ENM WORKSHOP
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment The University of Kansas The Autonomous University of Mexico American Museum of Natural History NCL Centre for Biodiversity Informatics

Faculty Profile



Name: A. Townsend Peterson

Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
The University of Kansas , Lawrence , Kansas 66045
telephone (785) 864-3926, fax (785) 864-5335, email: town@ku.edu

My research focuses on aspects of the geography of biodiversity. My formal training was in tropical ornithology, with a particular focus on systematics. As such, one component of my research focuses on the alpha taxonomy of birds, as well as on the phylogeny of recently radiated clades of birds. Tied to this focus is work with the basic geography of bird distributions, and with the composition of local avifaunas, based on detailed site inventories and scientific collections around the world. My work with the geographic and ecology of species' distributions, however, has taken me into other fields, including conservation biology and planning, invasive species biology, and disease transmission systems. In the latter field, my work has focused on numerous disease systems, including Chagas Disease, malaria, dengue, leischmaniasis, and ebola/Marburg. In general, my work is collaborative in nature, and usually involves geographers, computer scientists, and biologists.

Examples of Ongoing Work

My laboratory works actively with a diversity of questions regarding the geography and ecology of species' distributions. Collaborations with valued colleagues around the world lead to quite-varied research products. In this section, I provide 'clips' ... series of slides ... designed to illustrate these diverse research products.

1. Conservatism of Ecological Niches in Plants, Pleistocene to Present

A central question to many important applications of ecological niche modeling is that of how conservative (or labile) are ecological niches in an evolutionary sense. Several past studies have addressed this question via assessments of interpredictivity among closely related species, predictivity of species' invasions, etc. This study represents an alternative--tracking single species over significant stretches of time. With Enrique Martinez-Meyer and other colleagues, I have completed and published a prototype of this approach (with Pleistocene mammals), but with considerable problems of data availability. This 'clip' summarizes a second attempt, using pollen records of plant species between the Last Glacial Maximum and the present.

Education

  • B.S., Department of Zoology, Miami University, 1985
  • M.S., Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1987
  • Ph.D., Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1990

Academic Appointments

  • 2005-present Professor, 1999-present Associate Professor, 1993-1999 Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Kansas
  • 2005-present Curator, 2000-present Curator-in-Charge, 1999-present Associate Curator, 1997-1998 Acting Curator-in-Charge, 1993-1999 Assistant Curator, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, The University of Kansas
  • 2000-present Adjunct Faculty, Department of Geography, The University of Kansas
  • 1993-present Adjunct Faculty, Latin American Studies Program, The University of Kansas
  • 1989-present Adjunct Professor, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Recent Publications

  • Bonaccorso, E., I. Koch, and A. T. Peterson. 2006. Pleistocene fragmentation of Amazon species' ranges. Diversity and Distributions, 12:157-164. View the PDF file.
  • Elith, J., C. H. Graham, R. P. Anderson, M. Dudik, S. Ferrier, A. Guisan, R. J. Hijmans, F. Huettman, J. R. Leathwick, A. Lehmann, J. Li, L. G. Lohmann, B. A. Loiselle, G. Manion, C. Moritz, M. Nakamura, Y. Nakazawa, J. M. Overton, A. T. Peterson, S. J. Phillips, K. Richardson, R. Scachetti-Pereira, R. E. Schapire, J. Soberón, S. E. Williams, M. S. Wisz, and N. E. Zimmermann. 2006. Novel methods improve prediction of species' distributions from occurrence data. Ecography, 29:129-151. View the PDF file.
  • Gaubert, P., M. Papes, and A. T. Peterson. 2006. Natural history collections and the conservation of poorly known taxa: Ecological niche modeling in central African rainforest genets (Genetta spp.). Biological Conservation, 130:106-117. View the PDF file.
  • Peterson, A. T., V. Sánchez-Cordero, E. Martínez-Meyer, and A. G. Navarro-Sigüenza. 2006d. Tracking population extirpations via melding ecological niche modeling with land-cover information. Ecological Modelling 195:229-236. View the PDF file.
For more information see my homepage: http://www.specifysoftware.org/Informatics/bios/biostownpeterson/

Name: Jorge Soberón, Senior Scientist, jsoberon@ku.edu

The University of Kansas, Division of Ornithology
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Dyche Hall, Lawrence, KS 66045-7562
telephone (785) 864-3897, fax (785) 864-5335

I was trained as a theoretical population ecologists, first in the National University of Mexico and then in Imperial College, UK, where I obtained my Ph.D. My current interests lie in the description and modeling of biodiversity patterns at a geographical scale. This includes understanding the causes of species distributions like fundamental niches, migration and evolution and in patterns of alpha and beta diversity. My interests in the above subjects began after my involvement with the National Commission on Biodiversity of Mexico (CONABIO) for a period of more than a decade. CONABIO was created specifically to compile and maintain updated the biodiversity inventory of Mexico, and to do that we had to develop database techniques, quality-control methods, extrapolation algorithms and visualization techniques. As Executive Secretary of CONABIO I was also heavily involved in biodiversity policy and diplomacy and I have attended all but one of the Biodiversity Convention (CBD) Conferences of the Parties as well as a large number of its peripheral meetings and other biodiversity-related international meetings and negotiations.

For a list of publications please click here.


Name: Miguel Nakamura

Current Position/Affiliation:
Researcher, and Chair
Department of Probability and Statistics
Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas
Guanajuato, Mexico
www.cimat.mx

Contact Information: nakamura@cimat.mx

CIMAT
Apartado Postal 402
Guanajuato, Gto. 36000
Mexico
(52)(473)732-7155

Research Interests/Profile: My training is in matematical statistics (Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1989). Topics in the realm of statistical inference are transformations, environmental statistics, and applications of empirical generating functions. But more recently, I have addressed a few problems in biology/ecology that involve statistical modeling and inference, namely in species accumulation curves and the prediction of species distributions.

Relevant Publications:

  • Pearson, R.G., Raxworthy, C.J., Nakamura, M., and Peterson, A.T. (2006) "Predicting Species' Distributions From Small Numbers Of Occurrence Records: A Test Case Using Cryptic Geckos In Madagascar", Journal of Biogeography, to appear.
  • Argaez, J., Christen, J.A., Nakamura, M., and Soberón, J. (2005) "Prediction of Potential Areas of Species Distributions based on presence-only data", Journal of Environmental and Ecological Statistics, vol. 12, 27-44.
  • Christen, J.A. and Nakamura, M. (2003) "Sequential Stopping Rules for Species Accumulation", Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics, vol. 8, no. 2, 184-195.
  • Christen, J. A. and Nakamura, M. (2000) "On the Analysis of Accumulation Curves", Biometrics, vol. 56, no. 3, 748-754.
  • Nakamura, M. and Peraza, F. (1998) "Species Accumulation for Beta Distributed Recording Probabilities", Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics, vol. 3, no. 1, 17-36

Name: Enrique Martínez Meyer

Contact Information: emm@ibiologia.unam.mx

Appointments

  • May 2002 - Full-time Associate Researcher. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Education

  • PhD
    1997-2002. University of Kansas, Department of Geography.
    Advisor: Dr. Kevin P. Price.
    Co-advisor: Dr. A. Townsend Peterson.
    Dissertation title: "Evolutionary Patterns of Ecological Niches of Species". (Honors)
  • Masters
    1994-97. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Biology.
    Advisor: Dr. Víctor Sánchez-Cordero Dávila
    Thesis title: "Ecología del Ocelote (Leopardus pardalis) en la Región de Chamela, Jalisco, México".
  • Bachelors 1988-91. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Biology. Thesis: "Hábitos de Alimentación del Lince (Lynx rufus) en la Sierra del Ajusco, México" (Honors). Thesis Advisor: M.Sc. Marcelo Aranda Sánchez.
  • Other Courses
    • 2000. Organization for Tropical Studies. OTS 00-3: "Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach".
      Coordinator: Dr. Deedra McClearn. June 14 - August 6. Costa Rica.
    • 1996. Instituto de Biología, U.N.A.M. y RARE Center for Tropical Conservation. "CAMRIS GIS Workshop".
      Coordinator: Dr. George V.N. Powell. 12-16 de febrero, Estación de Biología Chamela, Jalisco, México.
    • 1991. Instituto de Ecología, A.C. "Wildlife Track Identification and Interpretation Training Course".
      Coordinator: M.Sc. Marcelo Aranda. March 11-22, Xalapa y Sierra del Ajusco, Mexico.

Recent Publications

  • Martínez-Meyer, E. & A.T. Peterson. 2006. Conservatism of ecological niche characteristics in North American plant species over the Pleistocene-to-Recent transition. Journal of Biogeography 33: 1779-1789.
  • Pearson, R.G., W. Thuiller, M. Araújo, E. Martínez-Meyer, L. Brotons, C. McClean, L. Miles, P. Segurado, T.P. Dawson & D.C. Lees. 2006. Model-based uncertainty in species range prediction. Journal of Biogeography 33: 1704-1711.
  • Zambrano, L., E. Martínez-Meyer, N. Menezes & A.T. Peterson. 2006. Invasive potential of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in American freshwater systems. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 69: 1903-1910.
  • Peterson, A.T., V. Sánchez-Cordero, E. Martínez-Meyer & A. Navarro- Sigüenza. 2006. Tracking population extirpations via melding ecological niche modeling with land-cover information. Ecological Modeling 195: 229-236.

For more information view the pdf


Name: Elisa Bonaccorso

Current Position/Affiliation: PhD Candidate/Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas.

Contact Information: 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, Kansas 66045. Phone: (785) 8644065, E-mail: elisab@ku.edu

Research Interests/Profile: My interests center on questions of comparative biogeography, molecular systematics, ecological niche modeling, and conservation of Neotropical fauna. My dissertation research is on the phylogenetic relationships of toucanets (genus Aulacorhynchus ) and jays (genus Cyanolyca ). Other current projects include biological inventories and collecting fieldwork in Ecuador and Venezuela, a molecular phylogeny of the New World jay genus Cyanocorax, and using ecological niche modeling to assess distributional changes of Amazon and Andean species during the last 100k years.

Relevant Publications:

  • Bonaccorso, E. and A. T. Peterson. In press. A multilocus phylogeny of New Wold genera. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
  • Hinojosa-Díaz, I. A., E. Bonaccorso, and M. S. Engel. In press. Potential distribution of Zorotypus hubbardi (Zoraptera: Zorotypidae) in North America, as predicted by ecological niche modeling. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington.
  • Bonaccorso, E., I. Koch, and A. T. Peterson. 2006. Pleistocene fragmentation of Amazonian species’ ranges. Diversity and Distributions 8:157–154
  • Bonaccorso, E. 2004. Avifauna of a high Andean forest: Bosque Protector Cashca Totoras, Bolívar Province, Ecuador. Ornitología Neotropical 15: 483–492.
  • Freile, J.F., M. Moreano, E. Bonaccorso, T. Santander y J. Chávez. 2004. Notas sobre la historia natural, distribución y conservación de algunas especies de aves amenazadas del suroccidente de Ecuador. Cotinga 21:18–24.
  • Bonaccorso, E., M. Lentino, and G.R. Barreto. 2004. Populations of the Venezuelan Wood-Quail. In: J. C. Eitniear, J. T. Baccus, S. L. Dingle, and J. P. Carroll. Conservation of Quail in the Neotropics. Center for the Studies of Tropical Birds. San Antonio, USA.
  • Bonaccorso E., J.M. Guayasamin, D. Méndez, and R. Spear. 2003. Chytridiomycosis as a possible cause of population declines in Atelopus cruciger (Anura: Bufonidae) Herpetological Review 34: 331–334.
  • Bonaccorso, E., and G.R. Barreto. 2002. Micro-habitat use by foraging Venezuelan Wood-Quail. Journal of Field Ornithology, 73:318–322.

For more information follow the URL:http://nhm.ku.edu/birds/students.html


Name: Richard Pearson

Current Position/Affiliation: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, American Museum of Natural History

Contact Information: Center for biodiversity and conservation, AMNH.

Research Interests/Profile: Richard Pearson is a postdoctoral research fellow at the American Museum of Natural History where he is associated with both the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation and the Department of Herpetology. Richard's research falls principally within the fields of biogeography and spatial ecology, with a key focus being the development and application of species' distribution (ecological niche) modeling approaches. Richard completed his PhD at the University of Oxford, UK, in 2004. His doctoral thesis focused on the use of ecological modeling approaches to study the potential impacts of climate change and habitat fragmentation on the distribution of species. Richard continues to study the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, and is also applying niche-based modeling approaches to help identify unknown areas of endemism in Madagascar and to further our understanding of the evolutionary history of the island's biodiversity.

Relevant Publications: see my webpage:
http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/center/staff/stffpearson.html


Name: Yoshinori Nakazawa

Current Position/Affiliation: PhD student, Geography Department, University of Kansas

Contact Information: The University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, 1345 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045-7163 U.S.A., yosh@ku.edu

Research Interests/Profile: Ecological Niche Modeling, species distributions, GIS, Remote Sensing.

Relevant Publications:

Nakazawa, Y.; A. T. Peterson; E. Martínez-Meyer & A. G. Navarro-Sigüenza. 2004. Seasonal niches of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory birds: Implications for the evolution of migration. Auk 121(2):610-618.


Name: Monica Papes, Ph.D. candidate, pmonica@ku.edu

Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson

Research Interests: My interests generally revolve around the geography, ecology, and conservation of birds. My dissertation research is a remote-sensing approach to the study of seasonal movements of tropical frugivorous birds, based on fine-resolution, multi- or hyper-spectral imagery. More broadly, my research interests include conservation biology, ecological niche modeling, and GIS.

Publications:

  • Gaubert, P., M. Papes, A.T. Peterson. The contribution of natural history collections to the conservation of poorly known taxa: combining ecological niche modeling and taxonomy in Central African rainforest genets ( Genetta spp.). Biological Conservation in press.
  • Peterson, A.T., M. Papes, M.G. Reynolds, N.D. Perry, B. Hanson, R.L. Regnery, C.L. Hutson, I.K. Damon, and D.S. Carroll. Invasive potential of Cricetomys rats in North America . Journal of Mammalogy in press.
  • Papes, M., and A.T. Peterson. 2003. Predicting the potential invasive distribution for Eupatorium adenophorum Spreng. in China . Journal of Wuhan Botanical Research 21: 137-142.
  • Peterson, A.T., M. Papes, and D. Kluza. 2003. Predicting the potential invasive distributions of four alien plant species in North America . Weed Science 51: 863-868.
  • Kamal, I.M., M. Papes, R. Williams, B.W. Benz, and A.T. Peterson. 2005. Global invasive potential of ten parasitic witchweeds and related Orobanchaceae. AMBIO accepted.


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