Oscar is community ecologist focused on answering two fundamental questions in ecology. 1) Which are the determinants of species coexistence and exclusion within ecological communities, and 2) Which are the consequences of these coexistence dynamics for ecosystem functioning? Approaches to tackle these questions include the combination of ecological theory with observational studies, manipulative experiments and a strong component of statistical modelling. He has just started MESSY lab (Mediterranean Ecological Studies and SYnthesis lab) at the University of Cádiz (Spain), which aims to investigate mechanisms of species coexistence across multiple trophic levels in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Oscar es un ecólogo de comunidades centrado en contestar dos preguntas fundamentales en Ecología. 1) ¿Cuáles son los determinantes de coexistencia y exclusión de especies en las comunidades ecológicas?, y 2) ¿Cuáles son las consecuencias de estas dinámicas de coexistencia para el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas? Las aproximaciones para manejar estas preguntas incluyen la combinación de teoría ecológica con estudios observacionales, experimentos manipulativos y un fuerte componente de modelización estadística. Oscar acaba de empezar MESSY lab (Laboratorio de Estudios Ecológicos Mediterráneos y Síntesis) en la Universidad de Cádiz (España), el cual tiene por intención investigar los mecanismos de coexistencia de especies contenidas en múltiples niveles tróficos tanto para ecosistemas terrestres como marinos.

Continue reading “AE Profile: Oscar Godoy”

We’re happy to welcome Adam Martin, (University of Toronto at Scarborough, Canada) to the board. Adam is a forest- and agro- ecologist interested in plant ecophysiology, plant functional traits, forest carbon dynamics, and ecosystem functioning. He works in both natural and managed terrestrial ecosystems in temperate and tropical regions.

Find out more about Adam, his research and his approach to ecology here.

  Continue reading “Associate Editor Profile: Adam Martin”

Our new Associate Editor, Isabel Smallegange, is an Associate Professor of Population Biology at the University of Amsterdam. Follow her @I_Smallegange or check out her blogs at isabelsmallegange.com, where she also discusses issues regarding work-life and gender balance in academia.

Continue reading “Associate Editor Profile: Isabel Smallegange”

We’re happy to welcome Marko J Spasojevic, (University of California Riverside, USA) to the board. Marko is community ecologist working at the interface of ecology, biogeography, and conservation. His broad goal is to understand the mechanisms that influence patterns of biodiversity, and then to use that understanding to address environmental issues. His research combines large-scale observational studies across biogeographic regions, field experiments, functional and phylogenetic approaches, and advanced statistics and modeling to address environmental issues and to explore fundamental questions in ecology

We asked Marko to tell us about his current research and select some papers from the journal to recommend. Continue reading “Associate Editor Profile: Marko J Spasojevic”

We’re happy to welcome Tom Houslay, (Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK) to the board. Tom is an evolutionary ecologist whose research focuses on how genetic, environmental and social factors interact to shape multivariate phenotypes. He uses a combination of experimental manipulations and correlative (individual and quantitative genetic) studies to investigate variation in – and covariation between – life history and labile traits, including … Continue reading Associate Editor Profile: Tom Houslay