population dynamics

3rd Stanislaw Lem Workshop on Biodiversity and Evolution

The next iteration of our notorious series of Stanislaw Lem Workshops, March 6-9, 2023 at the WasserCluster Lunz, Austria

Estimation of functional diversity and species traits from ecological monitoring data

The rampant loss of biodiversity is starting to be recognized as a global crisis rivaling the climate emergency. To address this crisis, scientists need robust methods to measure the diversity in a system. Importantly, these methods should not only count species but capture the variety of different functions that the species in a system can perform. In this paper, we propose a machine learning method by which existing data from ecosystem monitoring can be reanalyzed to reveal changes of functional biodiversity over time.

The Gossip Paradox: why do bacteria share genes?

Bacteria, in contrast to eukaryotic cells contain two types of genes: chromosomal genes that are fixed to the cell, and plasmids that are mobile genes, easily shared to other cells. The sharing of plasmid genes between individual bacteria and between …

Comparing Optimization Criteria in Antibiotic Allocation Protocols

Clinicians prescribing antibiotics in a hospital context follow one of several possible 'treatment protocols' - heuristic rules designed to balance the immediate needs of patients against the long term threat posed by the evolution of antibiotic …

Emergent Diversity and Persistent Turnover in Evolving Microbial Cross-Feeding Networks

A distinguishing feature of many ecological networks in the microbial realm is the diversity of substrates that could potentially serve as energy sources for microbial consumers. The microorganisms are themselves the agents of compound …

Coexistence patterns and diversity in a trait-based metacommunity on an environmental gradient

The dynamics of trait-based metacommunities have attracted much attention, but not much is known about how dispersal and spatial environmental variability mutually interact with each other to drive coexistence patterns and diversity. Here, we present …

Cell shape: the soul of phytoplankton

Top Story in HIFMB News letter 02/21 on phytoplankton cell shapes

Diminished growth and vitality in juvenile Hydractinia echinata under anticipated future temperature and variable nutrient conditions

In a warming climate, rising seawater temperatures and declining primary and secondary production will drastically affect growth and fitness of marine invertebrates in the northern Atlantic Ocean. To study the ecological performance of juvenile …

Optimal Planting Distance in a Simple Model of Habitat Restoration With an Allee Effect

Ecological restoration is emerging as an important strategy to improve the recovery of degraded lands and to combat habitat and biodiversity loss worldwide. One central unresolved question revolves around the optimal spatial design for outplanted …

Optimal stock–enhancement of a spatially distributed renewable resource

We study the economic management of a renewable resource, the stock of which is spatially distributed and moves over a discrete or continuous spatial domain. In contrast to standard harvesting models where the agent can control the take-out from the …