Developments of the integrative hypothesis of specialization

• Grant number: 23/03083-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2026
• 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 ; Pierre-Michel A A Forget ; Renata de Lara Muylaert ; Sharlene Elizabeth Santana Mata ; Tanja Maria Straka

Abstract

At the Ecological Synthesis Laboratory (SintECO), we are committed to studying interactions between organisms of different species. With an approach based on network science, in our previous project funded by FAPESP and other agencies, we developed an innovative cognitive model, the integrative specialization hypothesis (IHS), which sheds light on the assembly rules of interaction networks. Originally conceived as a graphical model, after a transformation into an algorithmic model that resulted in a successful proof of concept, the IHS proved capable of explaining how the four main topologies observed in interaction networks in nature emerge. Now, in a new phase of our project, we intend to consolidate the IHS by going beyond purely ecological systems and, for the first time, exploring its implications applied to socio-ecological systems. First, we will present the IHS as a discursive model, that is, an efficient theory in the strict sense, framed in the semantic epistemological view. Second, we will investigate practical applications of the IHS for understanding socio-ecological interactions related to complex systems involving human, animal, and environmental health, as well as anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity. Thus, we will consolidate a new theory that can be used as a tool not only for the study of species interactions, but also of ecosystem services. With these next steps, we are committing to advance our line of research into the assembly rules of complex ecological systems, which is already beginning to have a significant impact on several fields of study. Our project also has the potential to help achieve some of the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations, also following the One Health perspective. (AU)