GonzálezLAB
for an integrative ecology
Energetics in Ecological Systems
Energy and matter harvesting, fluxes and transformations are fundamental processes for the functioning of organisms and ecosystems. Through feeding interactions, living organisms obtain the energy and matter that allocate to a diversity of biological functions (e.g., growth, reproduction). At ecosystem level, in particular in aquatic habitats, basal energy sources derived from allochthonous (i.e., litter) or autochthonous (i.e., primary production) material can shape trophic efficiency, productivity, and ecosystem structure. Generally, more productive systems are more trophically complex, and the transfer of energy and matter through food webs is mediated by individual organisms, which are constrained by their energetic demands and trophic niches. These demands and niches are the evolutionary outcome of morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations to its environment, and can be influenced by a changing environmental conditions.
In this research we are looking at the energetic and material demands by living organisms, and we are are integrating ecological stoichiometry, food web theory, and cross-ecosystem subsides to gain insights into how environmental conditions and their changes shape the ecology of organisms and ecosystems. We are interested to know how changes in the relative importance of allochthonous versus autochthonous energy channels, induced by environmental changes such as warming and nutrient inputs, can affect energy transfer to higher trophic levels with potential consequences on biomass pyramids and ecosystem metabolism. These effects can propagate further to affect cross-ecosystem subsidies from aquatic to terrestrial systems.