Seminar
When
December 4, 2025 02:00 pm
Where
Biodiv room 224 - Ralf Yorque Room
Presenter(s)
Jeremy Fox
Host(s)
Rachel Germain
"Gambling for resurrection: environmental fluctuations can reduce extinction risk for highly at-risk populations", Jeremy Fox, U Calgary
Abstract: Random fluctuations in environmental conditions (environmental stochasticity) are thought to increase population extinction risk. But as gamblers, politicians, and sports teams know, even bad risks become good risks when you are facing imminent defeat ("gambling for resurrection"). Analogously, populations at high risk of imminent extinction can benefit from environmental fluctuations that create some chance of long-term persistence. I will illustrate this principle with mathematical models, an experiment with Daphnia, and analogies to poker, hockey, and the movie Wag the Dog.