Survivor’s Guide to Stable Isotope Ecology

The fifth edition of The Survivors’ Guide to Stable Isotope Ecology sees our great team of lecturers from all over the world come together again to unlock the secrets of stable isotopes for you. Stable isotopes are a powerful and ubiquitous tool in modern ecology. When used correctly, they can unlock the mysteries of food-webs, species interactions, ecophysiology, and migration patterns across the globe. However, incorrect use can result in expensively compiled, useless datasets. This course will give you the skills to maximise the benefit of the use of stable isotopes in your current or future research.

The course will be held on the scenic island of Ortigia, the historic centre of Siracusa in Sicily, Italy. Course instructors include leading experts in the application of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and sulphur to marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecology, in addition to expertise in the growing field of compound specific stable isotope analysis and the analysis of stable isotope data.

Course leader

Prof. Chris Harrod, Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile Dr. Brian Hayden, University of New Brunswick, Canada Dr. Alexia Massa-Gallucci, Ocean Breath, Malta Prof. Seth Newsome, University of New Mexico, USA Dr. Tamsin O’Connell, University of Cambridge

Target group

The course is tailored to postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers in ecology and related sciences with some or no experience.

Course aim

Mornings will be dedicated to field-activities, lab-work and data analysis, with lectures in the afternoons, combining to provide the students with a thorough understanding of the use of stable isotopes in ecology through hands-on experience. In-person participants will have time to work on data analysis with the course tutors - and a little time to explore the beautiful island of Ortigia and savour the Mediterranean setting and the local specialties.