Biocomplexity

Living systems are the paradigm of complex systems, with nonlinear interactions occurring at all spatial and temporal scales, from molecules and genes to the planetary scales defining the global biosphere. One of the focus of our research is the ecological level where we consider modes of organisms’ mobility and their interplay with food search, disease propagation, spatial patterning, and also with the basic ecological interactions such as competition, predation, or mutualism. Another focal issue in our studies is understanding brain function, which requires approaches at scales that range from individual neurons to the whole brain. At the neuronal level, we concentrate on aspects of synchronization between interacting neuronal populations and study how information flows. With the help of statistical measures, we analyze experimental data and compare the results with neuronal models.


Researchers

Juan Fernández Gracia

Juan Fernández Gracia

Ingo Fischer

Ingo Fischer

Tobias Galla

Tobias Galla

Damià Gomila

Damià Gomila

Emilio Hernández-García

Emilio Hernández-García

Cristóbal López

Cristóbal López

Víctor M. Eguíluz

Víctor M. Eguíluz

Manuel Matías

Manuel Matías

Claudio Mirasso

Claudio Mirasso

Tomás Sintes

Tomás Sintes

Raúl Toral

Raúl Toral

Konstantin Klemm

Konstantin Klemm

Sandro Meloni

Sandro Meloni

Recent and ongoing Research projects

Ocean Citizen

Marine forest coastal restoration: an underwater gardening socio-ecological plan

P.I.: Damià Gomila
Following the non-achievement of the AICHI targets and most of the Good Environmental Status objectives for 2020, active restoration has been emerged (also envisaged by the EU) as one of the preferred …

CoralMath

MATHEMATICAL MODELS FOR CORAL REEFS: TOWARDS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY AND CONSERVATION-FOCUSED RESEARCH

P.I.: Eva Llabrés
Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, yet they are rapidly declining due to global warming and local anthropogenic pressures. This interdisciplinary project applies non-linear physics and complex …

MISLAND

Modelling island ecological complexity in the context of global change

P.I.: Lucas Lacasa
** This project (PID2020-114324GB-C22) is part of a coordinated project between IFISC and IMEDEA, both research centers from CSIC located in Mallorca. The project is funded by AEI and a PhD fellowship …

CYCLE

Complex DYnamics of CoastaL Ecosystems: Resilience to Climate Change. Modelling and Simulations.

P.I.: Damià Gomila, Tomás Sintes
Complex Dynamics of Coastal Ecosystems: Resilience to Climate Change (CYCLE) is a coordinated multidisciplinary research project that brings together the efforts of experts in the fields of marine ecology and the physics …

UpMEMO

Updating the brain’s memory base: computational perspective

P.I.: Claudio Mirasso
In this project we bring together systems neuroscience (Subproject 1, IP: Santiago Canals) and computational perspectives (Subproject 2, IP: Claudio Mirasso), to investigate how hippocampal (HC) dependent episodic memories are updated to …

SEDIMENT

SEagrass DIversity in the MEditerranean basin in a global change scenario: a machine learNing approach from saTellite images

P.I.: Manuel Matías, Tomás Sintes
The main challenge of this project is to correlate the changes in the sea surface temperature (SST) in the Mediterranean basin with the spatial distribution and size of different seagrass species. We …

MdM-IFISC-2

Maria de Maeztu 2023-2026

P.I.: Ernesto Estrada, Ingo Fischer, Emilio Hernández-García, Rosa Lopez, Claudio Mirasso, Jose Javier Ramasco, Raúl Toral, Roberta Zambrini
After 15 years of its existence, IFISC can point to a proven track record of impactful research. The previous 2018-2022 MdM award has significantly enhanced the institute's capabilities, as demonstrated by an …

CATSUIT

Climbing at the Source of Irreversibility

P.I.: Massimiliano Zanin
Irreversibility, i.e. the lack of invariance of the statistical properties of a system or time series under the operation of time reversal, has attracted the interest of the physics community since the …

CSxAI

Complexity science for understanding AI: from the dynamics of complex networks to collective effects of interacting neural networks

P.I.: Lucas Lacasa, Víctor M. Eguíluz
The CSxAI project engages researchers at IFISC in a (non-oriented research project) on the interdisciplinary challenge of applying tools and concepts of complexity science (dynamical systems, statistical physics, and network science) to …

GRAPHIB

Validació d’un model de graus-dia per predir l’aparició de les primeres nimfes de Philaenus spumarius a les Illes Balears

P.I.: Manuel Matías
This is a contract (encàrrec de gestió) with the Conselleria d'Agricultura of the Balearic Government that has as goal to develop an informatic tool to predict the time of hatching of eggs …

BOND

Brain Network Organization and Dynamics

P.I.: Leonardo Lyra Gollo
This project explores the intricate architecture and temporal evolution of brain networks through the lens of neurophysics and complex systems. Utilizing tools from dynamical systems, network theory, and statistical physics, we aim …

KCRI-ENCOREDAT

Enhancing coral reef restoration success through data-driven projections of future reef formation

P.I.: Damià Gomila, Manuel Matías
Coral reef restoration efforts are rapidly intensifying amid escalating concerns over ongoing degradation, attracting significant financial investment. While mathematical models are invaluable for projecting reef impacts and guiding management, available restoration models …

Recent Publications

Unos pocos grados de diferencia pueden marcar la frontera entre la vida y la muerte de la vid

Giménez-Romero, Àlex; Moralejo, Eduardo; Matias, Manuel A.
The Conversation, , Sept. 25 (2025)

The role of inhibitory neuronal variability in modulating phase diversity between coupled networks

Brito, K. V. P.; Silva, J. M. G., Mirasso, C. R.; Matias, F. S.
Chaos 35, 093127 (2025)

The role of feedforward and feedback inhibition in modulating theta-gamma cross-frequency interactions in neural circuits

Chalkiadakis, D.; Sánchez-Claros, J.; López-Madrona, V. J.; Canals, S.; Mirasso, C. R.
PLoS Computational Biology 21, e1013363 (2025)

Inferring leader-follower dynamics in three shark species using acoustic telemetry data

Kreuter,Nils;Fernández-Gracia,Juan;Eguíluz,Víctor M.;Sequeira,Ana M. M.
Movement Ecology 13, 60 (2025)

High-resolution climate data reveals increased risk of Pierce's Disease for grapevines worldwide

Giménez-Romero, Àlex; Moralejo, Eduardo; Matías, Manuel A.
Scientific Reports 15, 31282 (1-12) (2025)

Related News

Brain rhythms reveal how neural circuits flexibly route information

Sept. 16, 2025
The study, published in PLoS Computational Biology, shows that the balance between feedforward and feedback inhibition determines the directionality of interactions between theta and gamma brain rhythms, enabling flexible routing of information across neural circuits.The research is the result of …

High-resolution climate data reveals rising global threat of Pierce’s Disease to vineyards

Oct. 2, 2025
The study, published in Scientific Reports, uses high-resolution climate data to reveal a far greater global risk of Pierce’s Disease than previously estimated.The research is the result of a collaboration between the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC, …

Uncovering the drivers of coral reef shapes using a mathematical model

June 16, 2025
A new study led by IFISC scientists presents a simple yet powerful mathematical model that explains the large-scale structure of coral reefs using fundamental ecological and physical principles.The research uncovers how excitable dynamics can generate the spatial patterns seen in …

New study uncovers the early-warning signals hidden in dynamical plant formations

March 17, 2025
IFISC-led research, published in PNAS, demonstrates the critical role of self-organized plant patterns in maintaining ecosystem resilience under harsh conditions.These findings provide valuable tools for monitoring and predicting ecosystem decline, with implications for environmental management and policy.A new study led …

IFISC researchers uncover universal spatial patterns in coral reefs worldwide

Dec. 18, 2024
Researchers reveal universal spatial patterns in coral reefs, uncovering consistent ecological laws across diverse marine environments.These findings provide new insights into reef conservation and restoration by linking coral reef structures to mathematical principles.A groundbreaking study published in the journal Global …

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