2-7th June, Pontevedra, Galicia
This conference aims to exchange the latest knowledge on ecology, leading to a paradigm shift in the interpretation and care of the planet amidst the current unstable and uncertain framework.
We are excited to present a diverse, inclusive, and cross-disciplinary scientific program that we hope you will find stimulating and thought-provoking. We would like to thank everyone who submitted proposals for Thematic Sessions. We are pleased to announce that a total of 53 Thematic Sessions have been accepted and scheduled within 6 General Sessions, covering a wide range of topics relevant to ecological research.
The Thematic Sessions (TS) have been grouped within the 6 General Sessions (GS) initially defined. However, participants are welcome to submit contributions (oral or poster presentations) either to one of the General Sessions or to any of the Thematic Sessions within them. We recommend submitting to a General Session only if none of the Thematic Sessions align closely with your research.
Scientific Sessions
GS1. Enhancing Inclusivity, Ethics, and Societal Impact in Science
This session will explore the imperative need for inclusivity and ethics in academia. Discussions will center around strategies to ensure diverse representation and participation (all genders, racialized people, etc.) in scientific endeavors, fostering an environment where multiple perspectives and backgrounds contribute to richer, more holistic ecological research. The session will also address ethical considerations in research practices, emphasizing transparency, a respectful work environment, and making science and knowledge accessible to everyone. Additionally, it will highlight ways in which ecological science can directly benefit society, focusing on community engagement, policy influence, and practical applications that solve real-world environmental problems.
Key Questions:
TS(1)1. Addressing Power Relations for Fairer Research in Ecology and Sustainability Science
Organizers: Irene Iniesta Arandia, Altekio S Coop Mad; Violeta Hevia, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid; Elisa Oteros Rozas, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC.
Achieving a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient world requires a deep systemic transformation of social-ecological systems. One essential step in ecological research is integrating social and natural sciences to holistically analyze ecosystems sustainability, and their value systems, considering power dynamics, and processes that have contributed to the current socio-environmental crises.
Power relations are ubiquitous and inherent to social relations, yet they seem elusive when designing research settings and policies for sustainable and just socioenvironmental futures (Lahsen & Turnhout 2021, Svarstad et al. 2018). In this session, we aim to place power relations at the forefront, exploring how we can foster more collaborative research practices by incorporating diverse perspectives and building more equitable pathways.
We invite proposals that integrate paradigms and methodologies to address these challenges, such as feminist, decolonial and anticolonial theories, arts-based methods, participatory approaches, value-based analyses, facilitation methods, and other innovative methodologies. Both conceptual and applied research are welcome.
TS(1)2. Harmonizing Ecological Analysis Across Europe
Organizers: Emanuel Baltag, Marine Biological Station "Prof. Dr. Ioan Borcea”, Agigea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi.
Eastern European countries possess remarkable biodiversity, thanks in large part to the prevalence of traditional agriculture and land management practices. However, their ability to conduct ecological research and analysis is often hindered by a limited number of researchers and constrained funding opportunities. In contrast, Western Europe, with its advanced experience in ecological studies, offers a wealth of expertise that could significantly aid the development of research capacities in Eastern Europe. Additionally, this collaboration could help preserve traditional land management practices that are at risk of vanishing in Western regions.
Building a knowledge bridge between Western and Eastern Europe is essential for enhancing our collective ecological understanding. By uniting these regions, we can uncover crucial links between traditional land use practices and ecosystem functions, fostering a comprehensive approach to biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management throughout Europe.
TS(1)3. Ecology in education: ecological literacy as a tool to face global change
Organizers: Cristina Fernández Aragón, Universidad a Distancia de Madrid, Facultad de Educación, Área de Didáctica de las Ciencias Naturales; Marcos Méndez Iglesias, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación; Daniela Barría Díaz, Universidad de Vigo, Área de Educación.
In the current scenario of global change and climate crisis, it is essential to have accurate information about the functioning of the ecosystems and to be able to integrate and apply this information to make rational decisions on relevant ecosocial issues. In addition, several studies reveal that students of different ages, as well as citizens and decision makers, present conceptual errors and difficulties in understanding the functioning of ecosystems and the causes of the ecological and social crisis. Furthermore, it is equally crucial to promote critical and systemic thinking, which are at the core of the Ecological Science. Given the magnitude and complexity of the challenge, it is key to build bridges of collaboration between academia and education at all levels, in order to lay common foundations on which to work towards the same goal: to recognize that human well-being is deeply linked to that of the rest of nature and, consequently, to commit to act to ensure a fair world on a safe planet. This symposium aims to promote a dialogue between the different agents involved in the ecological literacy of citizens, in a broad sense, to enable the co-creation of solutions from an integral vision.
TS(1)4. Beyond the Lab: Citizen Science as a Catalyst for Ecological Research and Community Involvement
Organizers: Anabel Sánchez Plaza, CREAF; Laura Force Seguí, CREAF; Florence Gignac, UVIC-BETA; Meritxel Abril Cuevas, UVIC-BETA.
Citizen science has become an increasingly valuable approach in ecological research, allowing for large-scale data collection, encouraging public involvement, and boosting scientific literacy. By shifting away from the traditional model where research was confined to universities and research institutions, it has opened up new ways of engaging with the scientific method without compromising its rigour. Today, citizen science plays a crucial role across various scientific disciplines, achieving particular success in areas like biodiversity monitoring, environmental assessment, and ecosystem management. In ecology, public involvement has become essential, spanning not only data collection and interpretation but also other stages of the research process, including the implementation of results.
This thematic session, the first to specifically highlight citizen science within an Iberian scientific ecology conference, aims to present key projects, share practical strategies, and discuss both the opportunities and challenges that citizen science brings. The session will tackle common issues like the changing roles of researchers, ethical considerations, coordination across different scales, and ensuring data accuracy. Through case studies and practical insights, participants will gain useful tools to effectively integrate citizen science into their own research, making this session an important resource for those seeking to enrich their ecological studies with participatory methods.
TS(1)5. Redrawing ecological entanglements: cosmopolitics and multispecies collaboration
Organizers: Brais Estévez, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela; Andrea Núñez Casal, CSIC.
This thematic session aims at cultivating kin through cross-species and cross-disciplinary alliances in times of loss of diversity, contamination, precarity, and growing inequalities. The session is an invitation to a collective experiment in redescribing our environmental condition by means of ethnographic, speculative and inventive engagements and practices.
The session is concerned with how human and more-than-human bodies (plants, soils, water, microorganisms, heat, waves) are affected by, embodying and responding differently to environmental degradation. Yet the problematisation of these phenomena is unsettled and restricted by Western categorisations of planetary life, human experiences and the methods of achieving sustainable social and environmental futures. The very definition of this epoch as the ‘Anthropocene’, suggests a global human responsibility for what is effectively the fallout of Western coloniality and capitalist social orders.
Inspired by the latest body of work by philosopher Isabelle Stengers (2015, 2018), the session asks: what is and how to enact cosmopolitics as the intrusion of Gaia? how to co-produce scientific knowledges and practices that become more sensitive and responsive to its social implications?
With a combined format, we invite ecologists, social science and humanities and inter/transdisciplinary scholars, activists, NGOs, artists and other publics to contribute to the re-describing of ecological transformations that might help us to overcome Anthropocenic narratives of collapse and excess.
TS(1)6. Effectiveness of anthropogenic actions in reducing biodiversity loss
Organizers: Sara Carona, CE3C - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change, Universidade de Lisboa; Alfredo García Fernández, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global; Carmen Bessa-Gomes, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution.
Anthropogenic actions are one of the main causes of the current biodiversity crisis and pose a significant threat to ecosystems. Measures to conserve species, maintain evolutionary potential and adaptation to in situ conditions, together with improving habitat restoration are becoming increasingly urgent.
In response, several conservation actions are being developed to protect threatened species, improve ecosystem services, and reduce human impacts on biodiversity. This session aims to explore the effectiveness of conservation measures, such as species translocations, ecosystem restoration, and mitigation efforts in endangered habitats or species, including meta-analysis and database compilations. By sharing up-to-date knowledge, this session will contribute to assessing how well these actions have succeeded in reversing biodiversity loss and promoting ecological integrity.
Attendees will gain insights into the efforts and challenges being faced in this field, with discussions relevant to scientists, policymakers and conservation practitioners . Engaging in this debate is crucial for shaping future conservation strategies and enhancing the global response to biodiversity decline.
GS2. Ecology Across Scales
Environmental and global change drivers influence the functioning of life at all levels, from molecular to ecosystemic or global processes. These factors affect both individual species and entire biomes. Conversely, the functioning of the biosphere also impacts the environment at different spatial and temporal scales. Understanding environment-life relationships is crucial to anticipate future changes and thus preserve life and ecosystems. A global understanding is essential to mitigate the negative impacts of human activities, enhance the resilience of ecosystems against disturbances, and develop more effective conservation and environmental management strategies.
Key Questions:
TS(2)1. The impact of Global Change on Plant-based species interaccions
Organizers: Álvaro Gaytán, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC); Blanca Gallego-Tévar, Universidad de Sevilla.
Plant-based interactions are fundamental to ecology because they determine community structure, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, ecosystem productivity, resilience to climate change and, ultimately, the provision of ecosystem services. Importantly, these interactions are being altered by various abiotic and biotic global change drivers. In this session, we are interested in studies on:
TS(2)2. Coping with the Change: Exploring the impacts of global change on marine biodiversity across spatial-temporal scales
Organizers: Daniel Gómez-Gras, Departament Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona; Pol Capdevila, Departament Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona; Cristina Linares, Departament Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona.
Marine biodiversity is undergoing rapid changes due to widespread human impacts on the oceans. These changes pose serious threats to the integrity of marine ecosystems and the benefits they provide. In response, international political frameworks such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Horizon Europe Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” have emphasized the urgent need to halt and reverse the degradation of marine ecosystems, guided by robust scientific evidence. However, our current capacity to assess biodiversity changes in the oceans and understand their implications remains limited. This session invites contributions that explore the ecological impacts of global change on marine biodiversity. We welcome studies estimating the magnitude and direction of biodiversity shifts—encompassing taxonomic, functional, and genetic diversity—on marine communities, as well as their consequences for ecosystem functioning and the services they provide to human societies. Contributions that employ long-term monitoring, ecological theory, synthesized data, and/or modeling tools to investigate conservation, adaptation, and management strategies across broad spatial and temporal scales are especially welcomed, as are studies that explore the effects of restoration actions (e.g., of habitat-forming species) on marine communities and ecosystems.
Overall, this session aims to foster a cross-taxonomic perspective on one of the most pressing topics in marine conservation, while also offering a platform for discussing future research challenges related to marine biodiversity change in the Anthropocene..
TS(2)3. Connecting scales through movement ecology
Organizers: María del Mar Delgado Sánchez, Instituto Mixto de Investigación en Biodiversidad (CSIC/UO/PA); Zaida Ortega Diago, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad de León.
In nature, resources are never distributed homogeneously within a species' environment and suitable habitat patches are often embedded in heterogeneous landscapes. Thus, individuals must move optimally between these patches to feed, reproduce, and maximize their fitness, which impacts population dynamics, species persistence, and coexistence (including the coexistence between wildlife and human populations). Movement, therefore, plays a fundamental role in ecological and evolutionary processes and is key to understanding the spatial dynamics and structure of populations and communities. Since ecological phenomena follow different spatial and temporal scales, our understanding of patterns and processes at various levels of biological organization depends on how we address these scales. Recent technological advancements have improved the tracking of animal movement across all spatial and temporal scales. This thematic session aims to share and discuss the latest developments in movement ecology, in a diverse and inclusive environment, bringing together the scientific community involved and fostering future collaboration.
TS(2)4. Plant-soil interactions: biodiversity, functioning and sustainable practices under global change
Organizers: Jorge Prieto Rubio, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE, CSIC-UV-GVA); Álvaro López García, Estación Experimental del Zaidín (EEZ, CSIC).
The increasing global demand for natural resources is driving transformations in ecosystem functioning, with unknown ultimate consequences, ranging from biodiversity loss to disruptions in biogeochemical processes. In this context, plant-soil systems emerge as fundamental pillars for the maintenance of terrestrial ecosystems, underpinning human well-being. However, studying these systems from the perspective of sustainable degrowth and ecological regeneration is becoming increasingly relevant, especially in ecosystems under anthropogenic pressure.
This session aims to bring together contributions that explore the biodiversity and functioning of plant-soil interactions in anthropized systems (such as agricultural, livestock, or forestry systems), as well as ecosystems undergoing degradation processes caused by human action or natural hazards. We welcome submissions investigating the effects of various drivers of change on plant-soil relationships and studies focusing on land management practices aimed at sustainability, conservation, and restoration. We encourage observational, experimental, modeling, and/or meta-analytical studies that promote a transition towards more equitable and regenerative forms of ecological research.
TS(2)5. Advancing the understanding of plant ecophysiology to inform global vegetation models
Organizers: Laura Fernández de Uña, Universidade de Vigo; Víctor Flo Sierra, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Raquel Lobo-do-Vale, Universidade de Lisboa.
Natural ecosystems are increasingly threatened by global environmental changes. Rising temperatures driven by climate change are causing higher atmospheric vapour pressure deficits, while drought episodes are expected to become more frequent and severe in many regions of the globe. These novel conditions are likely to affect the productivity and survival of terrestrial woody plants, disrupting water, carbon and biogeochemical cycles, and altering ecosystem dynamics. To better predict these changes, and thus inform adaptive ecosystem management, it is essential to gain a deeper understanding of how plants respond to environmental cues. This session aims to bring together recent research on plant and ecosystem functioning, using both empirical and modelling approaches, with a particular emphasis on studies bridging plant ecophysiology and vegetation models.
TS(2)6. Emerging environmental pollutants: from molecular to ecosystemic impacts
Organizers: Juan Manuel González Olalla, Instituto del Agua, Universidad de Granada; Isabel Forner Piquer, Institut de Ciències del Mar - CSIC.
Emerging pollutants, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, persistent organic pollutants, antibiotics, or plastics, present significant environmental challenges associated to their biotoxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation. Effects on different levels of biological organization (molecular, organism and population) have been recently described after the detection of pollutants in most of the environmental matrices and ecosystems. This session aims to present and elucidate the impact of man-made chemicals on micro and macroorganisms, from individual to ecosystemic level, in aquatic or terrestrial environments. We expect to discuss a range of topics that encompasses from ecotoxicology to bioremediation to allow a holistic understanding of the footprint of pollutants at all levels. We will aim to create a dynamic and stimulant session with early-career researchers along with renowned environmental scientists.
TS(2)7. Drivers of temporal changes in biodiversity: from species demography to communities
Organizers: Oscar Godoy, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC); Violeta Calleja Solanas, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC); Sergio Picó Jordá, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC).
Species are subject to continuous variation in environmental conditions that determine their population responses as well as their interactions with other species. Multiple studies have documented environmental effects on species´demography or biotic interactions. However, little is known about the feedbacks between demographic and ecological processes that structure the temporal dynamics of communities. Likewise little is known about how these feedbacks are related to the characteristics of environmental conditions such as the type of ambient noise and the physiological, morphological and evolutionary features of species. Understanding these processes is fundamental to integrate different fields of ecology as well as to predict the future of communities under global change. In this thematic session, we propose to gather an ample group of researchers working at the intersection between population and community ecology. This group, who is not taxonomically biased, uses a wide range of techniques from detailed studies to intense statistical modelling to understand temporal changes in the abundance, composition and richness of ecological systems.
TS(2)8. Transitional aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems: the ecological relevance of the dry phase of non-perennial inland waters
Organizers: María Mar Sánchez-Montoya, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Pablo Rodríguez-Lozano, Universitat de les Illes Balears; Núria Catalán, CEAB-CSIC.
Non-perennial (temporary) inland waters, such as non-perennial rivers and temporary ponds, are coupled aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems that only sometimes present surface water. Despite being found worldwide and increasing in extent due to global change, these ecosystems are still overlooked in conceptual models, legislation, policy, and monitoring efforts. In these ecosystems, drying creates a shifting mosaic of aquatic (lotic and lentic) and terrestrial habitats (dry beds) across wet and dry phases, supporting aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial communities, as well as processes that occur during these contrasting phases. While knowledge of these ecosystems has grown exponentially in recent decades, most research has focused on the wet phase through the lens of limnologists. The aim of this special session is to bring together aquatic and terrestrial ecologists, as well as managers, to advance the assessment, conservation, and restoration of coupled aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems. We particularly welcome studies focused on: the ecological aspects of the dry phase (e.g., biogeochemical processes, terrestrial biological communities); comparative ecological studies of the wet and dry phases; the influence of the dry phase on the structure and functioning of the ecosystem during the wet phase; and on the human dimensions and socio-ecological perspectives on these coupled ecosystems.
TS(2)9. The flow of elements and the functioning of the biosphere
Organizers: Estela Romero, CREAF, UAB; Marcos Fernández-Martínez, CREAF, UAB; Albert Rivas-Ubach, Institute of Forest Sciences (ICIFOR-INIA, CSIC).
The biogeochemical cycles of several key elements have been significantly altered in the past decades, to the extent that two of them (nitrogen and phosphorus) have crossed the disturbance threshold that we consider safe for the functioning of the Earth. Understanding biogeochemical processes, including their cycles, the relative abundances of elements and the interactions with organisms and the environment, is essential to deciphering the structure and function of ecosystems. By understanding the flow of essential elements such as carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus, we can trace, quantify and predict processes such as photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation and water pollution, which can directly influence Earth’s system responses to global change.
The session aims to present cutting-edge studies in biogeochemistry and ecological stoichiometry to gain insights into the functioning of organisms, ecosystems, and our biosphere. We encourage research across different spatial scales, from local experimental studies to global data syntheses, to improve our understanding and prediction of global change impacts, as well as the biotic and abiotic interactions between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem compartments. Studies that integrate spatial and temporal scales, combine different methods or provide novel conceptual and theoretical frameworks are particularly welcome.
TS(2)10. Exploring environmental variability in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
Organizers: Marco Jabalera Cabrerizo, Universidad de Granada; Juan Manuel González Olalla, Universidad de Granada.
Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are exposed to climatically- or naturally-driven short-term variability (deterministic or stochastic fluctuation) of multiple environmental drivers. Environmental variability can affect the performance of organisms and the interactions between species, ultimately impacting the functioning and structure of ecosystems under a global change context. Studies that include environmental variability may lead to responses that differ from those shown in studies focused on the mean alteration of one or several interacting drivers. However, such studies are still scarce, hence the pressing need for research on how environmental fluctuations can alter our understanding of the effects of global change on ecosystems and species' adaptive capacity. In this session, we encourage field, laboratory, modelling and predictive studies investigating the effects of environmental variability on the physiology, metabolism, composition of species and communities in their interaction with the environment. As a result, this session will provide a holistic understanding of the interaction between environmental variability and global-change drivers in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and will enhance the communication among researchers working in different regions to establish new collaborations. Finally, this session will promote a topic that requires further research under current and future events of higher variability (precipitations, heatwaves, etc.).
TS(2)11. Soil biodiversity: digging into one of the last biotic frontiers in ecological research
Organizers: Albert Vilà Cabrera, CREAF / University of Vic; Paula Arribas Blázquez, IPNA-CSIC; Miguel de Celis Rodríguez, Departamento de Suelo, Planta y Calidad Ambiental, Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, CSIC.
Soil organisms are one of Earth's major reservoirs of living biomass and biodiversity. Belowground biota is dominated by microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and protists) and a wide variety of invertebrate fauna, and recent advances have improved our understanding of the critical role of these organisms to multiple ecological processes. However, soil biodiversity is still a black box in many critical areas of ecological and evolutionary research, and this situation is impacting our ability to preserve edaphic biodiversity and the key ecosystem functions it provides in the face of human-driven global change. This symposium welcomes observational and experimental studies on soil organisms addressing pending ecological questions on soil biodiversity from a wide range of fields, including community ecology, biogeography, functional and ecosystem ecology, biotic interactions, global change ecology, restoration ecology, in both natural and anthropogenic ecosystems.
TS(2)12. Shifts, trajectories and nonlinearities: aquatic ecosystem responses to oligotrophication
Organizers: Camille Minaudo, Universitat de Barcelona; Xavier Benito, Marine and Continental Waters Program, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA); Estela Romero, CREAF.
Oligotrophication is commonly described as the transition of aquatic ecosystems from nutrient-rich (eutrophic) states to nutrient-limited (oligotrophic) conditions, with growing evidence available from rivers, lakes and estuaries. However, our understanding of ecosystem-level effects of oligotrophication besides chlorophyll and biomass declines such as shifts in metabolism, changes in community composition or cascading effects is still limited, among other reasons, due to the lack of comparison analyses at the large scale or across multiple sites. At a smaller scale, when time series are available, ecosystems’ responses to declining nutrient levels show a wide variety of trajectories. These knowledge gaps constrain our understanding of current and future aquatic ecosystems’ health, holding implications for the management of impaired ecosystems if restoration practices are to be implemented. This session stems from the SIBECOL Early Career Researcher-funded project Oligotrend, which synthesizes a large-scale database of nutrient and chlorophyll-a concentration time series across rivers, lakes, and estuaries over the last >30 years. We seek contributions from participants working on different aquatic biomes at varied spatiotemporal scales and transcending the freshwater-marine divide to shed light on feedback mechanisms, ecosystem trajectories, and regime shifts associated with oligotrophication.
TS(2)13. Spatial modelling of species niches and distributions
Organizers: Alejandra Zarzo Arias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Rubén García Mateo, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
In a world facing significant biodiversity loss, urgent conservation measures and a transformation in our interactions with natural ecosystems are essential. These efforts are critical for several purposes, including assessing species threats, developing conservation guidelines, and anticipating impacts of global change and biological invasions. Achieving these objectives requires a deeper understanding of how socio-ecological systems respond to global changes. In this context, Species Distribution Models (SDMs) are increasingly recognized as valuable tools for understanding species' ecological niches and geographic distributions, as well as forecasting changes and estimating potential vulnerabilities. SDMs have already demonstrated their utility in supporting conservation strategies for threatened species, facilitating habitat restoration, designing protected areas, and assessing risks from invasive species. However, a key challenge is the need to better quantify uncertainty in spatial predictions. The magnitude, significance, and complexity of this uncertainty are influenced by several factors, including the quality of input data (both species and environmental), modeling techniques, model evaluation, and the predictions themselves. In this Thematic Session, we invite contributions that present frameworks and applications aimed at identifying, quantifying, and reducing uncertainty in spatial models and predictions. We also welcome contributions that enhance the spatial modeling of species niches and distributions more broadly.
TS(2)14. Host-microbe interactions: understanding ecological processes from individuals to ecosystems
Organizers: Félix Picazo Mota, Departmento de Ecología, Universidad de Granada; Teresa Maria Morganti, Departamiento de Biología Marina y Oceanografía, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar de Barcelona (ICM).
Advancing our knowledge of macro-microorganism interactions, whether in loose relationships or intimate symbioses, is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms that govern these relationships, the evolutionary processes that shape them and ecological consequences. Since Lynn Margulis introduced the holobiont concept in the early 1990s, viewing hosts and their microbiomes as superorganisms, ecological studies have entered a new dimension. Moreover, recent advances on next-generation sequencing and growing accessibility to molecular tools have greatly expanded our understanding of this emerging and exciting field of research. This session aims to explore ecological processes at any level of biological organization (individual, population, community, and ecosystem) from a holobiont perspective, including symbiotic, parasitic, or opportunistic relationships, as well as their relevance to ecosystem functioning and services Any contribution focusing on macro-microorganism interactions, whether theoretical or empirical, is welcome, regardless of host taxon (plant or animal), ecosystem (aquatic or terrestrial), associated microbes, biome, or biogeographic area. Cross-disciplinary research to address the holobiont concept in applied areas, such as management and exploitation as practical solutions to mitigate the impact of human activities are also welcome.
TS(2)15. Expanding the frontiers of trait-based ecology: novel applications across taxa and scales
Organizers: Carlos Perez Carmona, Department of Botany, University of Tartu; Eleonora Beccari, Department of Botany, University of Tartu; Enrico Tordoni, Department of Botany, University of Tartu.
Trait-based approaches have revolutionized our understanding of biodiversity by linking species’ traits to their roles within ecosystems. This session will explore cutting-edge applications of trait-based frameworks, extending beyond plants to incorporate a wide range of taxa—such as animals, fungi, and microorganisms—across diverse ecosystems. By integrating above- and below-ground traits, as well as considering novel computational tools, this session will address the challenges of predicting community responses to global environmental changes.
The objective is to highlight innovative methods for measuring, analyzing, and interpreting functional traits and their applications in fields ranging from conservation to climate change mitigation. The session will be of interest to ecologists, modelers, and conservation practitioners who are keen to explore how functional traits can improve biodiversity forecasting and inform management strategies across different spatial and temporal scales.
TS(2)16. Impact of human activities on the health of ecosystems: linking different biological organization levels
Organizers: Luís André Lima da Gama Mendes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid; Ana Belén Muñiz González, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
Human activities have caused major shifts in the biosphere, by altering and/or destroying habitats, leading to changes in species communities and dynamics within and across ecosystems. In recent years, due to anthropogenic activity, there has been an exponential rise in the presence of contaminants of emergent concern (CEC) such as microplastics (MPs), plant protection products (PPP), or personal care products (PCPs), across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, from diverse sources such as effluents and sewage sludge (SS) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), agriculture, industry and households.
Given the evidence of the hazardous potential of said CECs and the occurring and incoming extreme climatic events, there is the need to understand and link their effects at different levels of biological organization prior to affecting whole communities. Therefore, this session aims to present and discuss research on the effects of exposure to CECs, linking one or more levels of biological organization. These include sub-organismal (molecular responses), organismal (survival, reproduction, and growth) and population response (phenotype change, adaptation), up to mesocosms systems or across ecosystems (soil and freshwater). The obtained information will be essential for the global understanding of the current and long-term impact of CECs on the health and sustainability of ecosystems.
TS(2)17. Connecting Portuguese and Spanish Ecological Restoration experiences and future perspectives under the EU Nature Restoration Law
Organizers: Alice Nunes, cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Universidade de Lisboa; Josu Alday, Universitat de Lleida, ETSEAFIV; Patricia Rodríguez-González, Forest Research Centre, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon.
Restoration challenges to halt and reverse ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss are often transnational, requiring cooperation across borders to effectively address ecological degradation. The Nature Restoration Law recently adopted in the EU also reinforces the need for coordination between countries which, in the case of Portugal and Spain, can largely benefit from the potential for collaboration between the Portuguese and Spanish ecological restoration networks. This session aims to foster cooperation between Portuguese and Spanish restoration researchers and practitioners, benefiting from the potential of their respective Restoration Networks to address common environmental issues and share restoration experiences and approaches for varied contexts, e.g. terrestrial, inland water, and marine and coastal ecosystems. Contributions are expected on topics such as transnational restoration efforts, shared degraded ecosystems or environmental/social challenges, as well as comparative perspectives. The session also aims to explore the potential for collaborative projects and share and discuss perspectives on the preparation and implementation of the respective National Restoration Plans under the EU law. The political momentum regarding ecosystem restoration offers a unique opportunity to apply ecological knowledge in a transnational context, allowing attendees to learn from each other's experiences and explore future collaborative pathways for ecological restoration in both countries.
GS3. The Interplay Between Species Coexistence and Abiotic Factors: Community Ecology
Coexistence is balance maintained through adaptive strategies and species interdependencies. Species employ various adaptive strategies, such as niche differentiation, resource partitioning, and temporal segregation, to enhance survival. These strategies allow multiple species to coexist, promoting biodiversity and ecosystem complexity. Understanding this balance requires moving beyond reductionist approaches, which often isolate components of the ecosystem for study, and instead embracing the complexity of ecological interactions. This perspective recognizes that abiotic factors and biotic communities are co-constitutive, each shaping the other in continuous mutual influence.
Key Questions:
TS(3)1. Ecosystem functioning: from individual to food web levels
Organizers: Ignasi Arranz Urgell, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global (IICG-URJC), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; Javier Sánchez-Hernández, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global (IICG-URJC), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; Guillermo García-Gómez, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global (IICG-URJC), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
Identifying the mechanisms responsible for ecosystem functioning is a keystone in ecology, as it implies unravelling energy fluxes among organisms and with their environment. Understanding ecosystem functioning can be explored using different biological levels, i.e. from organismal energy use – how individuals allocate metabolic energy for production and survival – to the food web level – feeding links and energy trophic transfer. This thematic session aims to consider important aspects of trophic complexity and stability, including connectance, omnivorous role, intraguild predation, and metabolic scaling, which are responsible of ecosystem functioning across freshwater, marine and terrestrial habitats. The session encompasses a wide range of approaches, including stable isotope research, allometric scaling rules, and energy budget models, utilizing diverse experimental, field-based, and theoretical study designs. Ecosystem integrity is being threatened by current human-driven changes, bringing novel research questions to be formulated and tested, such as how ecological systems are shaped in terms of energy fluxes, and feeding links, and how they respond to new environmental conditions. This matter involves the entire scientific community and will be addressed in the proposed session.
TS(3)2. Marine ecosystems: human impacts, adaptation and mitigation
Organizers: Rosa María Chefaoui Díaz, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global (IICG-URJC), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; Rosa María Viejo García, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global (IICG-URJC), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.
Local and global anthropogenic impacts are deeply affecting marine ecosystems, from the behavior of individuals to the dynamics of populations and whole assemblages. Gradual warming, marine heat waves, herbivory pressure, marine pollution, and invasive species are some of the drivers of ecosystem changes and biodiversity loss. There is also an emerging interest in assessing the potential for adaptation of marine ecosystems to the environmental changes and in promoting their resilience through protection and restoration actions.
In this thematic session we aim to gather a better understanding of marine ecosystems in the present scenario of change through research focused on: the human impacts at local and global scales on populations and biotic interactions, and how we can promote habitats restoration and conservation to increase resilience of these populations. We, then, welcome submissions on topics including, but not limited to: climate change effects, the impacts of herbivory, loss and resilience of species and marine habitats restoration and conservation
TS(3)3. Plant-herbivore interactions in the face of global change
Organizers: Andrea Galmán, Montana State University; Carla Vázquez-González, Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC).
Plant-insect herbivore interactions are important drivers of ecosystem functioning and shape the distribution and evolution of organisms. The stability of these interactions is currently being threatened by global change, with consequences for the preservation of ecosystem services and biodiversity. For example, climate change may alter plant-herbivore interactions through several processes, including effects on plant traits that mediate such interactions, and shifts in the distributions and relative abundances of plants, insects and their natural enemies, which decouples current interactions and creates novel ones.
In this context, a key challenge in ecology is to unravel the mechanisms that drive plant-herbivore interactions and how global change drivers may alter these dynamics. Gaining this understanding is essential for mitigating the negative impacts on ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, while also generating the knowledge necessary to inform policy decisions. This organized session will bring together speakers who study the effects of different drivers of global change on plant-herbivore interactions and how the effects cascade up to different trophic levels, including climate change, shifts in species distributions, plant invasions, or habitat disturbance and fragmentation. We aim to include studies conducted in both natural and urban ecosystems and in underrepresented regions, such as those in the global south.
TS(3)4. The ecosystem role of large herbivores. Impacts, challenges and lessons for conservation in a warming world
Organizers: Luis Santamaría, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC; Jaime Fagúndez, Universidade da Coruña; Laura Lagos Abarzuza, Universidade da Coruña.
Large herbivores are one of the most relevant components of many different ecosystems across the globe. However, the discussion on the factors modulating the balance between their environmental positive and negative impacts on ecosystems functions and services continues within the scientific community. This symposium aims to bring together researchers dealing with all aspects of the biology and ecology of ungulates and other large herbivores, including their role in shaping vegetation composition and productivity, as well as their impact on endangered flora, seed dispersal, interactions with top predators, or the prevention of wildfires. Particularly, we welcome studies on the importance of herbivores in protected areas, on differences between domestic vs wild or native vs invasive species, and on the potential interactions with global warming. We seek to create a discussion forum, eventually producing final conclusions to aid in the development of better management practices linked to the environmental and social particularities of each system.
TS(3)5. The value of time: understanding the fate of ecosystems, communities and metacommunities over time
Organizers: Xavier Benito Granell, Marine and Continental Waters Program, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA); Sergi Pla-Rabés, CREAF; Maria Cuenca-Cambronero, Universitat de Vic.
Community ecology has advanced the notion of how biotic and abiotic factors interact to structure ecological communities, yet with a strong focus on spatial scales. Understanding how accelerating environmental change will impact populations, communities and ecosystems requires also to explore temporal dynamics at different time scales. This session calls for recent perspectives in community ecology emphasizing the importance of long-term metacommunity dynamics studies, integrating local and regional processes such as dispersal, and historical contingencies such as priority effects and past disturbances, and considering a long-term view of past environmental variability. Incorporating evidence of repeated community assembly processes and dynamic equilibrium together with environmental filtering would benefit from temporal approaches at scales from years to millennia. This is timely as the increasing availability of long-term datasets has coincided with the development of new analytical tools (e.g., sedimentary ancient DNA) and theoretical advancements (e.g., resilience theory). These tools offer valuable insights into studying temporal dynamics in community ecology from a multidisciplinary perspective within community ecology such as paleoecology, disturbance ecology, conservation ecology, and evolutionary biology. This session welcomes contributions that specifically seek to bridge the local-regional and short-long term divide, using diverse sources of datasets and approaches to better understand the role of spatiotemporal environmental regimes in shaping community assembly factors.
GS4. Ecology Meets Evolution
Plasticity facilitates rapid and flexible responses to environmental changes, challenging the traditional, linear views of evolution that emphasize gradual genetic changes over long periods. Instead, plasticity introduces a dynamic interplay between organisms and their environments, suggesting that evolution is not merely a process of natural selection acting on fixed genetic traits, but a complex, ongoing dialogue where organisms actively respond to and shape their ecological contexts. Phenotypes are not just passively encoded by genomes but are co-constructed through interactions with the environment and mediated by epigenetic mechanisms.
Key Questions:
TS(4)1. From Extinct to Extant: Integrating Palaeontological and Ecological Knowledge
Organizers: Iván Rey-Rodríguez, Mapas Lab, UVigo; Sara Gamboa, Mapas Lab, UVigo; Adriana Oliver, Mapas Lab, UVigo.
Understanding the full scope of biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics requires bridging the temporal and methodological gaps between palaeontology and ecology. The integration of these two disciplines promises to illuminate patterns of life that transcend time, offering a more comprehensive view of biodiversity through both evolutionary and ecological lenses.
By examining ancient ecosystems and their evolution, we gain insights into how past environmental changes influenced evolutionary trajectories and how historical extinction events relate to current biodiversity crises. Utilizing the fossil record to inform ecological theories—and vice versa—enhances our ability to predict future ecological outcomes amidst contemporary global challenges.
Advances in methodologies and theoretical frameworks are facilitating this interdisciplinary integration, highlighting the importance of a combined approach in reconstructing Earth's biological history and tackling conservation challenges.
This session will explore how merging palaeontological and ecological knowledge can offer crucial insights for understanding and preserving biodiversity in a rapidly changing world.
TS(4)2. Exploring Evolutionary Adaptation and Resilience Mechanisms to Environmental Change in the Ocean
Organizers: Pedro Beca Carretero, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC); María López Acosta, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC); Lucía Pita Galán, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC).
Marine organisms have evolved along distinct pathways that define their function, niche, and overall contribution to ecosystems. In the current context of global change, these evolutionary adaptations shape their ability to acclimate to shifting environmental conditions. The plasticity of molecular and physiological responses in marine organisms, as well as the versatility of symbiotic interactions, will either limit or enhance their capacity to thrive across diverse habitats and scenarios.
Building on this understanding, this session invites research that explores the plasticity of marine organisms at molecular, physiological, and phenotypic levels; symbiotic relationships as facilitators of adaptation to environmental shifts; and additional ways through which organisms, environmental factors, and biotic interactions collectively shape the evolution and acclimation of marine life. This includes, among others, studies on plastic changes in gene expression and biochemical composition, context-dependent interactions with and among microbes, and mechanisms that determine the success of organisms under changing environmental conditions. Understanding these processes provides insights into the status of marine organisms and ecosystems, fosters species adaptation, and offers tools for monitoring the resilience and sustainability of our oceans.
TS(4)3. Plant life on extreme environments
Organizers: Celestino Quintela Sabarís, Dept de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo; Pablo Tejero Ibarra, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología; Sara Palacio Blasco, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología.
Extreme environments challenge the life of most plants. Among them we find, for example, those in which temperatures are too high or too low, or where the availability of water, light or nutrients, or the presence of toxic substances, hinders metabolism and, therefore, the life of plants. Examples of this type of environment are polar regions, alpine areas, cliffs, deserts or special substrates (such as saline, serpentine or gypsum soils). Despite the limiting conditions that prevail in them, numerous plant species have been able to find, throughout evolution, biochemical, physiological, anatomical and ecological solutions to survive. Consequently, extreme environments are rich in endemic species, many of them with a low tolerance to environmental changes. These species are increasingly threatened by global change. Analysing the processes and mechanisms behind plant life on extreme environments may provide useful biotechnological tools, help to understand the limits of plant life and contribute to the conservation of these unique floras. This session welcomes contributions on the ecology and evolution of plant life on extreme environments. Although the focus is on plants, contributions on other organisms like fungi and bacteria are also welcome.
TS(4)4. Assessing the interplay between genetic and non-genetic mechanisms contributing to phenotypic variation and adaptation over time
Organizers: Francesco de Bello, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC); Javier Puy, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC).
To understand how ecosystems respond to global change, we must understand how biological diversity and ecosystem function are maintained over time. One of the most crucial and pressing pursuits in this direction is to determine what causes communities and populations to be resilient to environmental change. Ecologists have long argued about multiple mechanisms by which local biodiversity might achieve greater temporal stability and thus support the temporal stability of ecosystem properties. Among these mechanisms, heritable differences in phenotype and phenotypic plasticity are important contributors to adaptation. Genetic diversity is assumed to allow populations to adapt to changing environmental fluctuations by offering a greater variety of phenotypes among which the most fit can be selected. However, the ability of an organism to modulate trait expression in response to the environment (i.e., phenotypic plasticity) is also heritable. Such induced responses can be of highly variable duration, from short-term transient modifications operating within the lifetime of individuals (within-generation plasticity) to inherited differences across generations (transgenerational plasticity). The relative effect of genetic vs. non-genetic mechanisms, including their temporal extent and to which extent they are triggered by different environmental drivers, largely remain to be assessed. It is unclear to which extent non-genetic effects are cumulative when environmental conditions are maintained across generations. We also do not know how reversible induced differences are when environmental conditions change. These questions require researchers to assess how the role of genetic diversity and/or diversity in non-genetic inheritance interacts with population stability over time. Another important task is to describe how such questions can be addressed experimentally. This symposium will gather diverse researchers who are working to understand the link between genetic and non-genetic effects on short- and long-term phenotypic variation within species and how genetic and non-genetic effects can be disentangled in natural populations.
The proposed symposium aims to synthesize the recent developments across different fields of research, connecting studies on genetic diversity, phenotypic diversity and non-genetic effects such as transgenerational plasticity. As such, we will assess topics like phylogenetics and phylogenomics, trait-based ecology and plant communities, epigenetics and transgenerational plasticity, functional genetics, and global change ecology in combination, with the aim of outlining unexplored areas of research that bridge these fields.
TS(4)5. Intra-specific and intra-individual variation in a climate change context
Organizers: Martí March Salas, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global (IICG-URJC), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; Charlotte Møller, Botany and Mycology Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki.
Trait variation allows plant populations to adapt to diverse conditions and respond to increasing environmental pressures. The extent of this variation, known as intra-specific trait variation (ITV), is both a cause and a consequence of evolution, enhances ecological resilience to stressors, and influences the community structure as well as interactions with other organisms. While ITV research mostly focus on variation among individuals, recent studies have shown that intra-individual variation —an ITV research branch that studies the phenotypic variation occurring among repeated organs within individual plant genotypes— can affect evolutionary trajectories, contribute to functional diversity, and influence the dynamics of ecological communities. Despite being largely overlooked, intra-individual variation (also known as subindividual variation or diversity) can be the most important source of variation within plant populations, and provide crucial insights into plastic responses, epigenetics, resource allocation, adaptability, and population dynamics, especially in the climate change context. Understanding variation in important functional traits both among and within individuals is critical for advancing in fields such as evolutionary ecology, physiology, ecosystem functioning, and agriculture.
The objective of this session is to emphasize the need for greater attention to intra-specific, and specifically intra-individual, variation, presenting novel approaches and research themes that uncover their ecological, functional, and evolutionary significance. By focusing on inter- and intra-plant differences, we aim to encourage new perspectives on how plants and associated biotic interactions respond to dynamic and changing environments.
Attendees interested in the evolutionary and functional implications of intra-specific and intra-individual variation, and in new fields associated with biotic interactions, epigenetic modifications, phenotypic plasticity, or crop science, will find this session particularly valuable.
TS(4)6. Cryptogams Under Pressure: Adapting to Environmental Stress and a Warmer Planet
Organizers: Zulema Varela Río, Ecology Area, Functional Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela; Helena Hespanhol, BIOPOLIS/CIBIO-InBIO.
Despite their small size, cryptogams like mosses and lichens play essential roles in terrestrial ecosystems, such as carbon and nutrient cycling. Their poikilohydric nature and poorly developed protective cuticle make them highly sensitive to atmospheric precipitation and pollutants.
Multiple global changes, including climate warming, eutrophication, and land use, are altering bryophyte assemblages, increasing the risk of species loss and impacting ecosystem functions. Their survival and reproduction depend on external conditions due to their unique morphology and physiology. Like all species, mosses and lichens must adapt or migrate to maintain their ecological niche. Their adaptability makes them excellent bioindicators of environmental changes. They are highly sensitive to air quality and temperature shifts, making them ideal for monitoring disturbances like pollution and climate change. Their slow growth and longevity provide insights into long-term environmental changes. These organisms are fundamental tools for assessing ecosystem health in the face of increasing environmental stressors.
This thematic session will summarize the main advances in research on the responses of mosses and lichens to changing environmental conditions, thus helping to understand ecological impacts and the resilience of such organisms in a changing climate.
GS5. Are We at a Global Tipping Point? Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Services Sustainability
Framing our current ecological crisis as a "global tipping point" acknowledges the profound and potentially irreversible changes facing our planet. We must deepen our understanding of the complex, interdependent processes that contribute to biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. There is a critical need to foster a sense of ecological responsibility and care, recognizing that sustainable solutions require fundamental changes in how we relate to the natural world and to each other. This necessitates questioning the underlying socio-economic systems that drive environmental degradation. We need a multifaceted, interdisciplinary, and deeply ethical response to ensure the sustainability of biodiversity and ecosystem services for generations to come.
Key Questions:
TS(5)1. The functional role of non-charismatic biodiversity in the face of a changing world
Organizers: Pilar Hurtado, Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, University Rey Juan Carlos; Rebeca Arias-Real, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MSCN-CSIC); Cayetano Gutiérrez-Cánovas, Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, University Rey Juan Carlos.
Global change and biodiversity loss are crucial challenges threatening ecosystems and society. There is ample evidence showing that biodiversity tracks environmental change and supports ecosystem functioning and the benefits that nature provides to people. However, studies exploring the functional role of biodiversity have focused on charismatic, well-known organisms, including plants and vertebrates, paying less attention to the remaining fraction of biodiversity. This bias reduces our ability to understand the impact of global change, and consequently our ability to mitigate their effects. Recent progress has advanced our understanding of the functional role of non-charismatic organisms, including benthic, biocrust, biofilm, lichen, planktonic and soil organisms, among others. These studies revealed that non-charismatic organisms play key functional roles in ecosystems, and that global change alter their contribution to ecosystem functioning and services. However, there is a need to synthesise evidence across ecosystems to improve their management and conservation. In this special session, we will welcome studies exploring the functional role of non-charismatic biodiversity and their responses to global change for freshwater, marine, terrestrial ecosystems and transitional ecosystems. We will cover studies exploring how the functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity of non-charismatic organisms respond to global change drivers and influence ecosystem functions and services.
TS(5)2. Anthropogenic Disturbances and Global Change: Impacts on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Organizers: Inmaculada (Ada) Álvarez-Manzaneda, Department of Ecology, University of Granada; Nuria Pistón, Department of Ecology, University of Granada; Silke Martínez-Moreno, Department of Ecology, University of Granada.
The accelerating pace of anthropogenic disturbances, coupled with global climate change, poses a significant threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems. This session will explore the direct and indirect effects of major disturbances, including drought, wildfires, urbanization, and resource overexploitation. These disturbances disrupt ecological balance, leading to habitat loss, species extinction, and diminished ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification, and carbon sequestration.
The session will also highlight cutting-edge monitoring techniques which are crucial for assessing the impacts of these disturbances. Focusing on innovative tools enable more precise tracking of changes in biodiversity and ecosystem health, aiding in the development of adaptive management strategies.
By understanding these dynamics, we aim to foster dialogue on mitigating the adverse effects of human activities and climate change, ultimately promoting sustainable practices that preserve biodiversity and ecosystem functionality for future generations.
TS(5)3. Impacts, opportunities and challenges for biodiversity conservation within utility-scale PV farms
Organizers: Fernando Ascensão, CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes - FCUL; Dominik Noll, MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development; Julia Gómez-Catasús, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
European countries are expanding photovoltaic (PV) farms to reduce carbon emissions and enhance energy independence. This expansion, however, raises concerns about the impacts on biodiversity, which are likely context-specific. When established in natural areas, the changes in land use and land cover (e.g., through vegetation removal, power lines installation) can significantly disrupt local habitats and threaten inhabitant organisms. Conversely, in areas already heavily impacted by human activities, PV farms may benefit biodiversity by creating low-disturbance islands. This might be particularly important in regions dominated by intensive agriculture, although they may pose risks if promoted in crucial conservation areas, such as grasslands. Despite ongoing research, we are still far from fully understanding the impacts, opportunities, and challenges for biodiversity conservation posed by solar farms. This thematic session dedicated to the general session GS5, aims to gather research conducted across diverse regions, focal groups, and landscape contexts to synthesize current knowledge, identify gaps, and outline future research needs. This session will include presentations on both, the potential negative impacts (e.g., habitat loss) and benefits (e.g., pollinator support) of solar farms, along with the challenges of optimizing their location, design, and management to foster biodiversity conservatin (e.g., legislation, political and socioeconomic factors).
TS(5)4. Understanding the potential of managed ecosystems to mitigate climate change from an ecological perspective
Organizers: María Almagro Bonmatí, IFAPA Camino de Purchil, Área de Ingeniería y Tecnología Agroalimentaria; Pablo Manzano, Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3); Daniel Ortiz Gonzalo, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Terrestrial ecosystems, University of Copenhagen.
Land use change and the degradation of agroecosystems due to industrial agricultural practices is a major driver of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. Impact attribution, however, often lacks an ecological context to make such attributions more accurate.
There is great potential to mitigate these problems by adopting ecological principles in agriculture, but only if impacts are attributed fairly to prevent counterproductive measures and trade-offs are also considered.
The objective of this session is to present case studies on mitigation in agroecosystems, studies that integrate Ecology in Agricultural Sciences to improve our understanding of ecosystem processes and interactions that contribute to mitigation, integrated assessments that consider the trade-offs of mitigation measures, as well as the application of ecological approaches for fair impact attribution.
This session is aimed at anyone interested in exploring the usefulness of ecological science approaches for climate change mitigation research.
TS(5)5. Ensuring the ecological effectiveness of the EU Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027
Organizers: Mario Díaz, Department of Biogeography and Global Change (BGC-MNCN), Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC; Elena Velado Alonso, Functional Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology Group, Georg-August University Göttingen; Sonia Roig-Gómez, Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
Agriculture in Europe has been largely driven by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Its last reform will be enforced from 2023 to 2027, and it seeks to be socially fairer, greener and more performance-based than previous periods. Adaptive management, including compulsory direct evaluation of environmental effectiveness, is a key new feature of the current CAP. This session will present current state of research aimed at developing evaluation and monitoring tools to ensure CAP effectiveness to improve biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services. Spanish and Portuguese case studies are especially relevant due to its disproportionate share of agrosystem biodiversity within Europe, as well as recent basic and applied research on it.
TS(5)6. Forest mortality and die-off responses to global change
Organizers: Paloma Ruiz Benito, Universidad de Alcalá; Antonio J Pérez Luque, Institute of Forest Sciences (ICIFOR), INIA-CSIC; José M. Torres-Ruiz, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS) - CSIC.
Forests are critical ecosystems for human well-being acting as net carbon sinks worldwide. However, increased tree mortality and die-off events are being observed worldwide and it could not only compromise the role of forests as carbon sinks but also alter the distribution patterns of many species, especially as these events are expected to increase in the future. In many cases, decaying and mortality events are underlined by extreme climatic conditions, such as more intense and frequent hotter droughts, but they are usually triggered and exacerbated by other factors such as pests and pathogens. Currently, our ability to understand and predict these events and their ecological consequences is still limited. In this session we aim to discuss advances in the study of the responses of forests to climate change, particularly about the patterns and processes associated with climate-induced tree mortality and die-off, from both an ecophysiological and ecological perspective, to further apply this knowledge to improve forest management.
TS(5)7. The long-term recovery of post-agricultural land
Organizers: David Moreno Mateos, University of Oxford; Asun Rodriguez Uña, University of Cambridge; Daniel Montoya, Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3).
Agriculture is the largest transformation of the Earth’s surface. At this point in history, post-agricultural land has been dramatically increasing over the last decades and will only grow. However, the recovery of these lands is uncertain and will take centuries in optimistic scenarios. In this session, we will explore patterns and mechanisms of ecosystem recovery in post-agricultural lands over long periods of time (>100 years). For this, we will compare traditional functional and structural attributes (e. g. species diversity, carbon stocks) with emerging metrics integrating interactions and functions (e. g. the stability of interaction networks, abundance of meta-community hub species). These will allow us to propose potential future scenarios and tools to promote more diverse and functional recovering ecosystems. Attendees interested in succession, disturbance, long-term studies, species interactions, conservation or restoration might be interested.
TS(5)8. Greenhouse gas fluxes across natural and anthropized ecosystems
Organizers: Isabel Reche, Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Granada; Iris Hendriks, Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (CSIC-UIB); Penélope Serrano-Ortiz, Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Granada.
During the last century, the concentration of the main greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CO2, CH4, and N2O has increased substantially in the atmosphere, driving global climatic change. However, the knowledge about the sources and sinks of these GHGs in different types of ecosystems is still very limited, constraining global predictions and models. In this session, we want to explore the different processes involved in the GHG budgets (emissions and uptakes) in diverse natural (e.g., lakes, rivers, coastal wetlands, forests, grasslands, coastal vegetation) and anthropized (e.g., crops, aquaculture, reservoirs) ecosystems. This session invites scientists working on greenhouse gas fluxes at the ecosystem scale to present their results, enabling a comparison among different ecosystem types and produce a more holistic, global vision.
TS(5)9. What works in forest management and restoration
Organizers: Philip martin, Basque Centre for climate change - Bc3; Isabel Donoso, Basque Centre for climate change - Bc3.
The increasing threats posed by forest destruction and extreme climate change mean that sustainable forest management and restoration are more urgent than ever. This importance is reflected in the ambitious commitments made by governments worldwide, such as restoring 3.6 million square kilometres of forests—around six times the size of the Iberian Peninsula. Despite the high political priority of forest management and restoration, many knowledge gaps remain. For example, we still know relatively little about the impacts of management and restoration practices on key aspects like soil health, water quality, and complex biodiversity outcomes, such as species interactions. In addition, the trade-offs between environmental and social priorities, the contexts in which different management and restoration strategies are most effective, and the social factors that determine success remain unclear. This session will explore these crucial themes, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of what works—and what doesn’t—when attempting to sustainably manage and restore forest ecosystems.
TS(5)10. Biological invasions, knowledge to manage in a context of global change
Organizers: Luís González Rodríguez, Universidade de Vigo; Jonatan Rodríguez Parra, Unversidade de Santiago; Ana Novoa Pérez, EEZA-CSIC.
Scientific and public interest in invasive species is driven by their ecological, economic and social impacts. Invasive species are responsible for many of the extinctions of species for which the cause is known, and are considered to be one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. They are considered an important part of global change, as they can significantly alter ecosystem processes and functions, leading to significant environmental damage that can sometimes be irreversible.
Factors such as climate change, habitat degradation or overexploitation pose an additional challenge for the effective management of invasive species, as they allow their appearance in other areas, favour the increase of their distribution area, hinder their management and magnify the problem. This problem has caused great general interest, with special emphasis on the role of Spain and Portugal, including different points of view and scientific fields.
This thematic session may constitute a necessary forum for the presentation of systematic reviews, methodological studies and experiences that provide answers to scientific research questions that would otherwise appear scattered in the ‘corpus’ of the congress. On the other hand, it is intended to be a backbone session of the new AEET working group, ecology of invasions.
TS(5)11. Addressing the climate emergency through citizen-driven forest restoration projects. Learning from Life-Terra project
Organizers: Santiago Sabate, Universitat de Barcelona; Teresa Sauras Yera, Universitat de Barcelona; Sven Kallen, Founder & Secretary at Life Terra Foundation & General Director Volterra Ecosystems.
Given the urgent need for actions to face global climate change, there are ambitious initiatives that promote land restoration, not only to capture CO2 to mitigate anthropogenic emissions, but also to restore degraded land and promote the maintenance of socio-ecological systems. In addition to acting scientifically and technically to provide solutions, we must also involve citizens in the process.
During this dynamic and collaborative session, participants will discuss opportunities and challenges of restoration initiatives, including biodiversity conservation and provisioning of socio-ecological systems. As set in Life Terra (https://www.lifeterra.eu/en) we are thinking to embrace four interconnected pillars that while facing different challenges need integration.
TS(5)12. Brown Urban Ecology: The interlink between nature and humanity
Organizers: Juan Antonio Hernández Agüero, Departament of Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Jéssica Jiménez-Peñuela, IREC-CSIC-UCLM; Joan Casanelles-Abella, Technische Universität München (TUM).
General background: Urbanization produces some of the most significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. As cities rapidly expand, they exert pressure on natural habitats, leading to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and disruptions in essential ecosystem services such as air and water purification, temperature regulation, and disease control. Abiotic and biotic conditions are highly modified in cities including higher levels of pollution, small-sized, fragmented habitat and modified ecological interactions. Thus, urban areas represent a thrilling environment for ecological studies, and ecological knowledge should be integrated in urban planning to maximize the ecosystem services provided by the urban biota.
TS(5)13. Green Urban Ecology: nature and the city
Organizers: Jaime Fagúndez, Universidade da Coruña; María José Servia García, Universidade da Coruña; Yaiza Rodríguez Lueje, Universidade da Coruña.
General background: Urbanization produces some of the most significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. As cities rapidly expand, they exert pressure on natural habitats, leading to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and disruptions in essential ecosystem services such as air and water purification, temperature regulation, and disease control. Abiotic and biotic conditions are highly modified in cities including higher levels of pollution, small-sized, fragmented habitat and modified ecological interactions. Thus, urban areas represent a thrilling environment for ecological studies, and ecological knowledge should be integrated in urban planning to maximize the ecosystem services provided by the urban biota.
TS(5)14. Blue Urban Ecology: Aquatic ecosystems for Healthy and Sustainable Cities
Organizers: Maria João Feio, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ARNET - Aquatic Research Network; Ana Raquel Calapez, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ARNET - Aquatic Research Network; João M Neto, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ARNET - Aquatic Research Network.
General background: Urbanization produces some of the most significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. As cities rapidly expand, they exert pressure on natural habitats, leading to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and disruptions in essential ecosystem services such as air and water purification, temperature regulation, and disease control. Abiotic and biotic conditions are highly modified in cities including higher levels of pollution, small-sized, fragmented habitat and modified ecological interactions. Thus, urban areas represent a thrilling environment for ecological studies, and ecological knowledge should be integrated in urban planning to maximize the ecosystem services provided by the urban biota.
TS(5)15. Biodiversity and good practices in vineyards
Organizers: María J. Servia, Universidade da Coruña; Yaiza R. Lueje, Universidade da Coruña; Jaime Fagúndez, Universidade da Coruña.
Vineyards occupy extensive areas around the world, and many constitute traditional valuable landscapes providing a wide array of ecosystem services. However, at present vineyards face multiple challenges, each region having its own set of issues to deal with, and in the last decades they include important environmental topics. Adaptation to climate change is paramount, with some areas experimenting extreme meteorological events and long droughts that have important impacts on soil quality. Societal concerns are forcing the progressive adoption of organic management practices and the reduction of chemical treatments for pest control, and this is helping in reducing air, water and soil pollution, but also promoting biodiversity enrichment. Recently, invasive species, agricultural land abandonment or wildlife damage and control have irrupted as serious threats to some areas where winegrowers are struggling with multiple menaces. This session aims to explore how research is helping in increasing sustainability and promoting biodiversity in vineyards, providing a forum for the discussion of ecological topics connected to these agricultural areas.
GS6. New Technologies, New Discoveries: Big Data, Remote Sensing, and AI
Coordinators: Laura Hernández Mateo, ICIFOR-INIA, CSIC; Jose Manuel Álvarez-Martínez, Univ. Oviedo-CSIC-Princ. Asturias; Salvador Arenas-Castro, Universidad de Córdoba.
The advent of new technologies has revolutionized the field of biodiversity research. Specifically, the integration of big data analytics, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence (AI) has markedly enhanced our ability to monitor, analyze, and understand biological diversity on a global scale. The exponential growth of open-access databases on biodiversity has facilitated unprecedented data availability. These extensive datasets enable researchers to perform large-scale analyses, uncover patterns, and make informed predictions about biodiversity trends. Remote sensing technology has become an invaluable asset in biodiversity research, allowing for the monitoring of habitat changes, assessment of ecosystem health, and detection of environmental disturbances with high temporal and spatial resolution. AI-driven tools, such as automated image recognition algorithms, facilitate the rapid processing of large datasets, enabling more efficient and accurate biodiversity assessments.
Key Questions:
TS(6)1. Ecoacoustic monitoring of biodiversity: challenges and applications
Organizers: Irene Mendoza Sagrera, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC); Esther Sebastián González, Department of Ecology. University of Alicante; Cristian Pérez Granados, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia.
There is a current need to develop biodiversity monitoring schemes that are automatic, fast, reliable, and scalable over broad spatial and temporal scales. Sounds from nature are one of the best proxies of the health status of ecosystems and they serve as indicators of global-change impacts. Traditional techniques of acoustic survey are labour-intensive, expensive, and logistically impracticable in remote areas. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) is an alternative to monitor biodiversity that can cover broad and spatial temporal scales, including simultaneous and long-term monitoring, while reducing biases among observers. However, vast amounts of data is often generated, which requires the use of machine learning algorithms to automatize the identification of animal species. Nonetheless, the development of machine learning algorithms is not friendly for many researchers and practitioners, so multidisciplinary approaches are required. In this session, we aim at presenting the most advanced research on terrestrial ecoacoustic monitoring, focusing on challenges including methods, applications, and standardisation of acoustic data. We will favour the diversity of speakers, including different backgrounds, genders and career stages. As ecoacoustics is getting increased interest, we believe that this session will be informative for attendees already working on the topic and others that could start doing so promptly.
TS(6)2. Perspectives and Challenges in Biodiversity Forecasting
Organizers: Guillermo Fandos, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution\; Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Maria Paniw, Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC).
The global decline in biodiversity over recent decades, primarily due to key anthropogenic stressors, is a pressing issue. Predicting near-term changes in biodiversity is essential for adaptive management, that is, anticipating and mitigating biodiversity loss instead of just reacting to loss. However, many challenges persist in developing such forecasts, and our predictive capacity needs improvement.
This session will address data constraints, information gaps, and modeling challenges – but also opportunities – in biodiversity forecasting. We will discuss theoretical and conceptual tools that synthesize incoming data, create and validate predictive models, estimate uncertainties, improve data collection, detect trends, and ensure scalability across various spatial and temporal levels.
The aim is to outline current incentives and recommendations for the broader use of biodiversity models for decision support. Additionally, we hope to generate synergies and debate among researchers interested in predicting biodiversity, discussing limitations, and addressing new challenges in biodiversity forecasting and conservation. Attendees will benefit from expert perspectives on innovative solutions and the latest advancements, fostering a collaborative approach to biodiversity forecasting and its practical implementation.
TS(6)3. Quantitative ecology: modelling of populations and species distributions
Organizers: María Victoria Jiménez Franco, Departamento de Biología Aplicada. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH). Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche; Gurutzeta Guillera Arroita, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (CSIC), Jaca.
In the era of global change and big data, there is a growing demand among practicing ecologists and managers to interpret ever larger and more complex data sets to study and predict responses of wildlife populations and species distributions. The development, testing and application of advanced statistical tools for analysing ecological data is an active area of work and a wide range of ecological models are currently available. Modern developments include, among other things, methods to account for the observation process, the inclusion of different ecological mechanisms and the integration of disparate types of data.
The objective of this session is to share advances in population and species distribution modelling. The session aims to cover interesting applications of modern modelling tools, as well as possible methodological developments. Contributions for this session may cover a variety of methodologies (such as hierarchical occupancy models, capture-recapture models, individual-based models, etc). Both junior and senior researchers are encouraged to contribute with studies where ecological modelling is applied to infer and/or predict effects of environmental (climate change, habitat changes, anthropogenic disturbances, etc.) or intrinsic factors (species interactions, functional traits, etc.) on populations or distributions.
TS(6)4. Do-it-yourself (DIY) open source tools and projects in ecology
Organizers: María Leo, Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias (ICA-CSIC); Ángel Lareo, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM); Lluis Gómez Gener, Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF).
Developing novel technologies and custom-made equipment, often referred to as "do-it-yourself," (DIY) has a long history in science. However, inadequate communication among researchers leads to fragmented efforts hindering the widespread adoption of these valuable innovations. Our goal is to present successful open-source DIY projects and tools developed by the Iberian Ecology community, as they contribute to democratize science and enable research that might otherwise be limited by trade secret and budget constraints.
Our objectives include i) demonstrating the benefits of DIY and open-source tools in terms of adaptability, creativity, and cost saving, ii) assessing the needs of Iberian ecologists to advance these technologies and ideally create a network dedicated to this field, and iii) challenging the misconception that using these tools requires advanced technological expertise, promoting accessibility and inclusivity.
To do so, we propose a combination of a poster session and a workshop.