Biomath Colloquium 17/05/2019

BioMaths Colloquium Series - 2018/19

17 May 2019 - 3pm Zoology Museum

(Department of Biosciences, Singleton Park)

Eco-evolutionary assembly in meta-communities

Dr Miguel Lurgi Rivera

(Department of Biosciences, Swansea University)

from Wallace, Lurgi et al. (2016)

Our BioMaths Colloquium Series continues for the spring term with a seminar by Dr Miguel Lurgi Rivera, from the Department of Biosciences at Swansea University.  Miguel is a theoretical ecologist and lecturer in Biosciences as well as a computer engineer,  broadly interested in community and evolutionary ecology. He is in particular interested in eco-evolutionary mechanisms involved in the assembly of complex ecological networks in meta-community contexts, using empirical data from real complex communities to test theoretical predictions.



Abstract

Understanding the drivers of community assembly poses a great challenge for community ecologists. Ever since Jared Diamond proposed rules for community assembly back in 1975, ecologists have searched for mechanisms behind these rules. Even before then, prominent ecologists such as MacArthur and Elton had realised that ecological interactions played a major role in determining the fate of communities. This research gained momentum during the last 70’s and 80’s, which ended up providing the foundations for what we now know as food web theory and ecological networks. One lesson learned is that the structure of biotic interaction networks can tell us a great deal about the stability and functioning of ecosystems. This structure is hence a major driver of community assembly. We also know that other factors, such as evolution and spatial context, can contribute to shape the communities we see. In this talk, I will combine ecological networks, meta-communities, and evolution via selection to create a modelling framework to better understand the role of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms -and their interplay- in the dynamics of community assembly.

The discussions will continue over tea and coffee after the seminar. 

Hope to see many of you!

For the list of forthcoming seminars, see here