We operate an international seminar series on Theoretical Ecology via Zoom since September, 2020. With some exceptions, the hour-long events are held on every other Tuesday at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, which corresponds to 5 p.m. in London and 6 p.m. in Paris most of the time. Our invited lecturer speaks for cc. 20-30 minutes. The rest of the hour is for questions and discussions, which are often lively. The seminars are recorded and posted on our YouTube channel. We send out notifications before each lecture via email and Twitter. The webinar is organised by György Barabás (dysordys@gmail.com), Géza Meszéna (meszena.geza@ttk.elte.hu) and Chris Terry (christopher.terry@biology.ox.ac.uk). Any comment, or suggestion are welcome.
Zoom link (unless stated otherwise): https://liu-se.zoom.us/j/63158449287
YouTube channel with the lecture videos and teaching material, etc.
How to subscribe for email reminders?
Scheduled lectures
Purushottam Dixit (Yale): Niche dimensionality drives microbial community structure
31 March, 2026
Niche dimensionality links environmental complexity to ecosystem structure but has rarely been measured in microbiomes. Using joint species distribution modeling, we infer dimensionality directly from relative abundance data. In paired 16S rRNA–metabolomics datasets, inferred dimensionality tracked metabolic diversity, and increased competition, validating the approach. Across ~200 human gut studies, lower dimensionality was associated with greater competition, reduced biodiversity, stress, and diet simplification. Consumer/resource simulations reproduced these patterns, highlighting environmental tradeoffs as dominant. These results identify niche dimensionality as a measurable, previously overlooked driver of microbial community structure.
Andrea Tabi (ICM-CSIC)
14 April, 2026
Lisa Buche (ETH)
28 April, 2026
Harman Jaggi (Princeton)
12 May, 2026