BES Facebook page2004 Annual Meeting
Lancaster University, 2004
Plenary Lectures and Invited Speakers
The scientific programme includes an exciting number of plenary lectures, extended keynote talks in thematic topics and special invited speakers.
Tuesday 7 September
The Presidential Address: Professor Alastair Fitter, University of York
09:00 The Great Hall
Darkness visible: reflections on underground ecology.
Session 11: Thematic Topic - Non-Native and Invasive Species: defining the problem, identifying research needs and applying practical solutions I : keynote talk
11:20 DENT, D.R. (CABI Bioscience,UK) Invasive Alien Species: Applying practical solutions.
Session 13: Thematic Topic - Non-Native and Invasive Species: defining the problem, identifying research needs and applying practical solutions III : keynote talk
16:20 CHARUDATTAN, R. (University of Florida, USA) Plant Pathogens - An Underexploited Resource to Counteract Invasive Weeds.
Session 22: Thematic Topic - Valuing Nature: ecology and economics in policy making : keynote talk
16:20 TURNER, K. (UEA, UK) Economic reasons for conserving Nature.
Wednesday 8 September
The BES Lecture: Professor Sir David King, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government, Office of Science and Technology
18:30 The Great Hall
Title and abstract to be announced.
Special invited speaker: Professor Peter Grubb, University of Cambridge
12:00 noon on Wednesday 8 September in the Faraday Lecture Theatre, Faraday Building (as part of the Awards Ceremony)
Truth: what relationship with progress in ecology?
Session 28: Thematic Topic - Practical Applications of Tropical Ecology : keynote talk
08:40 COLES, T.1, SMITH, D.2, FIELD, R.3 (1 Operation Wallacea, UK, 2 University of Essex, UK, 3 University of Nottingham, UK) Developing monitoring programmes to assess management success in tropical rainforest and reef areas.
Thursday 9 September
Session 37: Thematic Topic - Ecological Effects of Nitrogen Deposits I : keynote talk
08:40 AERTS, R. (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Ecological effects of nitrogen in a warmer world: links between the cycles of nitrogen and carbon.
Session 43: Thematic Topic - Intractable Clonal Weeds: their biology and methods of restoring biodiversity I : keynote talk
08:40 THOMSON, J.A. (National Herbarium of NSW, Australia) Bracken worldwide: how many species and why?
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The Presidential Address: Professor Alastair Fitter, University of York
Tuesday 7 September 09:00, The Great Hall
Darkness visible: reflections on underground ecology
Soil is our ultimate resource, but although we trample on it daily, we have a remarkably poor understanding of its biology and of the critical ecological processes that take place in it. There are novel scientific challenges in an environment in which extreme heterogeneity is the norm and in which biodiversity, especially of small organisms, is exceptionally high. The causes and consequences of that diversity are uncertain: are there rare, even endangered species in soils, and is there a high degree of functional redundancy? Soils research provides unique opportunities to promote the marriage of population, community and ecosystem ecology, which have largely operated in separate traditions; in particular, the linkages between population biology and ecosystem ecology need urgent attention. New techniques now allow us to ask questions about the links between function and biodiversity that were previously little more than mind games, and they are revealing that many ecological processes in soils are unexpectedly dynamic. As so often in interaction with our environment, we are in a race against our own foolishness: we have seen what happens when we abuse the soil, in both ancient and recent history. We must learn how soil ecosystems function and how much abuse they can withstand, and then urgently apply that knowledge to their management.
Professor Peter Grubb, University of Cambridge
12:00 noon on Wednesday 8 September in the Faraday Lecture Theatre, Faraday Building (as part of the Awards Ceremony)
Truth: what relationship with progress in ecology?
I deal with ways in which truth is missed, how the most inspirational people can be the most wrong, how scientists fail to publish the necessary corrective papers, and the tendency to press a case when its limitations are clear.
'The end of ecological publishing as we know it: pay to read or pay to publish?' debate abstracts
An author's view (Ken Norris)
Open access will shift the financial responsibilities for publishing papers from the subscriber to the author. What consequences will this have for authors? How much will authors have to pay? Current prices cover a wide range of charges, up to about USD1500 for an individual article. How much would your 2003 publications list have cost you? This is difficult to answer because it depends on specific prices, whether charges are levied on submission or acceptance, and whether charges are optional or compulsory. How would authors fund publication costs? Currently funding bodies have no formal mechanism to deal with these charges. Finally, how may publication charges affect the behaviour of authors and the peer-review process? Would authors be more or less likely to submit to open access journals? How may publication charges affect the quality of published papers?
Scholarship-friendly alternatives (Bob Campbell)
The subscription model offers no barrier to authorship but it means that access has to be paid for. This barrier is getting lower and publishers have achieved almost universal access. Charges to libraries in the developing world have been virtually dropped and we work with international organisations such as INASP to improve library infrastructure. Accessibility has improved through a combination of new pricing products and online delivery despite relatively lower budgets. University libraries had access to on average 4000 journals in the UK in the early 1990s: this figure has risen to over 6500. We also allow authors to self-archive which could ultimately undermine the subscription model but at present enables researchers to access the work of colleagues free of charge. Back issues of the BES journals are available through JSTOR and a number of publishers allow free access 6-18 months after an article is published, although this is more difficult in ecology where articles have a longer shelf-life.
The impact on the BES (Jill Lancaster)
The BES, as we know it, will cease to exist in 2-3 years if income from journals stops suddenly. As a charity, the BES operates on a non-profit basis. Based on the 2004 budget, total income (and expenditure) was £1250k. Roughly 75% of total income comes from journals (£900k), but running the journals is only 25% of total expenditure (£300k). If open access publishing means that income drops, then the society's current activities must be reduced (e.g., cut the £300-400k currently spent on grants and awards), or alternative and reliable income streams must be found. Few would accept the first scenario, so we must think of new ways to raise funds. For example, current membership dues cover only the cost of running the membership. If we trebled membership dues, that extra income could pay the journal running costs. Or, instead of paying grants from the general income, perhaps industrial sponsors could be persuaded to donate generously. These are challenging times for all learned societies with journals and survival of the BES depends on the imagination, suggestions and efforts of the membership. So, what should we do?
Building a public library of science (Catriona MacCallum)
With the internet, articles can now be published once and, at little extra cost, be distributed either to one or to a million people. It is therefore no longer necessary - or appropriate - to have a system of scholarly publishing that is funded by charging for access to information. The Public Library of Science, an organisation committed to making the world's scientific literature a freely available public resource, instead proposes a model in which the cost of publication is charged at the outset to the funders and institutions that currently support research. Providing authors with access to these funds means that their articles, once accepted, can be made freely available to anyone with an internet connection. This change will have several consequences. First, there will be wider access to information - not just to scientists, but to educators, the public, NGOs, physicians and developing countries; second, the development of sophisticated text- and data-mining tools will enable the full text of articles to be mined more efficiently; and third, because the real cost of publication per article will be transparent, market forces will work more effectively and this will help drive the current costs of publication down. As for other journals, open access journals - such as PLoS Biology - will be judged on the quality of their articles, and peer review will have the same pivotal role as in a subscription-based system. This debate, therefore, should not be about whether open access is of benefit to science - including ecology - but about how we get there. Naturally, there is no incentive for commercial publishers to shift from a system that has given them price increases above inflation price and large profit margins, and societies are worried that they won't have sufficient revenue from their journals to fund valuable activities. However, there is already interest from funding agencies and government on both sides of the Atlantic; a recent UK parliamentary inquiry has made recommendations in support of open access. Don't let ecology lag behind; the benefits of open access should not be limited to the biomedical sciences.
Annual Meeting 2004
Social Events
There are lots of opportunities for delegates to get together at this year's meeting with a range of events to suit all tastes.
Welcome Mixer
20:00 - 21:30, Monday 6 September, Nuffield Studio Theatre
For the first time the Society has organised a Welcome Mixer to give everyone the opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones. There is a free drink for all those who booked this free event in advance. Drink vouchers will be given out at the Registration Desk and there will also be a cash bar. Entertainment will be provided by a Jazz Band.
Pub Quiz
20:00 - 21:30, Tuesday 7 September, Great Hall Bar foyer
If you think you know much about the natural world come along to the pub quiz. Blackwell Publishing have kindly donated the winning team prize of £100 of book vouchers so come and join in if you think you are up to the challenge. We will make up teams on the night so you can take part even if you're on your own.
Drinks Reception for BES Members
After the Awards Ceremony and AGM, lunchtime, Wednesday 8 September, Faraday Building foyer
All members attending the Awards Ceremony and AGM are invited to a drinks reception immediately afterwards.
Wine Reception
17:30 - 18:30, Wednesday 8 September, Nuffield Studio Theatre
The Wine Reception will be held along with the first poster session. It is open to all delegates and no pre-booking is required.
