Research line: Theoretical and computational ecology
The "Theoretical and Computational Ecology" research line at the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), brings together a diverse group of researchers interested in mathematical models, statistical approaches, field studies, and the synthesis of large databases. Their research encompasses a range of topics, from evolutionary to ecological, with the main unifying factor being the role of biotic interactions in the origin and maintenance of biodiversity.
The approaches are highly varied and include digital evolution to understand the prevalence and control of genes that can lead to diseases; the role of macroevolution in understanding interaction processes between species in stressful environments; the determinants of the stability of ecological communities under common environmental fluctuations in stochastic environments such as the Mediterranean; and finally, the construction of more refined models that can be used to predict future dynamics of species and ecosystems within a context of global change.
The research conducted within this group includes advanced modelling tools, the use of supercomputing clusters, long-time series sampling for inferring ecological processes in protected and agricultural systems, and the development of new theoretical concepts applicable to both competitive and mutualistic systems. Collectively, this line of research contributes to a greater mechanistic understanding of the basic processes operating within ecological communities, largely considering the evolutionary and macroevolutionary context to predict the dynamics of agents at the level of genes, genotypes, populations, ecological communities, and sets of evolutionary lineages with a shared past.
