What Does Kate Forbes Do?

I make amusingly poor jpeg images... I'm also a Ph.D. student in the Zoology department at UW-Madison (under the supervision of Dr. Tony Ives).

Contact Information:
Department of Zoology
University of Wisconsin - Madison
456 Birge Hall
262-9226
aeforbes@wisc.edu
 

Ongoing Projects:

How does variability and spatial pattern in host density affect the spread of wildlife diseases?
 

By constructing a computer simulation, I have begun to investigate said questions.

Planned Projects:

How does dispersal distance influence the coexistence of similar species?

Through experimental studies in Wisconsin grasslands, I hope to examine this issue.  By altering patterns of soil fertilization, myself and others will be able to indirectly alter dispersal distances of plant species (through altering patterns of suitable habitats). This project is still in the planning stage.

How do ladybird beetles respond to variability and heterogeneity in agricultural environments?

Ladybird beetles utilize a variety of food sources throughout the year.  In agricultural landscapes, the availability of these foods varies with space and time.  Provided that larval feeding on different food sources leads to different survival rates, ladybird species should lay their eggs accordingly.  I hope to determine whether several species of Wisconsin ladybirds maximize their offspring's survival rates by focusing egg-laying in locations with the best larval food sources, and what the population and landscape level consequences of this behavior are.
 

Past Projects and Publications:
 

Why do Cenchrus sandburs have spines?

Submitted for review

Existing theory primarily explains spines on seeds as an adaptation to animal-vectored dispersal.  Findings from work on Sapelo I., GA, shows the potential for several additional explanations, depending on species and habitat.  Some coastal species may disperse more readily by water or wind than by animal.  For these, predator avoidance, increased movement with the wind, and selective establishment in stable dune areas may be equally suitable explanations for the presence of spines.

How does habitat connectivity in variable environments affect local and regional diversity?
   

By manipulating connectivity rates and patterns in experimental zooplankton communities, myself and Jon Chase were able to show that increasing connectivity between communities with different initial species compositions can lead to lower regional diversity.  In our experiment, this resulted from the homogenization of previously unique zooplankton communities.  This research highlights the important role of initial conditions in determining the outcomes of alterations in habitat connectivity.
 

See: A. E. Forbes and J. M. Chase.2002.The role of habitat connectivity and landscape geometry in experimental zooplankton metacommunites. Oikos 96: 433-440.   

Madison Ecology Group

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Updated 5 February 2003
 

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