A5026919199- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Plant and animal studies
- Complex Network Analysis Techniques
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
- Sustainability and Ecological Systems Analysis
- Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
- Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- stochastic dynamics and bifurcation
- Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies
- Gut microbiota and health
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
University of Padua
2016-2025
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Galileo Galilei Institute for Theoretical Physics
2018-2024
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
2013-2024
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova
2015-2024
Humanitas University
2023-2024
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
2010-2024
Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico
2023-2024
University of Milan
2023
National Interuniversity Consortium for the Physical Sciences of Matter
2012-2022
European Centre for Living Technology
2021
Abstract Water availability is a major factor constraining humanity's ability to meet the future food and energy needs of growing increasingly affluent human population. plays an important role in production energy, including renewable sources extraction unconventional fossil fuels that are expected become players security. The emergent competition for water between systems recognized concept “food‐energy‐water nexus.” nexus made even more complex by globalization agriculture rapid growth...
We present a novel conceptual framework and methodology for studying virtual water trade. utilize complex network theory to analyze the structure of global trade associated with international food In network, nations that participate in correspond nodes, links represent flows from country export import. find number connections follows an exponential distribution, except case import relationships, while volume each nation trades compares well stretched indicating high heterogeneity between...
The escalating food demand by a growing and increasingly affluent global population is placing unprecedented pressure on the limited land water resources of planet, underpinning concerns over security its sensitivity to shocks arising from environmental fluctuations, trade policies, market volatility. Here, we use country-specific demographic records along with production data for past 25 y evaluate stability reactivity relationship between dynamics availability. We develop framework...
Significance Recently, evidence has been mounting that biological systems might operate at the borderline between order and disorder, i.e., near a critical point. A general mathematical framework for understanding this common pattern, explaining possible origin role of criticality in living adaptive evolutionary systems, is still missing. We rationalize apparently ubiquitous terms functional advantages. provide an analytical framework, which demonstrates optimal response to broadly different...
Abstract The increasing global demand for farmland products is placing unprecedented pressure on the agricultural system and its water resources. Many regions of world, that are affected by a chronic scarcity relative to their population, strongly depend import commodities associated embodied (or virtual ) water. globalization through trade (VWT) leading displacement use disconnection between human populations resources they rely on. Despite recognized importance these phenomena in reshaping...
Abstract The role of species interactions in controlling the interplay between stability ecosystems and their biodiversity is still not well understood. ability ecological communities to recover after small perturbations abundances (local asymptotic stability) has been studied, whereas likelihood a community persist when conditions change (structural received much less attention. Our goal understand effects diversity, interaction strengths network structure on volume parameter space leading...
The simplest theories often have much merit and many limitations, in this vein, the value of Neutral Theory (NT) has been subject debate over past 15 years. NT was proposed at turn century by Stephen Hubbell to explain pervasive patterns observed organization ecosystems. Its originally tepid reception among ecologists contrasted starkly with excitement it caused physicists mathematicians. Indeed, spawned several theoretical studies that attempted empirical data predicted trends quantities...
Ensuring food security requires production and distribution systems function throughout disruptions. Understanding the factors that contribute to global system's ability respond adapt such disruptions (i.e. resilience) is critical for understanding long-term sustainability of human populations. Variable impacts shocks on supply between countries indicate a need national-scale resilience indicators can provide comparisons. However, methods tracking changes in have had limited application...
Population growth is in general constrained by food production, which turn depends on the access to water resources. At a country level, some populations use more than they control because of their ability import and virtual required for its production. Here, we investigate dependence demographic available resources exporting importing nations. By quantifying carrying capacity nations basis calculations through trade network, point existence global unbalance. We suggest that current export...
While a growing proportion of global food consumption is obtained through international trade, there an ongoing debate on whether this increased reliance trade benefits or hinders security, and specifically, the ability systems to absorb shocks due local regional losses production. This paper introduces model that simulates short-term response supply shock originating in single country, which partly absorbed decreases domestic reserves consumption, transmitted adjustment flows. By applying...
Climate change is expected to impact the habitability of many places around world in significant and unprecedented ways coming decades. While previous studies have provided estimates populations potentially exposed various climate impacts, little work has been done assess number people that may actually be displaced or where they will choose go. Here we modify a diffusion-based model human mobility combination with population, geographic, climatic data estimate sources, destinations, flux...
Microbes are capable of physiologically adapting to diverse environmental conditions by differentially varying the rates at which they uptake different nutrients. In particular, microbes can switch hierarchically between energy sources, consuming first those that ensure highest growth rate. Experimentally, this result in biphasic curves called "diauxic shifts" typically arise when grown media containing several Despite these observations well known microbiology and molecular biology,...
We analyze about two hundred naturally occurring networks with distinct dynamical origins to formally test whether the commonly assumed hypothesis of an underlying scale-free structure is generally viable. This has recently been questioned on basis statistical testing validity power law distributions network degrees by contrasting real data. Specifically, we finite-size scaling analysis datasets check purported departures from behavior are due finiteness sample size. In this case, laws would...
Biogeographical studies have traditionally focused on readily visible organisms, but recent technological advances are enabling analyses of the large-scale distribution microscopic whose biogeographical patterns long been debated. Here we assessed global structure plankton geography and its relation to biological, chemical, physical context ocean (the ‘seascape’) by analyzing metagenomes communities sampled across oceans during Tara Oceans expedition, in light environmental data current...
Abstract The critical brain hypothesis states that biological neuronal networks, because of their structural and functional architecture, work near phase transitions for optimal response to internal external inputs. Criticality thus provides function behavioral capabilities. We test this by examining the influence injury (strokes) on criticality neural dynamics estimated at level single participants using directly measured individual connectomes whole-brain models. Lesions engender a...
A minimalist stochastic model of primary soil salinity is proposed, in which the rate salinization determined by balance between dry and wet salt deposition intermittent leaching events caused rainfall events. The long term probability density functions mass concentration are found reducing coupled moisture equation to a single differential driven multiplicative Poisson noise. novel analytical solutions provide insight on interplay main soil, plant climate parameters responsible for...
Recurrent or ephemeral water shortages are a crucial global challenge, in particular because of their impacts on food production. The character this challenge is reflected the trade among nations virtual water, i.e. amount used to produce given commodity. We build, analyze and model network describing transfer between world for staple products. find that all key features well described by reproduces both topological weighted properties network, assuming as sole controls each country's gross...
Abstract The relationships between the core–periphery architecture of species interaction network and mechanisms ensuring stability in mutualistic ecological communities are still unclear. In particular, most studies have focused their attention on asymptotic resilience or persistence, neglecting how perturbations propagate through system. Here we develop a theoretical framework to evaluate relationship networks impact by studying localization, measure describing ability perturbation...
Natural ecosystems are characterized by striking diversity of form and functions yet exhibit deep symmetries emerging across scales space, time, organizational complexity. Species-area relationships species-abundance distributions examples patterns irrespective the details underlying ecosystem functions. Here we present empirical theoretical evidence for a new macroecological pattern related to local species persistence times, defined as time spans between colonizations extinctions in given...
Summary A key challenge for both ecological researchers and biodiversity managers is the measurement prediction of species richness across spatial scales. Typically, assessed at fine scales (e.g. in quadrats or transects) practical reasons, but often we are interested coarser‐scale (field, regional, global) diversity issues. Moreover, pressures affecting patterns scale specific, making multiscale assessment a crucial methodological priority. As not additive, it difficult to translate from...
Significance Combining observations and model results, we show that soil salinization does affect the long-term soil–water balance of saline river basins, eventually acting as an aridity enhancer. The strength this control depends on capability vegetation to cope with salt stress through specific functional traits—i.e., tolerance—and is key understanding vegetation–water relations in arid transitional watersheds. Our approach can also be applied infer crucial data about level tolerance...
Significance For most of its path through plant bodies, water moves in conduits the wood. Plant conduction is crucial for Earth’s biogeochemical cycles, making it important to understand how natural selection shapes conduit diameters along entire lengths stems. Can mathematical modeling and global sampling explain wood ought widen from tip a trunk base? This question evolutionarily because xylem should way that keeps supply constant leaves as grows taller. Moreover, act on economy...