NSF Award 1548194 Annual Project Report

Project Title: Seed Dispersal Workshop Proposal; Annapolis, MD - Spring, 2016

PD/PI Name: Noelle G Beckman, Principal Investigator
Recipient Organization: University of Maryland College Park
Project/Grant Period: 09/01/2015 - 08/31/2017
Reporting Period: 09/01/2015 - 08/31/2016

Accomplishments

* What are the major goals of the project?

The goal is to advance our predictive understanding of the role of seed dispersal in
population dynamics, enhancing our ability to conserve plant populations under global
change.

During the workshop, we addressed the following three research questions focused
on the role of dispersal in plant populations:

1) What is the relative role of different dispersal vectors (e.g., animal, wind, water, etc.) in the
overall pattern of seed dispersal and recruitment?

2) To what extent does dispersal (and different dispersal vectors) affect plant population growth
rate and population spread?

3) What plant and dispersal vector traits can be used to predict plant population responses to
global change?

What was accomplished under these goals?

Major Activities: We brought together a diverse group of ecologists and mathematical

biologists who study dispersal across scales, methodologies, and systems and who bring
knowledge of existing empirical information, theoretical concepts, and mathematical
approaches for a systematic examination of how dispersal influences plant populations. This
collaboration is necessary for moving towards the predictive understanding needed to inform
conservation strategies.

The first half-day of the workshop was focused on networking and developing a
common language among participants from different disciplinary backgrounds.
Following this, one full day was devoted to one of the three research questions.
Panel discussions and working groups were used to distill major interdisciplinary
knowledge gaps for working groups and inclusion in a synthesis papers. For each
question, we had the following activities:

• Presentations gave an introduction to the empirical, theoretical, and

mathematical backgrounds of each research question and was given by one of
the workshop organizers and two other participants (representing theory, applied
math, and empirical ecology).
• Following the presentation, we organized three panel discussions - one for each
 question. Every participant (except for presenters) were assigned to a panel to
expand on knowledge gaps and potential approaches for addressing the
research question of the day.
• Following the panel discussion, there was a facilitated group discussion among
participants inspired by the presentations and panel. As ideas developed, they
were recorded by the coordinators and distilled into categories for working
groups.
• Working groups were assembled by organizers based on participant interest
ensuring each working group included representatives from empirical ecology,
theory, and applied math.
• Working groups met for half a day and discussed the specific objectives below.

Throughout the workshop, we facilitated group discussions in which participants

identified and discussed commonalities and differences in jargon, epistemologies,
and approaches among disciplines.

Specific Objectives: The primary goal of the workshop is to evaluate how we can
integrate data with theoretical predictions and novel analytical, computational, and
statistical advances for studying dispersal in terms of the research questions
outlined above. To do this, working groups are developing theory to better
understand populations dynamics and spread and integrating data with models to
conduct computer experiments to gain a mechanistic understanding of the role of
dispersal in plant population dynamics and to project over a much larger spatial
and temporal extent than is possible with empirical studies. Some working gorups
are testing theoretical predictions using avilable empirical data or developing new
empirical studies as part of dissertation or postdoctoral studies.

Working groups are:

1) evaluating how existing empirical information, theoretical predictions, and

recent analytical, computational, and statistical advances can be integrated;

2) identifying remaining gaps in data, theory, or quantitative approaches; and

3) determining how such gaps can be best addressed and by whom.

Significant Results: The diverse perspectives of these participants facilitated transformative

discussions on our ability to generalize and predict population persistence and spread in
changing landscapes. They identified the following critical Knowledge Gaps: (1) lack of a
mechanistic understanding of the ecology of movement influencing dispersal of seeds; (2)
inability to quantify the fitness influence of seed dispersal relative to processes at other life history
stages, by integrating across life history stages from pollination through reproductive adult; (3)
a need to scale from individuals to ecosystems to quantify the influence of dispersal on
ecosystem function; and (4) lack of integration of research on seed dispersal ecology into
conservation and management strategies.

Key outcomes or Other achievements: The Workshop resulted in fifteen interdisciplinary

working groups that are working this year to address critical questions identified via the
Workshop’s formal brainstorming process. As an example, one working group comprising
empiricists, mathematicians, and theoretical ecologists is using existing datasets and models to
address the effect of climate-driven phenology shifts on seed dispersal effectiveness and plant
fitness.

* What opportunities for training and professional development has the project
provided?
• The workshop brought together 30 researchers who work across biomes worldwide and
represent various subdisciplines, including mathematical biology, physics, theoretical
ecology, genetics, statistical ecology, and empirical ecology. Workshop participants
came from 6 countries and conducted research in North and South America, Europe,
Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
• The Workshop resulted in many new collaborations (Fig. 1).
• We recruited participants to promote ethnic (13% under-represented minorities among
domestic participants), gender (53% female), and career-stage diversity (50% early
career). Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers used this opportunity to inform
their future doctoral and postdoctoral studies.
* What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
• The PIs are synthesizing the outcomes of! the Workshop in a manuscript examining
interdisciplinary knowledge gaps and future directions for seed dispersal ecology.
!
• We will continue to coordinate and a.! b.!
communicate with working group Jeremy.Johnson
Mike.Neubert
Jim.Powell
Sebastian.Schreiber Evan.Fricke

Bette.Loiselle
Janneke.HilleRisLambers
Onja.Razafindratsima
Haldre.Rogers
Manette.Sandor Sebastian.Schreiber
Geno.Schupp
Katriona.Shea

leaders to promote progress of

Florian.Hartig Rebecca.Snell
Edu.Effiom Gesine.Pufal

Katie.Gurski Christopher.Strickland
Christopher.Strickland Jim.Powell

working groups. All (27) of the

Jenny.Zambrano
Clare.Aslan Jedediah.Brodie Geno.Schupp
Liba.Pejchar

Joy.Zhou

respondents to an anonymous
Damaris.Zurell Mike.Neubert
Gesine.Pufal
Damaris.Zurell

Alan.Hastings a.Miriti
Liba.Pejchar Maria.Miriti

post-workshop evaluation survey

Clare.Aslan

Loiselle

Onja.Razafindratsima
Noelle.Beckman

agreed that we should apply for a

Rebecca.Snell Oleg.Kogan

Jedediah.Brodie

Katriona.Shea Jeremy.Johnson

NSF Research Coordination

Judie.Bronstein

Haldre.Rogers Janneke.HilleRisLambers

Judie.Bronstein Emilio.Bruna
Alan.Hastings
Manette.Sandor

Network on seed dispersal, and

Robin.Decker James.Bullock
Joy.Zhou Florian.Hartig
Stephen.Cantrell
James.Bullock Katie.Gurski
Robin.Decker
Evan.Fricke Edu.Effiom

!
Noelle.Beckman
Stephen.Cantrell

26/27 said they would attend

Emilio.Bruna Oleg.Kogan Jenny.Zambrano

another workshop using a similar
format as the SDW. We have
incorporated ideas and feedback
from the Workshop and submitted
a RCN proposal.
Impacts
Figure!3:!Social!network!illustrating!collaborations!between!attendees!at!the!recent!Seed!
Dispersal!Workshop.!Panel!a:!Existing!collaborations!are!denoted!with!thick!black!lines,!and!
existing!acquaintanceships!are!denoted!with!thin!black!lines.!Panel!b:!The!development!of!
working!groups!during!the!Seed!Dispersal!Workshop!created!acquaintanceships!between!all!
attendees!and!active!collaborations!between!most!attendee!pairs.!

What is the impact on the development of the principal discipline(s) of the project?
Dispersal is a key process in the spread of populations, biodiversity patterns from local to global
scales, gene flow and potential adaptation in novel environments, and species responses to
global change. Global change processes, such as climate change and fragmentation, alter local
habitat conditions of species, and also the ecology and evolution of dispersal, affecting the ability
of species to move or adapt in response to global change events. For plants, which are largely
stationary, dispersal of seeds is critical. Our ability to predict population responses to global
change to inform conservation strategies is hampered by our incomplete understanding of the
role of seed dispersal in the long-term and inherently spatial dynamics of plant populations across
ecosystems. Building predictive models remains a major challenge. It requires a systematic
examination of dispersal mechanisms and high-resolution data across scales to reduce
uncertainty, as well as efficient computational methods and novel analytical approaches to
translate between scales in process-based models. An international collaboration among
empiricists, theoreticians, and mathematicians will allow seed dispersal ecology to advance
beyond case studies and overcome obstacles in theory and mathematics.
What is the impact on other disciplines?
• Participants represented the subdisciplines of ecology, math, theory, genetics, and
statistics and provided facilitated much-needed integration across disciplines to
enhance our ability to conserve plant populations under global change. Through
this Workshop, we developed a common language for collaboration across
disciplines. The organizers are preparing a manuscript that highlights approaches,
benefits, and barriers to working across disciplines.
• This Workshop inspired the development of mathematical models to include
realistic assumptions of dispersal processes occuring at multiple scales and in
heterogeneous environments.

What is the impact on the development of human resources?

This workshop facilitated international collaborations and promoted the training of

junior scientists and involvement of underrepresented groups.
• We recruited participants to promote ethnic (13% under-represented minorities
among domestic participants), gender (53% female), and career-stage diversity
(50% early career). Workshop participants came from 6 countries.
• 3 graduate students and 8 postdoctoral researchers participated in this workshop. At
least two of these individuals are incorporating ideas learned and developed during
this workshop into their dissertation and postdoctoral research. All of these early
career researchers formed new collaborations and are participating or leading working
groups. This opportunity enhanced their knowledge of and interest in empirical
ecology, theory, and applied math. The networking that arose from this workshop will
aid future career development.
• PI Beckman is developing educational materials for the undergraduate-level as part of
the 2016 SESYNC course “Teaching Socio-Environmental Synthesis with Case
Studies.”

What is the impact on information resources that form infrastructure?

• Participants of the workshop agreed there are lots of existing data in the literature. The
organizers have applied for funding to collate this information and develop a data
repository for dispersal in collaboration with CyVerse.
• Details of models developed through working groups will be provided in
publications. Source code created through the workshop will be assigned a DOI
and made freely and publicly available using GitHub once results are published.
• All other products will be archived at USU’s official institutional repository
(DigitalCommons@USU).

What is the impact on society beyond science and

technology?

Conservation and management efforts rarely focus on dispersal services, even though
dispersal processes of many plants are changing, or are predicted to change in the near
future as a result of human impacts. We believe this lack of recognition is due to the difficulty
of linking a process that happens early in the life history of a plant to benefits that accrue
across multiple spatial, temporal, and organizational scales, as well as little public education
about dispersal. To increase public awareness of the importance of seed dispersal, we are
working with public relations specialists at our respective institutions (Mary-Ann Muffoletto,
College of Science/ Quinney College of Natural Resources at USU; Janea Laudick, Office of
Public Affairs at NAU; Fred Love at ISU) to contribute to a multimedia (e.g. print, video, social
media) campaign focused around attracting media attention for the publications emerging
from the workshop. To make summaries available in Spanish, we are disseminating through
Verde Elemental, a digital publication dedicated to promoting and disseminating knowledge in
ecology and conservation in Latin America, of which Beckman is an editor. Teaching
resources are being developed, and Verde Elemental will translate and disseminate in
Spanish.