Event
QLS Seminar Series - Tianna Peller
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 12:00to13:00
Looking across ecosystem boundaries to understand biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
Tianna Peller, University of Toronto
Tuesday December 9, 12-1pm
Zoom Link:听
In Person: 550 Sherbrooke, Room 189
Abstract:听Ecosystems commonly interact through the movement of organisms and non-living materials (e.g., organic matter) between them. Iconic examples include salmon migrating between the ocean and rivers to spawn and leaf litter flowing from forests to streams. Yet ecology has traditionally treated different ecosystems separately, overlooking how these cross-ecosystem exchanges shape biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Through a combination of mathematical models and large-scale data analyses, my talk will demonstrate how cross-ecosystem interactions can influence the dynamics, diversity, and functions of ecosystems across scales. I will show how the spatial and temporal properties of cross-ecosystem interactions, as well as the behaviour and traits of the organisms involved, can influence species coexistence, food web structure, and ecosystem stability and production. Ultimately, my talk will show how mathematical modelling can reveal mechanisms by which cross-ecosystem exchanges propagate through ecological networks.
