NSERC grants at Laurentian University Subventions du CRSNG `a l ...

25Madhur AnandDisturbance dynamics and ecological complexity: empirical,theoretical and modeling approachesA grant of $15,000 per year.Une subvention de 15 000 $ par année.Discovery Grant – Subvention à la découverteThe current pace of global change and the reductionin biodiversity demand conceptual and methodologicaltools to measure the effects of disturbanceon ecological complexity and integrity.My research program integrates complex systemsmodeling with statistical ecology, restoration andconservation ecology, and global change researchwith a long-term goal of formulating a general theory of disturbance andits role in the dynamics of ecological complexity. Contrary to popular belief,complex ecological systems do not always behave unpredictably. Theyare actually integrated structures displaying robust patterns suggestive ofuniversal principles of organization. My research aims to find these universalprinciples, but unlike previous studies, mine will examine the effect ofdisturbances on these structures, because I believe that ecological responseto disturbance is not continuous, but can undergo abrupt regime change.I will study natural (e.g., gap formation, fire) and man-made disturbances(pollution, logging) both in the field in Canada, the United States, Finlandand Brazil, and through theoretical and modeling approaches. In doing so, Iwill produce better conceptual and predictive models of complex forest dynamics.This will lead to a better understanding of natural and man-madeecosystems and our ability to prevent and/or mitigate ecological disasters.