EECB Evoluncheon Series


Fridays 11:30 to 12:30

Gilmore 306

(in person unless otherwise notified)

17

EECB Start of Semester Mixer

Spring semester 2025

January
24

Dr. Lisa Munger

UHM School of Life Sciences

Coral reef soundscape ecology: what we can learn by listening

31

Dr. Jeff Foster

Northern Arizona University

A lethal bat fungus comes home to roost: white-nose syndrome across North America

February
7

Valerie Stein Foster

US Fish & Wildlife Service
Working for the U.S. Forest Service: career pathways demystified

14 Dr. Ron Wasserstein
American Statistical Association
Moving to a world beyond p<0.05
21 Julia Douglas
UHM Botany
Experimental translocation of yeʻ nagatx (Prosthechea karwinskii), a culturally important epiphytic orchid in Oaxaca, Mexico
28 Discussion panel: preparing for your comprehensive exam

March
7 Stefan Cranston
UHM Zoology
Nutritional Endosymbiosis in Hawaiian Endemic Iolania

Amir Van Gieson
UHM Zoology
Nutrient flow between forests and lava tube cave ecosystems in Hawai‘i
14

Patrick Nichols

UHM Zoology

Title forthcoming

21 No Evoluncheon - Spring Break
28

Natalie Blum

UHM Botany

Flower biology of Hibiscus clayi: determining the effects of inbreeding on seed set, germination, and growth on ex-situ plants

4

Amanda Jennings

UHM Botany

Monitoring outplant performance to inform coastal dune restoration

11

No Evoluncheon - Tester Symposiuim

18 No Evoluncheon - Good Friday
25 Discussion panel: topic forthcoming
April

May
2

Dr. Gabriela Garcia

Northeastern University

Title forthcoming

  9 Open

 


eecb tee shirts for sale

 

EECB Tee Shirts Available

 

Contact Bob Thomson (thomsonr@hawaii.edu)

 

Welcome to EECB

The EECB graduate specialization at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is an interdisciplinary program promoting integration among the traditionally separate disciplines that come together synergistically under the umbrella of Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology. Participation in the program is available to students enrolled in the affiliated graduate programs. The program draws on the resources of approximately 50 faculty with research skills in many specialized areas, from various programs in the College of Natural Sciences, the College of Social Sciences, the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, the School of Medicine, and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, as well as from the University of Hawaii at Hilo and affiliate faculty from other agencies.

hibiscus kam butterfly tree snail humu fish turtle nene bird
Orville Baldos EECB logo creator EECB Logo, the story...

Please send news items to Robert Cowie (cowie@hawaii.edu), especially new publications for the list below)

 


Please welcome new EECB students joining the program in spring 2025:

Botany—Gabe El Hajji, Emmett Kearns, Anna Szalay, Alison Westberry; Marine Biology—Annie Deck, Kacie Kajihara; Zoology—Diana Gao, Mei Iwamoto, Emily Parent, Trevor Proctor, Rin Wallace


Dr. Mark Burgman and Dr. Amy Moran (both School of Life Sciences) have been elected to the EECB faculty.


EECB Fellowships 2024

The following graduate students were awarded EECB fellowships:

Maybelle Roth Fellowship - Mason Russo

Watson T. Yoshimoto Fellowship - Jordan Gossett

Hampton & Meredith Carson Fellowship - Natalie Blum, Stefan Cranston, Spencer Pote

Melanie F. G. Brose Fellowship - Patrick Nichols, Amir Van Gieson

Congratulations!!

The 2025/2026 graduate student representatives are: Mackenzie Jahnke (Zoology) and Amir Van Gieson (Zoology).

Latest News from EECB

EECB Book Clubs

 

If you are interested in organizing an EECB book club please contact the EECB Chair, Dr. Bob Thomson and/or the EECB grad reps. All, including faculty and staff, are very welcome to participate.

 

Scientific writing, publishing and reviewing—a guide for students

 

As a follow-up to the 30 October 2015 Evoluncheon (Drs. Mark Hixon and Rob Toonen), a link is provided here to Mark's extremely useful 2004 co-authored paper "Scientific writing, publishing and reviewing—a guide for students" published in the Ecological Society of America Bulletin. And here is a link to former EECB faculty member Dr. Chris Lepczyk's 2011 paper "A beginner's guide to reviewing manuscripts in ecology and conservation" published in Ideas in Ecology and Evolution.

 

A selection of new publications by EECB faculty and students in 2024
(including research undertaken by former students while in EECB)

 

 

Adam, C. de L., Toonen, R.J., Carlon, D.B., Zilberberg, C. & Barbeitos, M.S. 2024. Genetic structuring and species boundaries in the Atlantic stony coral Favia (Scleractinia, Faviidae) Zoologica Scripta 53(3): 376-394.


Ainsworth, A. & Drake, D.R. 2024. Hawaiian treeline ecotones: implications for plant community conservation under climate change. Plants 13: 123.


Barley, A.J., Nieto-Montes de Oca, A., Manríquez-Morán, N.L. & Thomson, R.C. 2024. Understanding species boundaries that arise from complex histories: gene flow across the speciation continuum in the spotted whiptail lizards. Systematic Biology 73: syae040


Bogner, K.K., Haines, W.P., Kim, J., Drake, D.R. & Barton, K.E. 2024. Endemic island plant-herbivore interactions: Kamehameha butterfly (Nymphalidae) and Hawaiian Urticaceae. Biotropica 56: 149-161.


Burton, A.C., Beirne, C., Gaynor, K.M., Sun, C., Granados, A., Allen, M.L., Alston,  J.M., Alvarenga, G.C., .... Price, M.R. et al. 2024. Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape. Nature Ecology & Evolution 8: 924–935.


Caldwell, I.R., Hobbs, J.P.A., Bowen, B.W., Cowman, P.F., Whitney, J.L., Ahti, P.A., Belderok, R., Canfield, S., Coleman, R.R., Iacchei, M., Johnston, E.C., Knapp, I.S.S., Staeudle, T.M. & Laruson, A.J. 2024. Global trends and biases in conservation research. Cell Reports Sustainability 1(5): 100082.


Chang, C-T., Drazen, J.C., Hixon M.A., Nyegaard, M., Phillips, N.D., Chiang, W-C., Ho, Y-H. & Popp, B.N. 2024. Diet breadth and overlap in the Family Molidae. Environmental Biology of Fish. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-024-01582-7.

 

Cowie, R.H. (Editor) 2024. Newsletter of the IUCN/SSC Mollusc Specialist Group. Issue 32, 62 p. https://www.hawaii.edu/cowielab/Tentacle/Tentacle_32.pdf

 

Edwards, P.M., Popp, N.C., Pan, Y., Weilhoefer, C.L., Peterman, A.B., Mork, L.A., Johnson, M., Morgan, C.R., Colley, M., Thorne, C.R. & Popp, B.N. 2024. Reconnecting a stream channel to its floodplain: implications for benthic diatoms and macroinvertebrate trophic structure. Restoration Ecology 32(4): e14123.

 

Ewing, P.M., Kantar, M.B., Killian, E., Neyhart, J.L., Sherman, J.D., Williams, J.L., Lachowiec, J.A. & Eberly, J.O. 2024. Local adaptation and broad performance are synergistic to productivity in modern barley. Crop Science 64(1): 192-199.


Fabreti, L.G., Coghill, L.M., Thomson, R.C., Höhna, S. & Brown, J.M. 2024. The Expected behaviors of posterior predictive tests and their unexpected interpretation. Molecular Biology and Evolution 41(3): msae051.


Faccenda, K. & Strong, M. 2024) Misapplied names in the Hawaiian introduced flora. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 171–177.

Faccenda, K. & Sprague, J. 2024. Twenty additions to the naturalized flora of Lāna‘i.  Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 143-150.

Faccenda, K., Yorkston, M., Ross, M.C. & Morden, C.W. 2024. Spontaneous hybridization among invasive Poaceae in Hawai‘i: Chloris × pseudosagrana nothosp. nov. and Cenchrus × peregrinus nothosp. nov. Phytotaxa 638 (2): 155-164. [link]

Faccenda, K. 2024. Assorted additions to the Hawaiian weed flora. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 123-133.

Faccenda, K. 2024. Report of 24 new naturalized weeds across the islands of Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 71-110.

Faccenda, K., Yorkston, M. & Morden, C.W. 2024. Updates to the Hawaiian grass flora and selected keys to species: Part 3. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 37-53.

Faccenda, K. & Ross, M.C. 2024. New naturalization records for Amaranthus in the Hawaiian Islands. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 23-32.

Faccenda, K. & Daehler, C.C. 2024. New records of weedy, non-grass plants from Moloka‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 33-36.


Gabrielson S.M.E., Mau, R.L., Dittmar, E., Kelley, J.P., Tarwater, C.E., Drake, D.R., Sperry, J.H. & Foster, J.T. 2024. DNA metabarcoding reveals diet composition of invasive rats and mice in Hawaiian forests. Biological Invasions 26: 79-105.

Garcia-Heras, M.-S. & Price, M.R. 2024. First description of a double clutch, and inter-island movements of a Pueo (Hawaiian Short-eared Owl) in Hawai‘i, USA. Raptor Research 58(3): 1-5.

Garcia-Heras, M.-S., Idle, J.L., Wang, O., Harmon, K.C., Wilhite, C.J., Stormcrow,  K., Naguwa, W.H., Davidson, L.N. & Price, M.R. 2024. Predation of the endangered Ae‘o (Hawaiian Stilt) by a native raptor, the Pueo (Hawaiian Short-eared Owl) on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, USA. Ecology & Evolution 14: e10844.

Halpin-McCormick, A., Heyduk, K., Kantar, M.B., Batora, N.L., Masalia, R.R., Law, K.B. & Kuntz, E.J. 2024. Examining population structure across multiple collections of Cannabis. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-024-01928-1.


Halpin-McCormick, A., Lucas, S., Keach, J., Kantar, M.B., Motomura-Wages, S. & Miyasaka, S.C. 2024. Evaluating sweetpotato varieties and accessions in Hawai‘i. HortTechnology 34(4): 448-458.

 

Hoch, H., Porter, M.L., Slay, C.M., Slay, M.E., Steck, M. & Chong, R.A. 2024. From the dark side of Paradise: a new natural replication of cave planthopper evolution from Hawaiian lava tubes (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society zlad198.


Honsberger, D., Honsberger, M., Lorenzo-Elarco, H. & Wright, M.G. 2024. The genus Acerocephala and observations of the life history of Acerocephala hanuuanamu sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Cerocephalidae) and its bark beetle host, Cryphalus brasiliensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 97: 545-589.


Lee, A., Daniels, B.N., Hemstrom, W., López, C., Davidson, J.M., Toonen, R.J., White, C. & Christie, M.R. 2024. Cryptic genetic adaptation despite high gene flow in a range-expanding population. Molecular Ecology online early. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17511.


Lewis, R.W., Bittenbender, H.C., Heisey, S., Nguyen, N.H. 2024. Phyllosphere to ferment: site conditions structures cacao pod and ferment microbiomes in Hawai‘i. PhytoFrontiers 4: 150-158.


Lofgren, L, Nguyen, N.H., Kennedy, P.G., Pérez Pazos, E., Fletcher, J., Liao, H-L., Wang, H., Zhang, K., Ruytinx, J., Smith, A.H., Ke, Y-H., Cotter, H.V.T., Engwall, E., Hameed, K., Vilgalys, R., Branco, S. 2024. Suillus: an emerging model for the study of ectomycorrhizal ecology and evolution. New Phytologist 242: 1448–1475.


Lorence, D.L. & Faccenda,  K. 2024. A synopsis of Spermacoce (Rubiaceae) and related genera naturalized in the Hawaiian Islands, with a key.  Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 179–189.


McClain, C.R., Webb, T.J., Heim, N.A., Knope, M.L., Monarrez, P.M. & Payne, J.L. 2024. Navigating uncertainty in maximum body size of marine metazoans. Ecology and Evolution 14: e11506.


Nalley, E.M., Heenan, A., Toonen, R.J. & Donahue, M.J. 2024. Examining variations in functional homogeneity in herbivorous coral reef fishes in Pacific Islands experiencing a range of human impacts. Ecological Indicators 162: 111622.

Nogales, M., McConkey, K.R., Carlo, T.A., Wotton, D.M., Bellingham, P.J., Traveset, A., González-Castro, A., Heleno, R., Watanabe, K., Ando, H., Rogers, H., Heinen, J.H. & Drake, D.R. 2024. A review of the state of the art in frugivory and seed dispersal on islands and the implications of global change. Botanical Review 90: 160-185.


Parker, J.L., Parsons, B. & Faccenda, K. 2024. New plant records from the Big Island for 2021. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 156: 135-142.


Pejhanmehr, M., Kantar, M.B., Yorkston, M. & Morden, C.W. 2024. Population genetics of Sida fallax Walp.(Malvaceae) in the Hawaiian Islands. Frontiers in Plant Science 15: 1304078.


Richardson, B.M., Cowie, R.H., Wilson, B.E., Hayes, K.A., Byers, J.E., Qiu, J., Rosser, T.G., Mischke, C.C., Burks, R.L., Lucero, J.M. & Roda, A.L. 2024. Problems and future solutions for an emerging pest in United States agriculture/aquaculture. World Aquaculture 55(1): 48-51.


Roeble, L., van Benthem, K.J., Weigelt, P., Kreft, H., Knope, M.L., Mandel, J.R., Vargas, P., Etienne, R.S. & Valente, L. 2024. Island biogeography of the megadiverse plant family Asteraceae. Nature Communications 15: 7276.


Rollins, R.L., Griffin, C.D. & Cowie, R.H. 2024. Snail coprophagy: the encounter filter, food preferences, and rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) prevalence. Parasite 31, 76.


Shizuru, L.E.K., Montgomery, A.D., Wagner, D., Freel, E.W.B. & Toonen, R.J. 2024. The complete mitochondrial genome of a species of Cirrhipathes de Blainville, 1830 from Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi (Hexacorallia: Antipatharia). Mitochondrial DNA Part B: Resources. 9(2): 223-226.


Soper, F.M., Sparks, K.S., Cole, R.J., Giardina, C.P, Litton, C.M. & Sparks, J.P. 2024. Inconsistent recovery of nitrogen cycling after feral ungulate removal across three tropical island ecosystems. Biogeochemistry 167: 651-663.


Ticktin, T., McGuigan A., Alo, F., Balick, M., Boraks, A., Sam, C., Doro, T., Dovo, P., Ibanez, T., Naikitini, A., Ranker, T.A., Tuiwawa, M.V., Wahe, J.-P. & Plunkett, G.M. 2024. High resilience of Pacific island forests to a category- 5 cyclone. Science of the Total Environment 922: 170973.


Timmers, M.A., Viehl, K., Angulo, C., Hoban, M.L., Toonen, R.J., Walsh, C.A.J., Wishingrad, V. & Bowen, B.W. 2024. Proteinase K is not essential for marine eDNA extractions. Environmental DNA 6(2): e523.


Umhau, B.P., Motta L.C., Blum, J.D., Close, H.G, Drazen, J.C., Popp, B.N. & Benitez-Nelson, C.R. 2024. Particulate mercury export in the central Pacific Ocean using 234Th-238U disequilibria. Marine Chemistry 265-266: 104433


Vilcot, M., Faure, N., Andrews, K.R., Bowen, B.W., Leprieur, F. & Manel, S. 2024. Neutral processes and taxonomic scale drive beta species‐genetic diversity correlations in a submesophotic tropical reef fish. Molecular Ecology 33(13): e17423.


Westbrook C.E., Daly J., Bowen B.W. & Hagedorn, M. 2024. Cryopreservation of the collector urchin embryo, Tripneustes gratilla. Cryobiology 115: 104865.


Wilson, S., Thorne, M., Johnson, M., Peck, D. and Wright, M.G. 2024. Prosapia bicincta (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) abundance, host plant associations, and impacts on ground cover in Hawaiʻi island rangelands. Environmental Entomology https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvae062


Wishingrad, V. & Thomson, R.C. 2024. Testing concordance and conflict in spatial replication of landscape genetics inferences. Molecular Ecology 33(20): e17104


Wright, A.N., Barley, A.J., Pauly, G.B., Gray, L.N. & Thomson, R.C. 2024. A historical resurvey of flatland lizards in the Mojave Desert. Journal of Herpetology 58(2): 118811.

IACUC protocols and regulations - Evoluncheon presentation by Melissa Van Kleeck 12 December 2014

This page last modified 11 January 2025 by Robert Cowie

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