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Island Biogeography and Macroecology (Third Edition - 2024)

Requirements: Research interests in insular ecosystems; Basic knowledge of R.

Objectives

This Third Edition ‘Summer School in Island Biogeography and Macroecology’, is a comprehensive course offering an overview of different island biogeography and macroecological topics focused on terrestrial ecosystems. It offers not only a strong theoretical background, presented by some of the most prestigious scientists in the field, but also innovative methodologies, regarding field sampling and analytical tools. During the two-week course the students will follow all the steps of a scientific project, from developing research questions objectives and hypotheses, to the selection of methods, including the collection, analysis and discussion of data/results. There will also be ample opportunity to discuss student’s own data and case studies.

The course is focused on the large-scale patterns of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity.

Lecturers:

Organizing committee

(all from the University of Azores, Azorean Biodiversity Group, cE3c)

 

Invited Scientists:

Week 1

- François Rigal (University of Pau, France)

- Joaquin Hortal (Natural History Museum in Madrid (MNCN), Spain)

- Rosemary Gillespie (University of California, Berkeley, USA)

- Simone Fattorini (University of L'Aquila, Italy)

- Thomas Matthews (University of Birmingham, U.K.)

 

Week 2

- Ana Santos (Universidade Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain)

- Brent Emerson (Island Ecology and Evolution Res. Group-IPNA-CSIC, Canary Islands, Spain)

- Pedro Cardoso (Natural History Museum, University of Helsinki, Finland)

- Luís Borda-de-Água (CIBIO -Porto, Portugal)

NOTE: Special participation of Prof. Steve Hubbell (Prof Emeritus of University of University California Los Angeles, UCLA, USA) for an online exchange of experiences with the students on Neutral Theory and Practice

Directed to: PhD or MSc students in Ecology, Geography or related areas, and Postdocs and other professionals working in related topics

General Plan

Specific theoretical topics will be:

(1) Ecological/evolutionary theories developed from studies on islands, and their applications in other research areas;

(2) Processes that occur during and after island colonization, that shape island communities;

(3) Island community-assembly rules;

(4) Island evolutionary processes;

(5) Applications of island biogeography to conservation biology;

(6)  Islands within islands - caves/lava tubes; kipukas

(7) Island paleobiogeography.

Specific applied practical topics will be:

(1) Quantification of alpha, beta and gamma diversity;

(2) Quantification of rarity and species abundance distribution;

(3) Estimating diversity from incomplete sampling;

(4) Standardize sampling protocols for island fauna and flora surveys and monitoring;

(5) Biological traits in ecology and conservation

(6) Network ecology modelling;

(7) Population genetics/genomics

(8) Phylogenetic analysis and phylogeography

(9) Phylogenetic and functional diversity (richness, dispersion, evenness)

(10) Partitioning taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional beta diversity;

Funding

This project was funded by:

Vice-Presidência do Governo Regional dos Açores

Direcção Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia (PRO-SCIENTIA)

 

Financial Support for Students:

Students may be eligible for financial support from FLAD (Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento / Luso-American Development Foundation).

Partners

-Secretaria Regional da Cultura, da Ciência e Transição Digital -Direção Regional da Ciência e Transição Digital (PRO-SCIENTIA)

- FLAD - Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento

Fee

Fees standard registration:

Fees:

The fee includes: lectures and lecture notes, field excursions, coffee breaks and a welcome reception to faculty and students.

Additional Fees for ECTS: An additional cost of 300€ for students requiring ECTS Declaration

Accommodation: Hotel Monte Brasil will cost 48,00€ per day (Single) and 65,00€ per day (Double room: 32,50 Euros per day per student)

 

Financial Support:

Portuguese and American students are eligible for financial support from FLAD (Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento / Luso-American Development Foundation).

The Grants include:

 

  1. Portuguese Students - include flight expenses (Economy Class from Lisboa or Porto to Terceira Island) and 14 nights at a 3-star hotel (or equivalent) in a double room in Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira Island).
  2. There will be some additional FLAD scholarships available for USA students, which include flight expenses (Economy Class from Boston to Terceira Island) and 14 nights at a 3-star hotel (or equivalent) in a double room in Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira Island).

Please note: Coffee-breaks are also included; however, lunch and dinner are at your own expense.

 

Certificate of Completion: At the end of the program, participants receive a Certificate of Completion.

Within approximately 1 month after completion of the program, participants will receive, by post, an official Transcript of Records along with Syllabus Authentication, issued by the Registrar’s Office of the University of the Azores.

 

Credit Conversion: Duration: 70 hours (6 ECTS). Students from universities with a North-American credits system should consult their school’s credit-granting process. 6 ECTS credits are usually equivalent to 3 North-American credits. 

 

Other Important information

Travelling to Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal

-Travelling from Lisbon, Portugal to Lajes International Airport (TER) flights operated by SATA Air Açores, TAP Air Portugal and Ryanair.

-Travelling from the USA and Canada direct flights to Lajes International Airport (TER) operated by SATA Air Açores.

 

Contacts for Inscription

Deadline and other important dates:

Application’ deadline: Extended to the April 7th, 2024

Successful applicants will be notified by e-mail by April 25th, 2024 and will have to confirm their intention to participate by paying the registration fee by May 15th, 2024. After this date, new applications will only be considered in case the 30 vacancies are not yet fulfilled.

After registration fee payment the participants will be provided with lecture-related material and pre-course readings.

 

Application instruction:

Candidates should send the required information through the link: https://forms.gle/xu5P2oipaYXLnU9F9 

Any queries should be sent to the E-mail: enesima.fe.pereira@uac.pt 

paulo.av.borges@uac.pt