2-7th June, Pontevedra, Galicia
This congress 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. The topics provide a high-level forum for discussing timely, important, and innovative issues, illustrating the integration between disciplines.
General 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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GS6. New Technologies, New Discoveries: Big Data, Remote Sensing, and AI
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.
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