Theoretical evolutionary ecosystem ecology

This is a lab with the common thread of formalizing and testing models to advance ecology and evolution driven by the current massive amount of data collection and storage.

Research questions generally focus in the integration of highly heterogeneous data at different biological levels and spatial scales using mainly stochastic modeling.
One major focus of our current research is the development and test of ecological and evolutionary network models using fossil, historical and contemporary data.

The final dream is to unify the fascinating details of biological systems in a general and testable framework. Students interested in developing and testing theory should have a burning interest in the origin, evolution and coexistence of diversity in ecosystems.

Please contact Carlos Melian if you are interested in joining us.

Funded projects

     Food webs

• Melián, C. J. (2013-2016). A theory for next-generation food web data.  Biology and medicine, Swiss National Science Foundation.
  
• Montoya, J. M., Joppa, L., Williams, R. J., and Melián, C. J. (2011-2014). Contrasting Assembly and Disassembly of Ecological Networks in a Changing World. Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship.

  Neutral theory and metacommunity dynamics

• Pomati, F., and Melián, C. J. (2013-2016). An individual-level approach to disentangle niches, drift and dispersal in phytoplankton metacommunity dynamics. Biology and medicine, Swiss National Science Foundation.
• Alonso, D., and Melián, C. J. (2013-2015). Development of theoretical community models for biodiversity and species distributions: a generalized site-occupancy approach. Basic Research Projects, Spanish Research Council (CSIC).
  

Submitted projects

• Melián, C. J., Joppa, L., and Seehausen, O. (September 2012). Eco-evolutionary radiations and the formation of biodiversity patterns. Microsoft Research PhD Scholarship.

Team

• Carlos Melian, check my not updated personal webpage