Advancing the Metabolic theory of Ecology
Ecology as a science has lacked a general scientific theory capable of making predictions on ecological phenomena on various levels, but now a candidate for such a theory exists. This is termed the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) and states that energy use (metabolism) is a central process for all organisms that partly can be predicted from body size and then used to make predictions on ecological processes at the population and community level. However, there is some scepticism towards MTE as a general theory and so far the empirical support for it is mixed. In this project, different predictions of MTE will be studied to test the theory and see if and how it may need to be modified.
January 2019 - December 2023 Systems Biology