How climate change is affecting natural ecosystems?
As climate records are broken nearly every year, many ecological systems might be at risk. In our lab, we aim to identify which natural habitats are at risk and why, and the strategies that animals can use to cope with climate change. To answer these questions, we combine knowledge from ecology, physiology, computer science, data science, and mathematics.
As climate records are broken nearly every year, many ecological systems might be at risk. In our lab, we aim to identify which natural habitats are at risk and why, and the strategies that animals can use to cope with climate change. To answer these questions, we combine knowledge from ecology, physiology, computer science, data science, and mathematics.
RESEARCH TOPICS
Ecological ModelingAnimals are in constant interaction with their surrounding environment and are mostly well adapted to the climate in their natural habitat. In the lab, we integrate climatological and ecological models to understand what biological responses should be expected under climate change. Our models are mostly mechanistic, based on first-principles from ecology, physiology, and environmental sciences, but we also develop machine-learning algorithms to downscale climatic data. Moreover, by combining our models with experimental work, we aim to explore the strategies animals can use to buffer the impacts of climate change.
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Empirical Research
We gather and analyze field observations to better understand how and why climate, competition, and predation affect organisms.
We also use field and laboratory observations to inform our ecological models, or to validate their output. Information such as metabolic requirements, and temperature tolerances are especially important for ecological predictions. |
Spatial SimulationsThe scaling of ecological models from organisms to populations is crucial for predicting the distribution of biodiversity in the future. For this purpose, We develop ecological simulations at regional to global scales. Such spatial analysis may highlight regions at which populations are vulnerable to climate change, and suggest which natural habitats should be preserved to protect a particular area's diversity.
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