The Role of Dispersal in the Holocene Expansion of Trees

• James S. Clark

Abstract
We propose a workshop to integrate new, interdisciplinary data sets and models to better understand how dispersal influences tree population responses to rapid environmental change. Recent developments include spatio-temporal data sets on past tree abundances, population models that include variable kurtosis, and parameter estimates of seed production and dispersal. Our workshop would be anticipated by exchange of parameter estimates and data sets for modeling efforts that would be discussed, critiqued, and synthesized at the workshop. The resultant book would open a dialog between population biologists and paleoecologists and would allow us to say how dispersal patterns can affect how populations respond to long-term environmental change.