A synthesis of the assembly rules of complex ecological systems

• Grant number: 18/20695-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2019
• End date: August 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Theoretical Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marco Aurelio Ribeiro de Mello
• Grantee: Marco Aurelio Ribeiro de Mello
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Carsten Dormann ; Francisco Aparecido Rodrigues ; Judith Bronstein ; Sharlene Elizabeth Santana Mata

Abstract

Ecology was provocatively called by Lawton (1999, Oikos) and Vellend (2010, QRB) "a mess". This is so, because it contains a profusion of poorly contextualized data and poorly tested hypotheses, but few formalized theories and very few laws. This mismatch between the theoretical and empirical areas makes our science have low predictive power. The present project aims to help fill this gap by formulating a new synthesis of the assembly rules of complex ecological systems. Findings that we made in previous studies led us to formulate the integrative hypothesis of specialization (IHS), which we now intend to transform into an integrative theory of specialization (ITS). At first, we intend to mathematically formalize and transform the ITS into an efficient theory, which enables us to generate synthetic networks assuming different structuring processes. Then, we want to contrast the structure of real-world ecological systems with variations observed in these hypothetical scenarios, in order to find out which processes are most important at different scales. Thus, ITS will contribute to the solution of two important debates in Ecology: (1) trade-offs vs. niche breadth processes as an explanation for the relationship between performance and specialization and (2) nestedness vs. modularity as predominant topologies in interaction networks. In addition, our synthesis may have practical applications for solving problems related to species interactions, such as the pollinator decline, productivity of agroforests, and control of emerging diseases. (AU)

Scientific publications

(8)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

KERCHES-ROGERI, PATRICIA; NIEBUHR, BERNARDO BRANDAO; MUYLAERT, RENATA LARA; MELLO, MARCO AURELIO RIBEIRO. Individual specialization in the use of space by frugivorous bats. Journal of Animal Ecology, v. 89, n. 11, p. 2584-2595, NOV 2020. (18/20695-7, 07/03415-6, 15/17739-4, 14/24219-4, 07/03405-0)

QUEIROZ, JOEL A.; DINIZ, UGO M.; VAZQUEZ, DIEGO P.; QUIRINO, ZELMA M.; SANTOS, FRANCISCO A. R.; MELLO, MARCO A. R.; MACHADO, ISABEL C.. Bats and hawkmoths form mixed modules with flowering plants in a nocturnal interaction networkPalavras-chave. Biotropica, v. 53, n. 2, DEC 2020. (18/20695-7)

KITA, CRISTINA A.; FLOREZ-MONTERO, GUILLERMO; MONTOYA-BUSTAMANTE, SEBASTIAN; MUYLAERT, RENATA L.; ZAPATA-MESA, NATALYA; MELLO, MARCO A. R.. Ten simple rules for reporting information on species interactions. PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, v. 18, n. 8, p. 10-pg., 2022-08-01. (18/20695-7)

PEREIRA, CASSIO CARDOSO; MELLO, MARCO A. R.; NEGREIROS, DANIEL; FIGUEIREDO, JOAO CARLOS GOMES; KENEDY-SIQUEIRA, WALISSON; MAIA, LARA RIBEIRO; FERNANDES, STEPHANNIE; FERNANDES, GABRIELA FRANCA CARNEIRO; DE LEON, AMANDA PONCE; ASHWORTH, LORENA; et al. Beware of scientific scams! Hints to avoid predatory publishing in biological journals. NEOTROPICAL BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, v. 18, n. 2, p. 9-pg., 2023-01-01. (23/02881-6, 18/20695-7, 20/08916-8)

MELLO, MARCO A. R.; FELIX, GABRIEL M.; PINHEIRO, RAFAEL B. P.; MUYLAERT, RENATA L.; GEISELMAN, CULLEN; SANTANA, SHARLENE E.; TSCHAPKA, MARCO; LOTFI, NASTARAN; RODRIGUES, FRANCISCO A.; STEVENS, RICHARD D.. Insights into the assembly rules of a continent-wide multilayer network. NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION, v. 3, n. 11, p. 1525-1532, NOV 2019. (15/17739-4, 17/50144-0, 18/20695-7, 16/25682-5)

DORMANN, CARSTEN F.; MELLO, MARCO A. R.. Why we need a Canonical Ecology Curriculum. BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY, v. 71, p. 12-pg., 2023-06-26. (18/20695-7)

FELIX, GABRIEL MOREIRA; PEREIRA PINHEIRO, RAFAEL BARROS; POULIN, ROBERT; KRASNOV, BORIS R.; RIBEIRO MELLO, MARCO AURELIO. The compound topology of host-parasite networks is explained by the integrative hypothesis of specialization. OIKOS, v. 2022, n. 1, DEC 2021. (18/20695-7)

FLOREZ-MONTERO, GUILLERMO L.; MUYLAERT, RENATA L.; NOGUEIRA, MARCELO R.; GEISELMAN, CULLEN; SANTANA, SHARLENE E.; STEVENS, RICHARD D.; TSCHAPKA, MARCO; RODRIGUES, FRANCISCO A.; MELLO, MARCO A. R.. NeoBat Interactions: A data set of bat-plant interactions in the Neotropics. ECOLOGY, v. 103, n. 4, p. 2-pg., 2022-03-07. (18/20695-7)