Bi-Monthly News from NIMBioS July-August 2018

NIMBioS by the Numbers: Tenth Annual Report

Since 2008 when NIMBioS was established, more than 7,000 researchers have engaged in NIMBioS events, which has resulted in more than 900 publications across a variety of disciplines. NIMBioS continues to make an impact with these publications—the citation rate is greater than the rates in both mathematics and biology. Read more highlights from our 10th annual report.

Plant-Soil Feedback and the Social Network of Trees

A new study in Nature Ecology & Evolution mathematically describes the social network that creates and maintains forest biodiversity. The paper presents a general equation characterizing the interactions of any tree-microbe network, whether it consists of two or 2,000 species, by a single number. The work was the result of the activities of a NIMBioS Working Group, including two NIMBioS postdoctoral fellows and a sabbatical visitor.

Celebrating a Decade of Undergraduate Research

Registration is underway for NIMBioS' tenth annual Undergraduate Research Conference at the Interface of Biology and Mathematics , to be held October 27-28, 2018 at the University of Tennessee Conference Center in Knoxville, TN. Limited support is available to cover the cost of registration, lodging and travel. The deadline to request support is September 10 . Conference registration deadline is October 5 .

Modeling Deployed to Halt Killer Fungal Pathogen

Former NIMBioS postdoc Angie Peace was recently awarded a part of a large $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to fund research into Basl , the flesh-eating pathogen ravaging European salamander populations. Researchers on the project hope to head off an outbreak in North America, which holds the world’s greatest diversity of salamanders. Read more.

Adapting to Climate Change? Look to 'g2p2pop'

A new project that grew out of activities of a NIMBioS Working Group aims to explore how species will adapt to climate change. The 'g2p2pop' Research Coordination Network received funding from the National Science Foundation to support interdisciplinary activities that explore modeling genomes to phenomes to populations in a changing climate. Five workshops and up to 10 laboratory exchanges are planned. Read more.

Three New DySoC/NIMBioS Investigative Workshops

Extending the Theory of Sustainability The Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity (DySoC) is now accepting applications for its Investigative Workshop, "Extending the Theory of Sustainability," to be held December 5-7, 2018, at NIMBioS. The workshop convenes scholars in the fields of economics, socio-political evolution, the natural sciences and mathematics to present the latest developments.  Application deadline: September 5.

Social Norms: Emergence, Persistence and Effects DySoC is also accepting applications for its Investigative Workshop, "Social Norms: Emergence, Persistence, and Effects," to be held April 23-25, 2019, at NIMBioS. The workshop aims to stimulate new synergies, insights and collaborations.  Application deadline: December 1.

Human Origins 2021 The year 2021 will mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's "The Descent of Man" (1871). This DySoC workshop , to be held February 15-16, 2019, aims to develop strategies for preparing the scientific community for the widespread celebration of the achievements of life science in understanding human origins that will accompany this anniversary.   Invited participants only.

Coming Soon! Check back on our website for updates.

NIMBioS Tutorial: Applications of Spatial Data: Ecological Niche Modeling II, Dec 3-5, 2018 NIMBioS Tutorial: Network Analysis, Feb. 4-6, 2019 Scientific Collaboration Enabled by High Performance Computing Workshop, May 13-15, 2019 NIMBioS Investigative Workshop: Transients in Biological Systems, Dates TBA

Selected Recent NIMBioS Publications

Bieri JA et al. 2018. A guide to calculating habitat‐quality metrics to inform conservation of highly mobile species. Natural Resource Modeling 31(1): e12156. [from NIMBioS Working Group on Habitat for Migratory Species ] Eppinga MB et al. 2018. Frequency-dependent feedback and plant community coexistence. Nature Ecology and Evolution. [from NIMBioS Working Group on Plant-Soil Feedback Theory ] Flanagan SP, Forester BR, Latch EK, Aitken SN, Hoban S. 2018. Guidelines for using genomic assessment and monitoring of locally adaptive variation to inform species conservation. Evolutionary Applications 11(7): 1035-52. [from NIMBioS Investigative Workshop on Next Generation Genetic Monitoring ] Hunter ME, Hoban SM, Bruford MW, Segelbacher G, Bernatchez L. 2018. Next‐generation conservation genetics and biodiversity monitoring. Evolutionary Applications 11(7): 1029-34. [from NIMBioS Investigative Workshop on Next Generation Genetic Monitoring ] Murphy et al. 2018. Incorporating sub-organismal processes into dynamic energy budget models for ecological risk assessment. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. [from NIMBioS Working Group on Modeling Molecules-to-Organisms ] Results produced from NIMBioS research activities are important in measuring our success. Please report your publications and other products resulting from NIMBioS activities. Learn how to acknowledge NIMBioS. For the complete list of NIMBioS products, click here .

NIMBioS is supported by the National Science Foundation through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

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