes in the altiplano are shallow and greatly exposed to the UV conditions without the canopy of trees and other organic matter. According to the conventional paradigm, zooplankton avoid predation by fish, dropping lower in the water column by day, and approaching the surface at night. In less transparent waters, zooplankton should thrive, unaffected by UV, but in transparent waters where UV penetrates better, zooplankton should not fare as well. Dr. Williamson investigated how zooplankton in the lakes of the Chilean altiplano survive the UV. His results were surprising; the zooplankton demonstrated an attraction to the UV radiation instead of a propensity for avoidance. This is the first evidence of organisms demonstrating attraction to UV radiation.

The School of Biology and Ecology welcomes incoming first-year students with an off-campus orientation at the Schoodic Education and Research Center in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island.  The Schoodic Experience introduces incoming students to the SBE faculty and program in a relaxed and casual atmosphere on Maine’s beautiful coast. While at Schoodic, students participate in faculty-led field activities, explore Schoodic’s facilities and enjoy Mount Desert Island, all while meeting and getting to know other students in the school.

More information about facilities, previous trips, and this year’s itinerary can be found here. Registration for the Schoodic Experience ended June 5, 2009. All costs associated with the trip are covered by the fee for NFA 117, a course which all SBE students are required to take in the fall of their first year. For further information about registration, please contact the School of Biology and Ecology at 207.581.2540.

His address, titled "Ecological Dynamics in a Changing World: Insights from a Career in Paleoecology", offers highlights from Dr. Jacobson’s noteworthy career, mostly spotlighting his recent work on Maine’s Climate Future: An Initial Assessment, published in April. The publication represents the work of seventy-five Maine scientists in response to a request from Governor John Baldacci for an interdisciplinary, Maine-specific climate assessment and a preliminary framework for meeting the challenges a changing climate will pose in the coming century. Dr. Jacobson edited and contributed to the report which includes within its scope impacts of climate change on the Gulf of Maine, freshwater ecosystems, forestry, biodiversity and indigenous populations as well as concerns and opportunities within agriculture and forest products, tourism and recreation, transportation and energy, and human health and economics.

The state of Maine, though moderate in size, boasts a steep climate gradient from the mild southern region tempered by the coast to Aroostook county in the north which experiences some of the harshest winters in the country. In three degrees of latitude, Maine encompasses the climate gradient experienced in twenty latitudinal degrees in Europe, a distance twice the length of California. While this breadth creates rich variety and biodiversity across the state, it of course complicates climate assessment and action, necessitating a Maine-specific focus.

Though Maine's Climate Future focuses on the warming observed in the past century, as a paleoecologist, Dr. Jacobson studies the dynamism of millenia, not decades or centuries. Any community, viewed over millennia, differs drastically over time he reminded his audience of biologists and other scientists: “The particular arrangements we study and map are certainly transient”.

That all communities constantly reconfigure themselves in the face of perturbation leads to the conclusion landscapes are ever transforming and that that no particular arrangement has any intrinsic importance. Of course, the wealth and diversity of natural resources and systems of Maine are socioeconomically and characteristically integral to the state as they are. Changes in populations and landscape and weather patterns affect each other and threaten to undermine the established way of life that we enjoy and on which we rely. Dr. Jacobson outlined four challenges in establishing a climate policy: an interglacial climate period, continued fragmentation of landscape, a huge and ever-growing human population, and an unprecedented climate both physically and chemically.  In dealing with these challenges, Dr. Jacobson encourages an approach that applies what we’ve learned about climate to anticipate future changes; like the Maine’s Climate Future publication, Dr. Jacobson’s address articulates the challenges but only  hints at solutions. This is unsatisfying, but fitting. His conclusion resonates with Dean Ashworth’s opening remarks: “Research in the life sciences has never been more important. We [SBE] have a bright future for the next hundred years as well.”

Maine's Climate Future: An Initial Assessment is available for download here.

The School of Biology and Ecology celebrated its notable history and its exciting future with an open house event on 17 April, 2009. Tours of the facilities ran throughout the day with posters and laboratory exhibits on display in Murray Hall.

In the afternoon, Dr. Ellie Groden, the director of the School of Biology and Ecology and Associate Professor of Entomology, offered a welcoming address and spoke briefly about the School of Biology and Ecology's long tradition of excellence. Dr. Susan Hunter, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, praised the role SBE has played in the University of Maine. “Teaching, research and public service comprise the three elements of the land grant mission. I think the School of Biology and Ecology is a microcosm of the University meeting that mission” Hunter remarked.

In 2009, two SBE faculty members were recognized for outstanding teaching: Dr. Mary Tyler won the NSFA Outstanding Teacher Award and Dr. Leonard Kass won the University of Maine Presidential Outstanding Teacher Award. Additionally, 2009 marks the five-year anniversary of the founding of the BioMediaLab, a departmental resource for innovative teaching and learning that focuses on web-based multimedia. Dean Ashworth highlighted the contributions of SBE research to the agricultural sciences, entomology and pathology. The role SBE faculty served in publishing the 2009 report Maine’s Climate Future exemplifies service to the state of Maine.

“We are in very challenging times from a fiscal standpoint…but there are also many reasons to celebrate the accomplishments of the University", Hunter said. "SBE demonstrates commitment to the University’s mission while innovating solutions to current challenges, and in the midst of those challenges, forward-looking and flexible entities will thrive.” Hunter then introduced Dr. George Jacobson for his Keynote Address.

A reception in Murray Hall followed the addresses and the afternoon concluded in an Emeriti and Friends Dinner.

Mercury, due to its toxicity and bioaccumulation in the food web, is of great concern to biologists. Dr. Celia Chen of Dartmouth College studies the transfer of metals from lake water to fish and the impact of food web structure and trophic status on movement. Dr. Chen visited through the School of Biology and Ecology Seminar Series for a discussion of her most recent work in ecotoxicology.

Methylmercury, [CH₃Hg]⁺ is a neurotoxin to humans that causes irreversible brain and kidney damage particularly because it permeates placental membrane and can pass the blood-brain barrier. Dr. Chen cites that humans retain 95% of ingested methylmercury, and as bioaccumulation suggests, many other species are implicated in its absorption and biomagnification, and likewise susceptible to its effects. Recent work has shown that methylmercury is increasingly impacting terrestrial avian species, notably the salt marsh sparrow in addition to the well-studied aquatic populations of piscivorous and insectivorous fish and loons.

Most mercury in the ecosystem originates from power plants; coal-fired power plants account for one half of the current atmospheric mercury. Once emitted into the atmosphere, mercury is deposited on the landscape. Its aquatic lifespan is best studied: it moves upwards from algae to crustaceans to planktivorous fish eventually to the highest trophic levels where it can be found in loon tissues in concentrations as much as five times greater than seen in phytoplankton.

Especially important in understanding the ecological role mercury plays is understanding its speciation. The fate of Hg²⁺ differs from the fate of methylmercury. Because of its charge, the former binds to the surface of algal cells whereas methylmercury is found in the cytoplasm.

A question of interest in Dr. Chen’s work is the observed disparity between mercury concentrations in sediment and in animal tissue from the same site. Sediment samples from Portsmouth, NH display mercury concentrations two orders of magnitude greater than sediment samples from Wells, ME, whereas tissue samples from organisms in Portsmouth only exceed concentrations from Wells tissue samples by two or four times. This suggests that the relationship between sediment concentrations and tissue concentrations is more complex than initially assumed.

Dr. Chen is beginning to expand from her limnological work to address marine systems, particularly examining the impact of the trophic nekton relay where transient species in the intertidal zone feed on resident species before moving offshore. This relay is responsible for cycling carbon and energy offshore; Dr. Chen is curious if this pattern holds for contaminants.

Dr. Chen’s primary work, however, is in freshwater lakes. She and other ecotoxicologists have identified ‘mercury hotspots’ in New York and New England where the biotic concentrations exceed the concentrations acceptable for human and ecological health. They evaluated each hotspot against criteria including reservoir fluctuation, local emissions and landscape dynamics to determine what characteristics increase a lake’s susceptibility to high mercury levels. Establishing even a preliminary profile for lakes at risk for high mercury levels will help direct policy and awareness appropriately, and in collaboration with a broader network of mercury monitoring efforts nationwide, Dr. Chen’s work will serve to track changes in management decisions.

For more than ten years, Bill Glanz  (SBE), Aram Calhoun (Wildlife Ecology) and Mac Hunter (Wildlife Ecology) have teamed up to offer a Tropical Ecology Field Course, INT 475, during the spring semester. The course, which culminates in a two-week trip during spring break, offers twenty-two students the opportunity to experience the tropical ecosystems and wildlife they’ve studied.

Though the course attracts mostly biology and wildlife students, it is open to students from any discipline.  The course emphasizes opportunities to view rare and endemic wildlife and behold neotropical ecosystems, but centers around conservation biology with implications for the social sciences. Students witnessed firsthand governmental efforts to develop ecotourism in rural Brazil; they were housed for part of their trip in such accommodations. Other opportunities afforded students an exposure to the complex relationship between industry and environment in cattle ranching and mining operations and the commonly noted problems of deforestation and land degradation.

Students meet weekly from January through March in preparation for the trip. While traveling students are required to keep a natural history journal chronicling their readings, lessons from the natural history guides, and their observations and impressions. Additionally, students keep a checklist of all of the taxonomic families they see.

Students visited the Pantanal, the world’s largest freshwater wetland, in southwestern Brazil.  Brazil is home to the capybara, the world’s largest rodent, as well as howler monkeys, both mammalian highlights of the trip. The open water and grassy marshlands of the Pantanal landscape lends itself to birding. Especially notable birds included the jabiru storks (Jabiru mycteria), the great potoo (Nyctibius grandis), and students were lucky enough to see the Hyacinth macaw, (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) a target species for birders. Aram Calhoun noted that the trip ‘converted’ several students to birding: “Students say ‘I won’t look at birds the same way again’.” Often, nothing in ecological education parallels field exposure to develop in students a discerning and informed view of the natural world.

Photo courtesy of Marcus Collado.

Two thousand and nine marks an important year in the biological sciences: Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his landmark work, On the Origin of Species. To celebrate his life and work, the university will offer a one time only Darwin-based class (INT 289) this fall.

Darwin's theory of natural selection, first espoused in On the Origins of Species, offers the mechanism for evolutionary change that revolutionized biology and is accepted 150 years after its introduction. Kristin Sobolik, trained in biology, recognizes natural selection as biology’s foundational theory. Sobolik is a professor of Anthropology and Climate Change and is organizing the Celebration of Darwin course. The framework she has devised for the course highlights the profound implications of natural selection on the biological sciences, but also on anthropology, psychology, and chemistry. Collaborating with at least twelve other faculty who represent six departments, Sobolik has designed a course with a scope more comprehensive than narrow and an approach more celebratory than academic. Instead of structuring the course around a close, chapter-by-chapter examination of On the Origins of Species, Sobolik has opted to address Darwin’s later works, particularly The Descent of Man and Darwin’s letters in more detail. This method allows for an interdisciplinary exploration of how the theory of natural selection is applied in the personal research of the collaborating faculty. Possible topics of presentation will represent a wide range of ongoing research at the university and include the evolution of warfare, the spread of disease in humans, neurological evolution and facial expression. Students will take two exams covering the material presented in the lectures and write a paper about a topic of their choosing that Darwin addressed in his extensive correspondence.

Sobolik intends to open enrollment to up to fifty students but also invite the public to attend the Monday and Wednesday morning lectures. She and other faculty anticipate informal meeting times for further discussion of Darwin's life and the theory of natural selection. For Sobolik, a tribute to Darwin and On the Origins of Species is an exciting prospect to demonstrate where his marvelous work has lead us. "One hundred and fifty years later, this is still the book" says Sobolik. "The book is not the bible, the book is just the origin."

More information about the course speakers and other Celebration of Darwin Events on campus can be found here. 

Dr. Gregory Zaro of the Antropology Department and the Climate Change Institute terms himself a Historical Ecologist based on his interdisciplinary background and interests. He concerns himself with the co-evolution of humans with their environments, particularly in human-manipulated environments. Agricultural sites provide an insightful area of research for Dr. Zaro as a physical intersection of people and environments. In geographies where paleoecology cannot rely on ice cores and lake basins, agricultural sites can serve as a proxy of environmental changes over time.

Through the School of Biology and Ecology Seminar Series, Dr. Zaro presented recent research conducted in sites along the south coast of Peru. This region, now hyper-arid and desolate, was once a fertile agricultural region that supported herding and farming communities. From horizontal and vertical patterning data, Dr. Zaro has mapped the location of the agricultural sites since 1400 AD and supplements these data by excavating designs and pottery artifacts from the Chiribaya people. Thriving in this region from 1200-1400 AD, the Chiribaya engineered the landscape for farming and herding purposes. In the last thousand years, including the time the Chiribaya were present cultivating the land, the region has undergone transformative climatic change and now supports little life. The trend of desertification, as seen in the Peruvian south coast, is a pressing concern around the world as soil is eroded, water becomes scarce, and land quality degrades. In the twenty-first century, we tend to attribute desertification to human agents, however, non-human agents alone or in conjunction with human influence, also create these effects. Dr. Zaro speculates that there was not a single catastrophic event that caused the collapse of agriculture in the area of his research, but a series of contractions over time that reduced the land to its current state.

The information Dr. Zaro includes in his dating estimates is human derived, from middens and irrigation canals, geological, from volcanic ash, flood deposits, and chemical, from pollen and phytoliths in the soil. Other studies of the Colca Valley, a site nearby to Dr. Zaro's sites, have compared carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus to determine agricultural influence on soil chemistry. In his research, Dr. Zaro tries to integrate studies from various disciplines to develop a more complete understanding of the ecological history.

More information can be found about Dr. Zaro’s work here:
http://www.climatechange.umaine.edu/Research/Contrib/html/23.html

Professor Randy Alford passed away February 9th at the Hospice Ministries facility in Ridgeland, Mississippi.  Randy Alford came to the University of Maine as an Assistant Professor of Entomology in 1982, after a one year appointment as a Research Entomologist in the Chemistry Department at the New Brunswick Research and Productivity Council in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.  Randy’s research focused on the chemical ecology of insects, originally working on insect attractants and sex pheromone during his PhD and post-doctoral studies.  At the University of Maine, he investigated plant chemistry associated with insect feeding stimulation and deterrence, and later in his career, he combined these interests in the development of a push-pull strategy for management of the Colorado potato beetle with his research colleagues, Dr. Dick Dickens and Dr. Andrei Alyokhin, and graduate student, Dr. John Martel.  During his 26 year career at the University of Maine, Randy served as Chair of the Department of Entomology from 1992-1994, and with the merger of entomology and plant sciences, Chair of the Applied Ecology & Environmental Sciences Department from 1994-1997.  He was also instrumental in establishing the Sustainable Agriculture Program at UMaine in 1986, and developing the long-term potato research program, the Potato Ecosystem Project, in 1992, which has continued to this day.  Throughout his career, Randy has inspired and taught many students at both the undergraduate and graduate level, formally in the classroom teaching  “Insect Morphology, Physiology & Behavior”, “Pesticides and the Environment”, “Plant-Pest Interactions”, “Insect Ecology”, and Honors Tutorials, and as significantly, informally in the many conversations and discussions he participated in with students and fellow colleagues in his office, hallways and committee meetings.  Students revered Randy for his questions and philosophical perspectives on life as they did for his expertise in insect physiology and behavior.  Randy served as major advisor for seven graduate students, but also served on many more graduate and honors advisory committees.  He also served on the Honors Council for five years, and was a dedicated faculty mentor in the Maine Upward Bound program, which assists qualified students with economically disadvantaged backgrounds to improve their skills in high school and to prepare to enter and succeed in college.   But Randy’s first academic love was entomology and he worked from 1997 to 2005 to preserve the legacy of Maine’s most renowned entomologist through the development of the Edith Patch Education Center.  Randy was Professor of Entomology in the School of Biology and Ecology at the University of Maine at the time of his departure due to illness.

Randy so bravely dealt with the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis for many years, but particularly in the past two years.  Even so, he always managed to continue to share laughs and provoke thought for students and colleagues alike.  The third floor of Deering Hall, all of the UMaine campus, and the greater entomological community lost a great friend Monday.

UPDATE: Professor Randy Alford Memorial Service
The life of entomology Professor Randy Alford will be celebrated with a memorial service on April 18th at 5:00pm in the Newman Center, Orono, Maine, with a reception following at the home of John and Shelley Jemison, 8 University Place, Orono.  Randy passed away on February 9th, 2009 after bravely dealing with the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis.  He will be remembered always and greatly missed. (Click for more…)

Dr. Lara Hudson of Williams College gave a presentation on recent work with small heat shock proteins in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model system. Dr. Hudson's current research examines the role of small heat shock proteins during developmental stages in neurological and muscular systems, particularly with regard to two human diseases: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and Distal Hereditary Motor Neuropathy. Both diseases arise from mutation events in genes that code for small heat shock proteins.

This area of research represents a crucial intersection between environmental and genetic factors.

Benildo De los Reyes of the School of Biology and Ecology hosted Dr. Tulin of Visayas State University, Philippines in his month-long fellowship.

The Borlaug Fellowship marks Dr. Tulin's first visit to the United States, the most recent chapter in his international education. Dr. Tulin received his B.S. in Chemistry at Visayas State University in the Philippines, his M.S. at The University College London, in England, and his Ph.D. in Bioreaction Engineering in Japan, at Nagoya University.

Now back at his alma mater, Visayas State University, Dr. Tulin conducts his postdoctoral research in collaboration with the National Research Center and with the USDA in Manila. His research focuses on biofortification, the breeding of nutritionally enriched crops, and on preserving the shelf life of crops by postponing delay.

Founded in 2004, the Borlaug Fellows Program was named in the honor of Norman Borlaug. Often dubbed the Father of the Green Revolution, Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Gold Medal for his research in higher-yielding rice varieties. His work directly alleviated global food shortages in the 1960s.

The Fellows Program matches young scientists from developing countries with scientists in the U.S. and elsewhere. Land grant universities, international agricultural centers, and private sector research centers offer state-of-the-art technology for agriculture related research, extensive library resources, and experts who mentor the fellows.

Dr. Tulin's work with Dr. De los Reyes allowed him to develop some models of regulatory networks in arabidopsis. "What I'm studying here is all about transcription, which is very good for my work. These are the basic concepts of why physiological change happens my crops."

Despite the cold November weather, Dr. Tulin was pleased with his visit: "It's my first time here in the U.S. and I'm happy I've landed here."

More information about the Borlaug Fellows Program can be found at http://www.fas.usda.gov/ICD/borlaug/program.htm

John Tjepkema, Professor of Plant Physiology, retired at the end of the spring semester, 2008. John came to UMaine from the faculty at Harvard University Forest in Petesham, Mass., 26 years ago. Since then, John has continued his productive research program on the mechanisms of nitrogen fixation in Frankia and actinorhizal plants. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications and book chapters and co-edited a book with his wife and colleague, Dr. Christa Schwintzer. He has served on review panels for the USDA and was Consulting Editor for Plant and Soils for 23 years. Over his tenure at UMaine, John taught Plant Physiology lecture and labs, Plant Physiological Ecology and took a major role in our non-majors' course in biology.  He also has been a particularly important resource for our graduate students through his courses and scientific expertise, also as graduate coordinator for Botany and Plant Pathology for a number of years, and then coordinator for the interdisciplinary Plant Science PhD program for 16 years.

John has had a longtime commitment to energy conservation and sustainability and has not only written articles in this area and included it in his teaching, but has been pro-active in promoting conservation both on campus and off.  An avid runner, John has participated in many local road races and marathons as well as the Boston marathon. He frequently trains in the wee hours of the morning and can be seen running down the middle of the streets in Orono, enjoying the stars, calls of the owls or frogs, and the absence of dogs and coyotes.

We appreciate his long years of service to the department and wish him many happy miles on cool, starry nights in his retirement.

John Ringo, Professor of Zoology in the School of Biology and Ecology, retired at the end of the spring semester, 2008.  John came to UMaine from UC Davis 34 years ago.  His research with the redoubtable insect model, Drosophila, initially focused on the genetics and evolution of behavior, areas in which he also contributed in teaching.  But since the early days John's work has branched out widely to include circadian and ultradian rhythms, fly mating song, endocrine control of mating and cardiac physiology, and most recently, field biology of flies and their resistance to pesticides. As an accomplished statistician, he taught biometry and also has helped his colleagues and graduate students solve numerous numerical conundrums. His expertise earned him stints as Associate Editor of Behavior Genetics and Evolution, and he is currently serving his 26th year on the editorial board of Behavior Genetics.  John has recently written a textbook on genetics, and it has already been translated into three foreign languages.

In retirement, John plans to continue work on his favorite research subject, the fly. After spending many summers in Israel, he will be moving there permanently, setting up his own lab at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he will be able to focus on several collaborative projects with scientists there.

John's reputation within the campus community extends beyond his scientific expertise to include his knowledge of and appreciation for wines and fine food.  But perhaps he is best known as an avid and relentless runner.  He is frequently seen out pounding the pavement on the paths in all weather.  Since an earlier respectable finish in a marathon he has not slowed much in these later days. Keep on trucking, and best wishes in retirement, John.

George Jacobson, Professor of Botany and Quaternary Studies in the School of Biology and Ecology and the Climate Change Institute, retired at the end of the spring semester, 2008, after 29 years of service to the University. George joined the faculty at UMaine in 1979 after serving as AAAS Congressional Science Fellow and then as a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. George's extremely productive research career has been paralleled by his interest and significant contributions to the public policy of science since early in his career. George's research interests focus on paleoecology as a tool for predicting climate change, and his innovative research program lead him to work with colleagues here on campus as well as around the globe from Scandinavia to New Zealand to South America.  He has authored numerous publications, given many invited seminars, and trained a number of graduate students. He also served as the Associate Director (1989-1993) and Director (1993-2002) of the Institute for Quaternary Studies—now the Climate Change Institute, and currently serves as the Associate Director of the School of Biology and Ecology.  George's commitment to our institution is truly legendary as is his willingness to participate in the public and political discourse within the state on climate change and other issues of science and research policy.  The University community is eternally grateful for the role he played as a member of the "Faculty Five." These distinguished university faculty  traveled the state persistantly to successfully translate the importance of Research and Development funding both to the University and to the State's economy.   George is also an avid sports fan and has contributed to our Athletic programs in numerous ways (serving on search committees for coaches and athletic directors, athletic advisory committees, America East Conference committees, and as our faculty rep to the NCAA).  But we know that George's favorite sports adventures have been his own on the golf course.  As a core member of the "Dream Team" from NSFA, he has represented us well from Orono to Sugarloaf to Hilton Head and Florida.

We know we will continue to see George on campus, and playing an important role within the state, but we also wish you lots of enjoyable time on the greens.

A genetic study of alewives living in landlocked lakes in Connecticut found that the popular baitfish evolved from a common anadromous rather than a freshwater ancestor.

The research found no evidence to uphold a common belief that all Connecticut landlocked alewife populations are nonnative, the result of intentional stocking years ago to provide forage for game fish.

The landlocked populations examined diverged from a common anadromous ancestor between 300 and 5,000 years ago, according to Eric Palkovacs, a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Maine School of Biology and Ecology, and his colleagues at Yale University. This time frame overlaps with the onset of human dam construction in Connecticut.

The study of genetic and phenotypic divergence between anadromous and landlocked alewife populations was conducted as part of Palkovacs' dissertation at Yale. It was published in a recent issue of Molecular Ecology.

Like other anadromous fish such as Atlantic salmon and sturgeon, alewives make annual runs up freshwater streams to spawn, then return to the sea. They can be found in the coastal waters from Labrador to North Carolina.

Murray Carpenter from MPBN recently joined our research crew to discover what we have been learning about sturgeon in the Penobscot River over the past year and a half. In January 2006 NOAA-Fisheries approached Dr. Michael Kinnison to discover if he would design a study to determine whether sturgeon were present in the Penobscot River. Dr. Kinnison, in the School of Biological Sciences, decided to work with Dr. Gayle Zydlewski, in the School of Marine Sciences, to devise a study plan. NOAA-Fisheries and USGS funded the project. Stephen Fernandes was brought on as a M.S. graduate student in Environmental and Ecological Sciences program. Phillip Dionne started working on the project in September 2007 as part of the dual MS degree in Marine Biology and Marine Policy he is pursuing in the School of Marine Sciences.

Since spring 2006 155 shortnose sturgeon (listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act) 36 Atlantic sturgeon have been captured. All have been externally and internally tagged for later identification to estimate population size. A subset of these individuals have been tagged with ultrasonic tags, used to determine specific migratory patterns in the river. One interesting behavioral pattern that we have documented is the movement of individuals (both shortnose and Atlantic) between the Penobscot River and the Kennebec River.

Future research, made possible by funding from NOAA-Fisheries, the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and The Nature Conservancy, will allow us to refine population estimates for the Penobscot River and determine whether or not spawning is occurring in the Penobscot. Our results have been instructive to both the Penobscot River Restoration Project and the Cianbro, LLC project in Brewer.

By Kathryn Skelton , Staff Writer
Monday, October 1, 2007

"Some of their enzyme are used to produce that stone-washed jeans look," said Seanna Annis, who studies plant fungi at the University of Maine. "Soy sauce has actually got a fungus involved in fermenting the soy beans; that's what actually helps to give it that flavor."

One man, one life of fungi
From the 'Destroying Angel' to the kinda creepy gyromitra gigas: Maine's largest fungi collection.

Click here for full article

September 26, 2007
Contact: Michael Kinnison (207) 581-2575; David Munson (207) 581-3777 

ORONO, Maine – The influences humans have on the habitats of other species have long been recognized, raising concerns about loss of species. However, another widespread outcome of such disturbance has come to light. After examining over 3000 estimates of rates of evolution in wild animal populations, all occurring in modern times, UMaine researcher Michael Kinnison and colleagues from McGill University in Quebec have found that humans are accelerating changes in the animals themselves.

Click here for full article

Oil is essential to the United States and world economies because it is the primary source of energy for transportation via auto, truck, and airplanes. In Maine it is also widely used for home heating. Thus any limitations in supply and-or major increases in price could have major effects on Maine and U.S. citizens.

When the price of oil reached high levels two years ago, many thought that it would soon decline as new oil wells began production. However, world oil supply has not increased very much, and prices have remained high. The question now facing the world is whether oil production is approaching a peak, where oil production from new wells is no longer sufficient to replace declining production from older wells. If we are approaching a peak, this could have a severe impact on the world and Maine economies.

The International Energy Agency advises its 26 member nations, who are mostly oil importers, on energy policy. In the past the IEA has been relatively optimistic in its prediction of future world oil supplies. However a recent five-year forecast by the IEA predicts an increasingly tight oil market, with decreasing OPEC spare capacity. This could mean much higher prices and major shortages of oil in the event of hurricanes, wars, etc.

Fatih Birol, the chief economist of the IEA, stated in a June interview that oil production by non-OPEC producers will peak in the next five or 10 years. Thus any major increases in world oil supply will need to come from OPEC. According to the IEA forecast, half of the increase in OPEC production over the next five years will be from Saudi Arabia.

However some believe Saudi Arabia may be having difficulties in maintaining even its current levels of production. Matthew Simmons, an oil investment banker and a member of the National Petroleum Council, concludes that it is unlikely that there will be any large new oil fields discovered in Saudi Arabia, and that production is only being maintained "by using advanced drilling and completion technologies in the mature giant fields." Details are given in his 2005 book, "Twilight in the Desert — The Coming Oil Shock and the World Economy."

After producing at a constant rate of 9.5 million barrels of oil per day from June 2004 until February 2006, Saudi production has decreased, with a rate of only 8.6 million barrels per day in June 2007. Matt Simmons suggests that in fact the 9.5 million barrels per day may represent the peak of Saudi oil production. The Saudis maintain that they have reduced production voluntarily, because of a surplus of oil on the market. However, during the past two years drilling activity has increased sharply in Saudi Arabia. Only time will tell whether this drilling results in increased capacity (12.6 billion barrels per day in the five-year IEA forecast), or represents a struggle to maintain current Saudi output. If the latter is true, world oil supply will be even tighter than is predicted by the IEA.

The trend in the rate of Saudi oil production over the coming months and years will be critical in determining world oil supply and price. If the Saudis do not markedly increase production there may not be sufficient oil to supply the demand, and oil may become much more expensive. To prevent a possible crisis we should pay attention to Matt Simmons. Simmons suggests that an "energy war footing" is needed, with a Manhattan-type project for energy R&D, and a major reduction in both long-distance commuting and shipment of goods.

To the credit of both the federal and Maine state governments, many actions are being taken to reduce our oil demand. However much more needs to be done, and soon. Otherwise the cost of oil and gas may consume an ever-increasing fraction of household income. As things stand, the price of gas could rise much more rapidly than any increase in average mileage of the cars being driven. Rapid increases in oil heating bills could make it difficult for many to meet their home mortgage payments.

Fortunately there are many options for reducing oil demand. Increased efficiency of use is one approach. For example, auto excise taxes could be based in part on fuel efficiency rather than the sales price of a vehicle. Greater publicity could be given to tax incentives for energy efficiency in home construction and remodeling. A top priority in Maine should be to take advantage of our abundant wood resource to make a rapid transition away from oil heat.

One possibility is wood pellets. In Austria it is estimated that two-thirds of new homes have wood-pellet furnaces. The use of wood for energy will also stimulate the state economy by keeping the dollars spent on home heating within the state, rather than sending them abroad for imported oil.

John Tjepkema is a professor of plant physiology at the University of Maine.

The Electron Microscopy Facility, which the School of Biology and Ecology has operated for 40 years, is a major resource for the entire campus, used by over 17 departments. It houses and maintains two transmission electron microscopes, a scanning electron microscope, and a laser scanning con-focal microscope.

A new Digital Imaging Center. Building on its expertise in microscopy (trans-mission and scanning electron microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy), the Microscopy Laboratory at UMaine is developing a Digital Imaging and Microscopy Center as part of the University's R&D bond proposal to be voted on in 2007. Housed in a new 3,000 sq ft wing, the centerpiece of the facility will be a digital high-resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a field-emission electron gun and the capacity to handle specimens in low-vacuum, near-environmental conditions. It will allow microscopy of a large range of specimens, from small machines to micrometer- and nanometer-size constructs and from tissues and cells to molecules. CCD digital cameras fitted to dissecting and compound microscopes, will allow digital imaging, from small animals and plants to tissues and cells, and from machine parts to microelectronic components and sensors.