CBER Seminar - Dr Marius Somveille
Title: 'Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Bird Migration'
CBER Seminar - Dr Marius Somveille
05 Jul 2021, 13:00 – 14:00
Abstract: Billions of birds migrate every year across continents, exhibiting a remarkable diversity of routes and seasonal destinations both between and within species. My research aims to investigate the ecological and evolutionary causes of bird migration and, in doing so, to advance our understanding of the forces driving where and when species exist on the planet. I use modelling approaches that link ecological theory and a variety of large datasets to test whether (i) adaptive, optimal movements and (ii) the legacy of past climate change can together explain the diversity of migration patterns in birds. My work aims to contribute to a unified explanation for bird migration across scales, from individual behaviour to global patterns. The models that I develop also provide novel tools for guiding the conservation of the fast declining avifauna under global change and for analysing the consequences of migration for the spread of seeds, genes and diseases.
I did my PhD at the University of Cambridge, followed by several postdoctoral positions, including at the EGI in Oxford and at BirdLife International, during which I explored the drivers of bird migration at various scales. As a UCL Excellence Fellow at CBER, I will develop innovative models that leverage large datasets on the movement and genomics of migratory birds to better understand how climate shapes the evolution of migration. My research aims to provide new fundamental understanding of the spatio-temporal distribution of species, but also to generate forecasts under climate change to inform conservation actions for protecting biodiversity.
Further information
Ticketing
Open
Cost
Free
Open to
UCL staff
Availability
Yes