Global Change Begets Global Collaboration

Ecologists Kevin McCann, Kayla Hale, Ian Donahue, and Tyler Tunney

Our Structural Early Warning Signals in Aquatic Ecosystems working group recently met to continue investigating how the basic connections between the organization and operation of ecosystems (such as the arrangement of different life stages and the structure of food webs) can be disrupted by global changes. We're using a combination of real-world observations and theoretical analysis to uncover the important connections between the structure and functioning of ecosystems, and how these connections can be changed. Specifically, we're studying how the increased production of food from agriculture and fisheries, in the context of global changes, can affect the way ecosystems are organized and how they operate.

This particular working group is comprised of ecologists from as far away as Dublin, Ireland (Trinity College Dublin) and Colorado (Colorado State University) proving that global change begets global collaboration.