Decisions on the status of rare species—in particular, the listing and recovery of an endangered species—is central to conservation efforts in the U.S. and internationally.
“Such legal designations are often made without careful reasoning about what level of risk is being embraced or about the effects of complex management activities implemented for species of concern,” says Doak. He’s the Colorado Chair of Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder where he leads the Doak Lab. He will discuss these issues and provide examples of recent cases to more clearly understand endangerment and recovery.
Doak will also deliver a special Mathematics Colloquium on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m. in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Building, Rm. 166. The colloquium is open to all HSU students.
Doak’s talk, “The Little Things That Run the Savanna,” will address research conducted in central Kenya about how spatial patterning arises and when and why it exerts important influences on multiple aspects of this ecological system. “As this research shows, the inconspicuous activities of termites in this system are a key driver of many aspects of savanna ecology,” says Doak.
As a conservation biologist, Doak uses modeling and statistical analyses to evaluate the status and management of rare and threatened species. He has conducted analyses on a diversity of species, including grizzly bears, sea otter, red gorgonian coral, California condors, Channel Island foxes, Laysan albatross, desert tortoise, and northern spotted owls. His current field work centers on the effects of climate change on arctic and alpine plant species and the structure and function of African savannas.
About the Lamberson Ecology Lecture Series
Hosted by HSU’s Department of Mathematics, the lecture series is named after and funded by Roland Lamberson, Professor of Mathematics at Humboldt State from 1980 to 2004. Lamberson has made substantial contributions in the application of mathematics to ecology and natural resources.
To learn more visit the HSU Lamberson Ecology Lecture Series website or visit Professor Dan Doak’s lab at doaklab.org/.