<commit_before>---
layout: page
title: 
tags: [about, Jekyll, theme, responsive]
modified: 2014-08-08T20:53:07.573882-04:00
comments: true
image:
  feature: tracks-leadville.jpg
  credit: jdyeakel
---
## What we do

Our group is generally interested in the physical and biological constraints that shape trophic interactions, and how changes in these interactions impact community dynamics over both ecological and evolutionary time. 
We employ both theoretical as well as empirical approaches to address many different aspects of problems that fall within this central focus, including but not limited to:   

* Nonlinear dynamics   
* Stochastic processes   
* Dynamic programming   
* Stable isotopes   
* Historical records
* Paleontological data   


<!---
I generally use network-theoretic approaches – combined with empirical measures of interactions e.g. stable isotopic data – to try to understand how species interactions trickle up to impact the structure and functioning of ecological communities. My long-term interests fall into 3 core themes:

* the proximate drivers and ultimate effects of species interactions
* the effects of large-scale (spatial and temporal) factors on community assembly and dis-assembly
* the interplay between landscape structure and population/community dynamics
-->


## Who we are

<span style="text-align=left;font-size:1.5em;color:#377EB8;">Principle Investigator</span>   
<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/justin-web.jpg" width="100"></p>    
<b><NAME>:</b> "In a nutshell, I am fascinated by the ecological and physiological constraints that drive trophic interactions between species, and how such interactions trickle up to impact populations and communities over large spatial and temporal scales." <BR> <BR>
</div>       

<BR CLEAR="...">   

--- 

<span style="text-align=left;font-size:1.5em;color:#377EB8;">Postdoctoral Researchers</span>   
<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/JP-web.jpg" width="100"></p> <b><a href="http://jeanpgibert.weebly.com"><NAME></a></b> "I study how phenotypic variation affects the structure and dynamics of complex food webs and how this effect is mediated by environmental factors such as temperature. To do so, I integrate information across systems and taxa and often combine mathematical, computational and empirical tools." <BR> <BR> <BR>
</div>      

<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/Jack-web.jpg" width="100"></p> <b><a href="http://jackhopkinswildlife.com">John (<NAME></a></b> "I primarily conduct empirical field-based research that uses a variety of sampling methods and quantitative approaches to investigate the effects of environmental change on species interactions, wildlife-habitat relationships, and the foraging behavior and nutrition of free-ranging mammals." <BR> <BR>
</div>      

<BR CLEAR="...">

---

<span style="text-align=left;font-size:1.5em;color:#377EB8;">Graduate Researchers</span> 
<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/person.jpg" width="100"></p>
<b>Ritwika VPS</b> "I joined UC Merced as a physics grad student in Fall 2015. I have long been interested in the scope of using physics to solve problems in ecology and evolutionary biology, hence my interest in the Yeakel lab. Currently, I work on an eclectic collection of problems which includes looking at vocalisation in human infants as an acoustic foraging process, studying the dynamics of a population of foragers given a choice of strategies, and looking at the collective motion of phototactic bacteria."  <BR> <BR>     
</div>     

<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/Taran-web.jpg" width="100"></p>
<b><NAME></b> "I am interested in how we set conservation baselines. I want to use modelling, food web theory, and paleocology to compare modern and historical communities with an eye to  conservation and restoration. This includes questions of how to best restore food webs to early baselines - the usefulness of ecological surrogates and de-extinction, stabilizing reintroduction orders, etc. This information may help us make better decisions about existing projects like Pleistocene Park and help structure future rewilding attempts."  <BR> <BR>     <commit_msg>mcd edit<commit_after>---
layout: page
title: 
tags: [about, Jekyll, theme, responsive]
modified: 2014-08-08T20:53:07.573882-04:00
comments: true
image:
  feature: tracks-leadville.jpg
  credit: jdyeakel
---
## What we do

Our group is generally interested in the physical and biological constraints that shape trophic interactions, and how changes in these interactions impact community dynamics over both ecological and evolutionary time. 
We employ both theoretical as well as empirical approaches to address many different aspects of problems that fall within this central focus, including but not limited to:   

* Nonlinear dynamics   
* Stochastic processes   
* Dynamic programming   
* Stable isotopes   
* Historical records
* Paleontological data   


<!---
I generally use network-theoretic approaches – combined with empirical measures of interactions e.g. stable isotopic data – to try to understand how species interactions trickle up to impact the structure and functioning of ecological communities. My long-term interests fall into 3 core themes:

* the proximate drivers and ultimate effects of species interactions
* the effects of large-scale (spatial and temporal) factors on community assembly and dis-assembly
* the interplay between landscape structure and population/community dynamics
-->


## Who we are

<span style="text-align=left;font-size:1.5em;color:#377EB8;">Principle Investigator</span>   
<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/justin-web.jpg" width="100"></p>    
<b><NAME>:</b> "In a nutshell, I am fascinated by the ecological and physiological constraints that drive trophic interactions between species, and how such interactions trickle up to impact populations and communities over large spatial and temporal scales." <BR> <BR>
</div>       

<BR CLEAR="...">   

--- 

<span style="text-align=left;font-size:1.5em;color:#377EB8;">Postdoctoral Researchers</span>   
<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/JP-web.jpg" width="100"></p> <b><a href="http://jeanpgibert.weebly.com"><NAME>, McDonnell Fellow</a></b> "I study how phenotypic variation affects the structure and dynamics of complex food webs and how this effect is mediated by environmental factors such as temperature. To do so, I integrate information across systems and taxa and often combine mathematical, computational and empirical tools." <BR> <BR> <BR>
</div>      

<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/Jack-web.jpg" width="100"></p> <b><a href="http://jackhopkinswildlife.com">John (<NAME> III</a></b> "I primarily conduct empirical field-based research that uses a variety of sampling methods and quantitative approaches to investigate the effects of environmental change on species interactions, wildlife-habitat relationships, and the foraging behavior and nutrition of free-ranging mammals." <BR> <BR>
</div>      

<BR CLEAR="...">

---

<span style="text-align=left;font-size:1.5em;color:#377EB8;">Graduate Researchers</span> 
<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/person.jpg" width="100"></p>
<b>Ritwika VPS</b> "I joined UC Merced as a physics grad student in Fall 2015. I have long been interested in the scope of using physics to solve problems in ecology and evolutionary biology, hence my interest in the Yeakel lab. Currently, I work on an eclectic collection of problems which includes looking at vocalisation in human infants as an acoustic foraging process, studying the dynamics of a population of foragers given a choice of strategies, and looking at the collective motion of phototactic bacteria."  <BR> <BR>     
</div>     

<div>
<p style="float: left;padding-right:25px"><img src="/images/Taran-web.jpg" width="100"></p>
<b><NAME></b> "I am interested in how we set conservation baselines. I want to use modelling, food web theory, and paleocology to compare modern and historical communities with an eye to  conservation and restoration. This includes questions of how to best restore food webs to early baselines - the usefulness of ecological surrogates and de-extinction, stabilizing reintroduction orders, etc. This information may help us make better decisions about existing projects like Pleistocene Park and help structure future rewilding attempts."  <BR> <BR>     
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