Webb lab

Colleen Webb

I am broadly interested in the evolution of traits important in ecological interactions and in how such evolution shapes ecosystems. I use a theoretical framework to study how selection at the individual-level affects the extinction and persistence of populations or ecosystems. For example, I have investigated how the indirect effects of selection can affect a population’s environment, resulting in decreased mean fitness and extinction. Currently, I am looking at how ecosystem level characteristics, like modularity, enhance the robustness of ecosystems to disturbance (resiliency), and whether these higher level characteristics can evolve from selection at the individual level. I also investigate how selective processes on traits determine ecosystem function responses to environmental change. Finally, I am also interested in the evolution and ecology of highly virulent diseases in the context of persistence. I work in a number of different systems and use a variety of analytical and simulation methods.
Teaching
CV
Links to selected papers:
Simmons, M.P., K.F., Muller, and C.T. Webb. 2008. The relative sensitivity of different alignment methods and character codings in sensitivity analysis. Cladistics 24: 1-12. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T. and O. Bodin. 2008. A network perspective on modularity and control of flow in robust systems. In: A Theoretical Framework for Analyzing Social-Ecological Systems. J. Norberg and G. Cumming (Eds.). Columbia University Press. pp. 85-118.
Webb, C.T. 2007. What is the role of ecology in understanding ecosystem resilience? BioScience 57: 470-471. \|pdf\|
Savage, V.M., C.T. Webb, and J. Norberg. 2007. A trait-based framework for studying the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem function. Journal of Theoretical Biology 247: 213-229. \|pdf\|
Simmons, M.P., L-B Zhang, C.T. Webb, and K. Muller. 2007. A penalty of using anonymous dominant markers (AFLPs, ISSRs, and RAPDs) for phylogenetic inference. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42: 528-542. \|pdf\|
Achter, J.A. and C.T. Webb. 2006. Mixed dispersal strategies and response to disturbance. Evolutionary Ecology Research 8: 1-16. \|pdf\|
Simmons, M.P. and C.T. Webb. 2006. Quantification of the success of phylogenetic inference in simulations. Cladistics 22: 1-7. \|pdf\|
Simmons, M.P., Zhang, L.B., Webb, C.T., and Reeves, A. 2006. How can third codon positions outperform first and second codon positions in phylogenetic inference? An empirical example from the seed plants. Systematic Biology 55: 245-258. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T., C.P. Brooks, K.L. Gage, and M.F. Antolin. 2006. Classic flea-borne transmission does not drive plague epizootics in prairie dogs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 6236-6241. \|pdf\|
Simmons, M.P., Zhang, L.B., Webb, C.T., Reeves, A., and J.A. Miller. 2006. The relative performance of Bayesian and parsimony approaches when sampling characters evolving under homogeneous and heterogeneous sets of parameters. Cladistics 22: 171-185. \|pdf\|
Achter, J.A. and C.T. Webb. 2006. Pair statistics clarify percolation properties of spatially explicit simulations. Theoretical Population Biology 69: 155-164. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T. and S.A. Levin. 2005. Cross-system perspectives on the ecology and evolution of resilience. In: Robust Design: A Repertoire of Biological, Ecological, and Engineering Case Studies. E. Jen (Ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 151-172. \|pdf\|
Hacker, J., J. Hansen, J. Berner, Y. Chen, G. Eshel, G. Hakim, T. Hamill, S. Lazarus, R. Majumdar, R. Morss, A. Poje, V. Sheremet, Y. Tang, and C. Webb. 2005. Future Scientific Directions: Predictability. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 86: 1733-1737. \|pdf\|
Bieda, M. and C.T. Webb. 2004. Distribution and patterns of CNSs in a Caenorhabditis gene family. Santa Fe Institute Working Papers Series #04-09-026. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T. 2003. A complete classification of Darwinian extinction in ecological interactions. American Naturalist 161: 181-205. \|pdf\|
Hatch, L., M. Uriarte, D. Fink, L. Aldrich-Wolfe, R. Allen, C. Webb, K. Zamudio, and A. Power. 2002. Jurisdiction over endangered species’ habitat: the impacts of people and property on recovery planning. Ecological Applications 12: 690-700. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T., S.A. Shabalina, A.Yu. Ogurtsov and A.S. Kondrashov. 2002. Analysis of similarity within 142 pairs of orthologous intergenic regions of Caenorhabditis elegans and C. briggsae Nucleic Acids Research 30: 1233-1239. \|pdf\|
Yampolsky, L.Yu., C.T. Webb, S.A. Shabalina, and A.S. Kondrashov. 1999. Rapid accumulation of a vertically transmitted parasite triggered by relaxation of natural selection among hosts. Evolutionary Ecology Research 1: 581-589. \|pdf\|
Bronikowski, A. and C. Webb. 1996. Appendix: A critical examination of rainfall variability measures in behavioral ecology. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 39: 27-30.

I am broadly interested in the evolution of traits important in ecological interactions and in how such evolution shapes ecosystems. I use a theoretical framework to study how selection at the individual-level affects the extinction and persistence of populations or ecosystems. For example, I have investigated how the indirect effects of selection can affect a population’s environment, resulting in decreased mean fitness and extinction. Currently, I am looking at how ecosystem level characteristics, like modularity, enhance the robustness of ecosystems to disturbance (resiliency), and whether these higher level characteristics can evolve from selection at the individual level. I also investigate how selective processes on traits determine ecosystem function responses to environmental change. Finally, I am also interested in the evolution and ecology of highly virulent diseases in the context of persistence. I work in a number of different systems and use a variety of analytical and simulation methods.
Teaching
CV
Links to selected papers:
Simmons, M.P., K.F., Muller, and C.T. Webb. 2008. The relative sensitivity of different alignment methods and character codings in sensitivity analysis. Cladistics 24: 1-12. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T. and O. Bodin. 2008. A network perspective on modularity and control of flow in robust systems. In: A Theoretical Framework for Analyzing Social-Ecological Systems. J. Norberg and G. Cumming (Eds.). Columbia University Press. pp. 85-118.
Webb, C.T. 2007. What is the role of ecology in understanding ecosystem resilience? BioScience 57: 470-471. \|pdf\|
Savage, V.M., C.T. Webb, and J. Norberg. 2007. A trait-based framework for studying the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem function. Journal of Theoretical Biology 247: 213-229. \|pdf\|
Simmons, M.P., L-B Zhang, C.T. Webb, and K. Muller. 2007. A penalty of using anonymous dominant markers (AFLPs, ISSRs, and RAPDs) for phylogenetic inference. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42: 528-542. \|pdf\|
Achter, J.A. and C.T. Webb. 2006. Mixed dispersal strategies and response to disturbance. Evolutionary Ecology Research 8: 1-16. \|pdf\|
Simmons, M.P. and C.T. Webb. 2006. Quantification of the success of phylogenetic inference in simulations. Cladistics 22: 1-7. \|pdf\|
Simmons, M.P., Zhang, L.B., Webb, C.T., and Reeves, A. 2006. How can third codon positions outperform first and second codon positions in phylogenetic inference? An empirical example from the seed plants. Systematic Biology 55: 245-258. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T., C.P. Brooks, K.L. Gage, and M.F. Antolin. 2006. Classic flea-borne transmission does not drive plague epizootics in prairie dogs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 6236-6241. \|pdf\|
Simmons, M.P., Zhang, L.B., Webb, C.T., Reeves, A., and J.A. Miller. 2006. The relative performance of Bayesian and parsimony approaches when sampling characters evolving under homogeneous and heterogeneous sets of parameters. Cladistics 22: 171-185. \|pdf\|
Achter, J.A. and C.T. Webb. 2006. Pair statistics clarify percolation properties of spatially explicit simulations. Theoretical Population Biology 69: 155-164. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T. and S.A. Levin. 2005. Cross-system perspectives on the ecology and evolution of resilience. In: Robust Design: A Repertoire of Biological, Ecological, and Engineering Case Studies. E. Jen (Ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 151-172. \|pdf\|
Hacker, J., J. Hansen, J. Berner, Y. Chen, G. Eshel, G. Hakim, T. Hamill, S. Lazarus, R. Majumdar, R. Morss, A. Poje, V. Sheremet, Y. Tang, and C. Webb. 2005. Future Scientific Directions: Predictability. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 86: 1733-1737. \|pdf\|
Bieda, M. and C.T. Webb. 2004. Distribution and patterns of CNSs in a Caenorhabditis gene family. Santa Fe Institute Working Papers Series #04-09-026. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T. 2003. A complete classification of Darwinian extinction in ecological interactions. American Naturalist 161: 181-205. \|pdf\|
Hatch, L., M. Uriarte, D. Fink, L. Aldrich-Wolfe, R. Allen, C. Webb, K. Zamudio, and A. Power. 2002. Jurisdiction over endangered species’ habitat: the impacts of people and property on recovery planning. Ecological Applications 12: 690-700. \|pdf\|
Webb, C.T., S.A. Shabalina, A.Yu. Ogurtsov and A.S. Kondrashov. 2002. Analysis of similarity within 142 pairs of orthologous intergenic regions of Caenorhabditis elegans and C. briggsae Nucleic Acids Research 30: 1233-1239. \|pdf\|
Yampolsky, L.Yu., C.T. Webb, S.A. Shabalina, and A.S. Kondrashov. 1999. Rapid accumulation of a vertically transmitted parasite triggered by relaxation of natural selection among hosts. Evolutionary Ecology Research 1: 581-589. \|pdf\|
Bronikowski, A. and C. Webb. 1996. Appendix: A critical examination of rainfall variability measures in behavioral ecology. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 39: 27-30.