I worked on similar, forest invertebrate, dispersal issues examing the
distribution of carabid beetles across 60 San Juan (neWA) and Gulf Islands
(seBC) along the Northwest Coast of north America. These are nearshore
islands with no endemics in a caraib fauna of about 125 species. Many of
these are flightless, forest habitat specialists, and are common in downed
CWD. To fully understand island "faunal dynamics" I had to sample the
adjactent mainland, which provided some novel insights into species'
"power-of-dispersal & colonization".

This landscape represents a unigue geographic system that provides unique
opportunities to approach certain questions. The space and time scale may be
very different from the system/questions you are investigating.

Cheers,

James Bergdahl
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY CENTER
PO Box 8317
Spokane, WA 99203
Email: bergdahl@...
Ph: 509 835 5233

-----Original Message-----
From: Simon Grove <simon.grove@...>
To: dead_wood@yahoogroups.com <dead_wood@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Sunday, February 17, 2002 2:36 PM
Subject: [dead_wood] Measuring dispersal ability of cryptic dead wood
dependentorganisms: is gene flow the way to go?


>Dear Deadwooders
>
>I recently sent this query to three email discussion lists (Bryonet, the
Ecological Society of Australia and Oz-Entomology) and had some helpful
responses, but wondered if any members of this list would also be able to
help:
>
>
>We're considering putting together a research proposal to investigate the
dispersal ability of a selection of organisms (e.g. invertebrates, bryophyte
[spores], fungi [spores]) inhabiting coarse woody debris (CWD) in Tasmanian
wet forests. As you will be well aware, CWD is a key resource for
biodiversity, and one whose responses to different forms of forest
management we are currently trying to model. As far as I am aware, the most
successful direct studies of dispersal have been in highly simplified
landscapes with discrete habitat patches, where it is (relatively)
straightforward to track individuals (or their propagules) or to infer where
they have come from. Trying to get a handle on dispersal ability in a
complex densely forested landscape might not be feasible by this approach.
>
>We're looking for ideas as to how best to tackle this issue. Would anyone
care to comment on whether looking at gene flow would be the right way to go
(genetics not being my area) or whether a more traditional ecological
approach could still deliver?
>Is anyone aware of anyone doing any similar research, in Australia or
elsewhere?
>Would anyone be interested in collaboration if we get this thing up and
running?
>Can anyone point to key published sources of information to get me started
on a literature review, if indeed one is warranted?
>
>Basically, any advice will be greatly appreciated - please send directly to
me (simon.grove@...) unless you feel there's likely to be
more general interest in this subject amongst list members.
>
>Many thanks in advance
>
>Simon Grove
>
>
>Dr Simon J Grove, Biology and Conservation Branch,
>Division of Forest Research and Development
>Forestry Tasmania, GPO Box 207, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
>Tel. 61 3 6233 8141. Fax 61 3 6233 8292.
>Email: simon.grove@....
>Web address: http://forestrytas.com.au/
>
>
>
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