Priyanga Amarasekare

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Priyanga Amarasekare is a Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and distinguished Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA). Her research is in the fields of mathematical biology and trophic ecology, with a focus on understanding patterns of biodiversity, species dispersal and the impacts of climate change.[1] She received a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Career[]

Amarasekare earnt a Master of Science in Zoology from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in 1991. Her thesis was titled Potential impact of mammalian nest predators on Mamane-Naio woodland birds of Mauna Kea, Hawaii.[2] After her PhD, she worked at the University of Chicago.[3]

Amarasekare is a Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her research focuses on biological and ecological mechanisms that maintain biological diversity in variable environments and how understanding of these dynamics can predict how patterns of diversity may change in variable environments.[1]

Her work is distinguished for its strong mechanistic focus combined with a tight integration between theory and data.[1] She has been a leading figure in the field of mathematical biology as her studies have sought to find results that definitively highlight the non-linearities of biological systems through mathematical analyses.[4] Amarasekare’s work has made significant contributions to the dynamics of population regulation, species interactions and the evolution of dispersal, as well as the effect of climate change on the diversity of multi-trophic communities.[1]

From 2004-2005, Amarasekare served as the vice chair officer of the Ecological Society of America’s Theory Section. She subsequently served as Chair Officer of the Theory Section from 2005-2006.[3]

In 2017, Amarasekare was named a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America for “distinguished contributions to theoretical ecology, particularly our understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of populations and communities.”[5]

Selected publications[]

  • The metacommunity concept: a framework for multi‐scale community ecology. Ecology letters, 7(7), 601-613.[6]
  • Why intraspecific trait variation matters in community ecology. Trends in ecology & evolution, 26(4), 183-192.[7]
  • Pollen limitation of plant reproduction: ecological and evolutionary causes and consequences. Ecology, 85(9), 2408-2421.[8]
  • Competitive coexistence in spatially structured environments: a synthesis. Ecology letters, 6(12), 1109-1122.[9]
  • Spatial heterogeneity, source-sink dynamics, and the local coexistence of competing species. The American Naturalist, 158(6), 572-584.[10]

Public engagement and outreach[]

In late 2020, Priyanga Amarasekare joined Frontiers Media as a Specialty Chief Editor for Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution’s specialty section, .[11][12] Through this position, Amarasekare hopes to promote efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in the field of Mathematical Biology and encourage scientists from under-represented groups to publish their work.[12][4]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | indivfaculty". Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  2. ^ "Zoology Graduate Degrees Awarded | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Biology". manoa.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  3. ^ a b "Theory Section Officers". Ecological Society of America. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Priyanga Amarasekare joins Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution". Science & research news | Frontiers. 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  5. ^ "Amarasekare named Fellow of the Ecological Society of America". UCLA. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  6. ^ Leibold, M. A.; Holyoak, M.; Mouquet, N.; Amarasekare, P.; Chase, J. M.; Hoopes, M. F.; Holt, R. D.; Shurin, J. B.; Law, R.; Tilman, D.; Loreau, M. (2004). "The metacommunity concept: a framework for multi-scale community ecology". Ecology Letters. 7 (7): 601–613. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00608.x. ISSN 1461-0248.
  7. ^ Bolnick, Daniel I.; Amarasekare, Priyanga; Araújo, Márcio S.; Bürger, Reinhard; Levine, Jonathan M.; Novak, Mark; Rudolf, Volker H.W.; Schreiber, Sebastian J.; Urban, Mark C.; Vasseur, David A. (April 2011). "Why intraspecific trait variation matters in community ecology". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 26 (4): 183–192. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2011.01.009. PMC 3088364. PMID 21367482.
  8. ^ Ashman, Tia-Lynn; Knight, Tiffany M.; Steets, Janette A.; Amarasekare, Priyanga; Burd, Martin; Campbell, Diane R.; Dudash, Michele R.; Johnston, Mark O.; Mazer, Susan J.; Mitchell, Randall J.; Morgan, Martin T. (2004). "Pollen Limitation of Plant Reproduction: Ecological and Evolutionary Causes and Consequences". Ecology. 85 (9): 2408–2421. doi:10.1890/03-8024. ISSN 1939-9170.
  9. ^ Amarasekare, Priyanga (2003). "Competitive coexistence in spatially structured environments: a synthesis". Ecology Letters. 6 (12): 1109–1122. doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00530.x. ISSN 1461-0248.
  10. ^ Amarasekare, Priyanga; Nisbet, Roger M. (2001-12-01). "Spatial Heterogeneity, Source‐Sink Dynamics, and the Local Coexistence of Competing Species". The American Naturalist. 158 (6): 572–584. doi:10.1086/323586. ISSN 0003-0147. PMID 18707352. S2CID 2938946.
  11. ^ "Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution". www.frontiersin.org. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  12. ^ a b "Models in Ecology and Evolution". www.frontiersin.org. Retrieved 2020-12-16.

External links[]

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