Abstract

Earlier phenology – the timing of biological events – is a hallmark of anthropogenic climate change in temperate regions across the globe. Organisms are experiencing new environments as they adjust their timing to a changing climate. These new environments can include harsh abiotic conditions, such as frost damage to developing flower buds, and shifted species interactions, such as those between plants and pollinators. I use long-term ecological data sets from the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA, and demographic modeling to examine the consequences of altered biological timing under climate change. This approach sheds light on mechanisms by which climate-induced shifts in phenology can affect population dynamics and reshape species interactions.

Short CV

Amy Iler earned her Ph.D. in evolution, ecology, and organismal biology from The Ohio State University, USA, in 2010. Following this, she accepted a postdoctoral research position at the University of Maryland and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, where she worked until starting her AIAS Fellowship in 2014. Amy’s research combines long-term data sets, field experiments, and demographic modeling to examine how global environmental change affects plant populations and plant-pollinator interactions.

Amy Iler's project at AIAS.

What is a Fellows' Seminar?

The AIAS Fellows' Seminar is a session of seminars held by the AIAS fellows or by other speakers proposed by the fellows. In each seminar, one fellow will present and discuss his/her current research and research project, closing off with a question and discussion session.

All seminars are held in English and open to the public. Registration to the seminar is not necessary. Read more about the AIAS Fellows' Seminar here.