The objective of the funded work is to quantify the contribution of ecological processes to patch formation in the coastal ocean. These objectives will be addressed by simultaneously quantify (1) spatial and temporal characteristics of large plankton patches, (2) the physical and chemical conditions these patches occur in and (3) the plankton population dynamics of the dominant layer forming sp...

Localized concentrations of plankton (i.e. patches) alter the optical and acoustical properties of the water column and can have significant ramifications for the ecological dynamics of marine communities. The goal of this research is to develop a mechanistic understanding and predictive capability of the relative importance of biological versus physical processes in the formation, persistence,...

tehran is one of the most polluted metropolises in the world. sink capacity for absorption and assimilation of pollution is reduced generally due to failure in inclusion of ecological aspects in regional land use development planning. the present condition of air and water related issues in tehran are greatly affected by landscape structural alterations at urban level. in this research the focu...

We study the evolution of dispersal rates in a two patch metapopulation model. The local dynamics in each patch are given by difference equations, which, together with the rate of dispersal between the patches, determine the ecological dynamics of the metapopulation. We assume that phenotypes are given by their dispersal rate. The evolutionary dynamics in phenotype space are determined by invas...

Dispersal is an important mechanism contributing to both ecological and evolutionary dynamics. In metapopulation and metacommunity ecology, dispersal enables new patches to be colonized; in evolution, dispersal counter-acts local selection, leading to regional homogenization. Here, I consider a three-patch metacommunity in which two species, each with a limiting quantitative trait underlain by ...

Sacred forest groves in the Western Ghats of India are small fragments of tropical forest that have received protection due to religious beliefs and cultural practices. These forest fragments are an example of community-based conservation and they serve as refugia for many forest-dwelling species in otherwise highly anthropogenic tropical forest-agriculture landscapes of the Indian Western Ghat...