Thesis defense: Structural Dynamics and Structure from Dynamics in Complex Ecosystems
This thesis applies a complex network framework to study how ecological systems respond to perturbations, focusing on mutualistic networks under extinction and rewiring, and microbial mesocosm communities under nutrient enrichment. In the first part, analyses of bipartite mutualistic networks (e.g., plant–pollinator, seed–dispersal) reveal that species loss increases modularity and decreases persistence, with adaptive rewiring—especially resource affinity-driven—enhancing modularity, robustness, and stability, suggesting an evolutionary buffer against cascading extinctions. The second part examines marine microbial consortia, showing that nutrient additions lead to strong abundance fluctuations, low connectance, and prevalent negative interactions, with communities exhibiting idiosyncratic, adaptive responses shaped by ecological and evolutionary pressures. Higher-order co-fluctuations among microbial triplets further indicate complex dynamical organization. Together, these results highlight modularity and network plasticity as key mechanisms underlying ecological resilience and stability across different types of environmental perturbations.
Thesis supervisors: Víctor M. Eguíluz & Juan Fernández-Gracia
This PhD Thesis Defense will be broadcasted in the following zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89027654460?pwd=Wg9TYMPqqP2ipfj2JVvEagmzaTw29c.1
Detalles de contacto:
Juan Fernández Gracia Contact form