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The ability of organisms to avoid conditions that render them vulnerable to extinction is foundational to diversity maintenance. In variable environments, dormancy – the production of environmentally resistant forms that can emerge when conditions improve – is a critical life history strategy that allows species to persist during bad conditions without having to physically move. In this seminar, I will explore the evidence for dormancy as a bet-hedging strategy using experiments, modelling and synthesis. I will conclude with some future work testing the role of dormancy for coexistence in floodplain communities.

Dr Natalie Jones | Griffith ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

Dr Natalie Jones joined the School of Environment and Science at Griffith ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ as a Lecturer in Ecology in 2022. She uses lab and field experiments, synthesis, and modelling to test predictions generated from theory describing the complex ways that species persist locally, when they colonise new environments and when global changes alter how they interact. Prior to working at Griffith, she completed postdoctoral fellowships at the ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ of Queensland with Prof. Margie Mayfield and the ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ of California San Diego with Prof. Jonathan Shurin. That work received the 2020 Elton Prize from the British Ecological Society. Her doctoral work was supervised by Prof. Ben Gilbert at the ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ of Toronto in Canada where she explored how freshwater communities change over space and time.

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