JOHN H. VANDERMEER
Margaret Davis Collegiate Professor
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
734-764-1446
e-mail jvander@umich.edu
Academic and Professional Experience
Professor of Natural Resources and Environment (Courtesy Appointment) 2003- present.
Margaret Davis Collegiate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 2002 - present.
Arthur F. Thurnau Distinguished Professor, University of Michigan 1994 - present.
Faculty Associate, Program in American Culture, University of Michigan, 1994 - present.
Faculty Associate, Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Michigan, 2001 – present
Faculty Associate, Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan, 2000 – present.
Faculty Associate, Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Michigan, 1993 - present.
Acting Chair, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Sept 2006 –June 2007
Visiting Professor, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2004.
Recent Invited Seminars and Symposia (2004-2009)
International Symposium on Complex Systems (Havana, Cuba), Invited speaker on coupled oscillators. 2004.
Agrarian University of Havana (Program on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development), Plenary Talk on agroecology and rural development. 2004.
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Ecology Department), Brazil -- general seminar on conservation. 2004.
Universidade Federal de Vicosa, Minas Gerais (Agronomy Department), Brazil -- general seminar on conservation. 2004.
EMBRAPA (Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture), Seropegica, Brazil -- general seminar on matrix quality and agroforestry. 2004.
National Agroecological Meetings of Brazil, Porto Alegre, Brazil -- plenary speaker on conservation and agroecology. 2004.
University of Texas, general seminar on Women in Science, 2006.
Hope College (Joint Mathematics and Biology Seminar), 2006.
Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Tapachula, Mexico – general seminar, 2006.
Ecological Society of America, Annual Meeting – Symposium on Environmental Justice, 2006.
Colorado College – general seminar, 2006.
Rice University – General Seminar Biology Dept, 2007.
University of Minnesota – Seminar on Women in Science to Chairs and Directors of the Institute of Technology, 2007.
Howard University – General Seminar, Biology Department, 2007.
Ecological Society of America, Annual Meeting – Symposium on Agricultural Landscapes, 2007.
Wright State University -- Seminar on Women in Science. 2007.
EcoSummit, 2007, Bejing, China – Symposium on ecology in agricultural landscapes, 2007.
Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation – Plenary Speaker – Ecological theory, political reality and a new conservation paradigm, 2007.
Ohio State University – School of Environment and Natural Resources – General Seminar, 2007.
ATREE (Bangalor, India) – General Seminar. Ecological theory, political reality and a new consevation paradigm, 2008.
University of Chapingo – Texcoco Mexico -- Ecological theory, political reality and a new consevation paradigm, 2008.
University of Veracruz – Xalapa, Mexico -- Ecological theory, political reality and a new consevation paradigm, 2008.
University of Indiana – General seminar, Biology Dept. Agroecosystem complexity and pest control. 2008.
University of Vermont – Dept of Plant and Soil General seminar – agroecosystem complexity – 2008.
Eastern Michigan University – Dept of Biology General Seminar Agroecosystem complexity and pest control, 2008
University of Illinois – Deans and Dept. Chairs College of Engineering, Role of Women in Science – 2008
University of Illinois – Provost’s special seminar, Role of Women in Science – 2008
Melbourne Australia – Plenary Speaker at the Encountering Darwin Symposium – 2009
Queensland University, Melbourne – General seminar, Biology Department – 2009
Michigan Technological University – Role of Women in Science -- 2009
ECOSUR -- General seminar to University Community – 2009
Morehouse College – General Seminar, Biology Department – 2009
University of Toledo – Graduate Student special speaker, Environmental Studies – 2009
Tropical Biology and Conservation Biology Symposium, Marburg, Germany -- 2009
Former Doctoral Students
William Durham Stanford University, Prof. of Anthropology
Marlene Palmer Formerly with IBM
Les Real Emory University, Prof. of Biology
Catherine Bach Eastern Michigan University, Prof. of Biology
Steven Risch University of California, Berkeley (deceased)
Robert Glesener Brevard College, Prof. of Biology
Diane DeSteven Univ. of Wis. at Milwaukee, Prof. of Biology
Kay Dewey Univ. of Calif. at Davis, Prof. of Nutrition
Katherine Yih Mass. Dept. of Pub. Health. (Epidemiologist)
Michael Hansen Institute for Consumer Policy Studies
Brian Schultz Professor, Hampshire College
Hugh McGuinness Friends World College, Assistant Professor
Katherine Savoie Coordinator, CASC, Detroit
Margaret Reeves Coordinator, Latin American Program of Pesticide Action Network
Eduardo Somarriba CATIE, Costa Rica, Professor of agroecology
Kristen Nelson University of Minnesota, Assistant Professor of Natural Resources
Gerald Urquhart Asst. Prof., Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State Univ.
Chris Picone Assistant Professor, Mount Holyoke College
Krista McGuire Assistant Professor, Barnard College
Javier Ruiz Visiting Professor, URACCAN, Nicaragua
Jahi Chappell Post Doc, Cornell University
Zach Miller Post Doc, Montana State University
Current Graduate Students
Heidi Liere PhD, EEB (chair)
Shalane Jha PhD, EEB (co-chair)
David Allen PhD, EEB (chair)
Aley Joseph PhD, EEB (chair)
Doug Jackson PhD, EEB (chair)
Aaron Iverson PhD, EEB (co-chair)
Leslie McGinnes PhD, EEB (Chair)
Saney Ytbarek Masters, EEB (chair)
Recent and upcoming books
Vandermeer, J., (in press) The ecology of Agroecosystems, Bartlett and Jones, NY
Perfecto, I., J. Vandermeer, and Angus Wright (in press) Nature’s Matrix: Linking Agricuture, Conservation and Food Sovereignty, Earthscan.
Vandermeer, J., and I. Perfecto. 2005. A breakfast of biodiversity: The true causes of rain forest destruction (second edition). (Vandermeer and Perfecto). Institute for Food and Development Policy.
Vandermeer, J., and D. Goldberg. 2003. Elementary Population Ecology (with D. Goldberg) Princeton University Press.
Vandermeer, J., 2002. (ed) Tropical Agroecosystems (edited volume). CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Current Research Activities
I. Nonlinear dynamics, especially as applied to population models. Analytical and theoretical models of coupled predator/prey dynamical systems, applying analytical techniques similar to those used in coupled oscillators in physical systems. Application of complex one-dimensional maps to a variety of population and ecosystem concepts, especially as extended in spac. Recent publications include:
Vandermeer, J. H. 2006. Omnivory and the stability of food webs. J. Theor. Biol. 238:497-504.
Vandermeer, J., H. Liere, and B. Lin. 2006. Effects of predation pressure on species packing on a resource gradient: insights from nonlinear dynamics. Theor. Pop. Biol. 69:395-408.
Vandermeer, J. 2006. Coupled oscillators and population dynamics. BioScience 56:967-975.
Vandermeer, J. 2006. Cascading thresholds to heteroclinicity in an ecosystem model. Ecosystem Dynamics, 1:373-379.
Vandermeer, J., I. Perfecto, and S. M. Philpott. 2008. Clusters of ant colonies and robust criticality in a tropical agroecosystem. Nature, 451:457-459.
Vandermeer, J. 2008. The niche construction paradigm in ecological time. Ecol. Modeling, 214:385-390.
II. Ecology of multidimensional agroecological systems -- intercropping systems and agroforestry systems in Tropical America, field work in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Mexico. The focus is on the role of biodiversity in the functioning of agroecosystems, especially the multispecies systems so common in tropical areas. Recent publications include:
Armbrecht, I., I. Perfecto, and J. Vandermeer. 2004. Enigmatic biodiversity correlations: litter ant biodiversity in a coffee landscape. Science 304:284-286.
Perfecto, I., J. H. Vandermeer, G. Lolpez Bautista, G. Ibarra Nunez, R. Greenburg, P. Bicher, and S. Langridge. 2004. Greater predation in shaded coffee farms: The role of resident neotropical Birds. Ecology 85:2677-2681.
Philpott, S. M. , J. Maldonado, J. Vandermeer, I. Perfecto. 2004. Taking trophic cascades up a level: behaviorially-modified effects of phorid flies on ants and ant prey in coffee agroecosystems. Oikos 105:141-147.
Vandermeer, J. and I. Perfecto. 2006. A keystone mutualism drives pattern in a power function. Science, 17:1000-1002.
Perfecto, I. and J. Vandermeer. 2006. The effect of an ant/scale mutualism on the management of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) in southern Mexico. Ag. Ecosyst. and Envron. 117:218-221.
Williams-Guillen, K., I. Perfecto, and J. Vandermeer. 2008. Bats limit insects in a neotropical agroforestry system. Science, 320:70.
Perfecto, I., and J. Vandermeer. 2008. Spatial pattern and ecological process in the coffee agroecosystem. Ecology 89: 915-920. (Special Feature)
III. Dynamics of conservation and agroecology -- socioeconomic and political analysis of neotropical agricultural conversion. Focus is on recent events in Central America and Mexico and the nature of the conversion process, including sociopolitical as well as ecological forces involved in current debates about conservation. Recent publications include:
Vandermeer, J. and I. Perfecto. 2005. The future of farming and conservation. Letter to Science, Vol 308:1257-1258.
Perfecto, I., J. Vandermeer, L. Soto, y A. Mas. 2005. Biodiversity, yield and shade coffee certification. Ecological Economics, 54:435-446.).
Vandermeer, J. and I. Perfecto. 2007. The agricultural matrix and a future paradigm for conservation. Conservation Biology 21:274-277.
Vandermeer, J., and I. Perfecto. 2007. Tropical conservation and grass roots social movements: Ecological theory and social justice. Bull. Ecol. Soc. Am. 88:171-175..
Vandermeer, J., and B. Lin. 2008. The importance of matrix quality in fragmented landscapes: Understanding ecosystem collapse throught a combination of deterministic and stochastic forces. Ecological Complexity, 5:222-227.
Perfecto, I. and J. Vandermeer. 2008. Biodiversity conservation in tropical agroecosystems: A new conservation paradigm. Ann.NY Acad. Sci. 1134:173-200. |
