Our paper “Invasive species modulate the structure and stability of a multilayer mutualistic network” was accepted and published by The Royal Society publishing!

Our paper titled “Invasive species modulate the structure and stability of a multilayer mutualistic network” published on June 28th, 2023, in “THE ROYAL SOCIETY” under the DOI https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.0132
Our model system and multilayer network analysis allow us to examine the broader consequences of disturbances, such as invasive species, on the structure and stability of multitrophic networks.

To read the paper, click on the link.

Dr. Shai hosts Prof. Darren Evans

A unique visitor marked the last weekend of April, Prof. Darren Evans from the UK graced the Department of Life Science as a special guest of Dr. Shai Pilosof. Prof. Darren delivered an exceptional seminar, enriching our academic community. It was an extraordinary opportunity for Shai’s students to engage with Prof. Darren, sharing their research and benefiting from his expertise. The Shai family opened their home, hosting a delightful Friday dinner for Prof. Darren and the lab.

Farewell to Vicente and wishing him the best

Time flies! A year has passed, and it’s time to say goodbye to Vicente, who has completed his internship in our lab. We hope his time in Israel was fulfilling both personally and professionally. We do not doubt that Vicente will continue to make meaningful contributions to the field. Take care, Vicente, and all the best!

Lab retreat over the weekend!

We had an incredible lab retreat over the weekend (30-31.03.2023). The retreat started on Thursday with a trip to Nahal Amud, where we had a delightful meal at a local Arab restaurant. Later that night, we stayed at a hostel by the Sea of Galilee and enjoyed a fun-filled social evening. The next day, we went on a scenic hike to Harbel Cliff, which offered breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. For a small glimpse into the trip, have a look at the pictures below.

Welcome Ying Jie to our lab as a postdoctoral researcher!

Ying Jie Wang, a postdoctoral researcher, has recently joined our lab in March. Originally from Taiwan, she brings a wealth of knowledge in stress ecology, community ecology, and eco-evolutionary feedbacks. Despite being with us for just a month, she has already become a key player in our international collaborative project on agent-based modeling of highly-diverse microbial communities. This project brings together ecology and evolution, microbiology, and statistical physics. We are excited to have Ying Jie with us and wish her the best of luck in her research. Welcome to the Lab, Ying Jie!

Itamar has joined the lab!

We are pleased to welcome Itamar, a second-year undergraduate student at BGU, who has recently joined us. Itamar is already working hard, learning the necessary skills and methods to start his project next year. Hope that Itamar enjoys his time in the lab and look forward to seeing the results of Itamar’s hard work. Welcome to the Lab!

New paper on how non-native ungulates affect pollination-seed dispersal multilayer networks is on bioRxiv!

There is limited understanding of how the disruption of keystone interactions, which are known to be important in the relationship between structure and stability, impacts multitrophic networks. In this study, we used the example of the Patagonian hummingbird-mistletoe-marsupial keystone interaction and its disruption by an invasive ungulate species to address this gap. Our model system and multilayer network analysis allow us to examine the broader consequences of disturbances, such as invasive species, on the structure and stability of multitrophic networks. Take a look here.