Tomas Revilla
=============

Research
--------

I use mathematical models and simulations to study the dynamics of ecological
interactions. I am currently very interested in two main themes, phenology and
mutualisms. More specifically, now I am working on:

*   The effects of phenological matches/mismatches between consumers and
   resources in simple ecosystems. Triggered by climate change, phenological
   shifts can make present interactions disappear and novel ones to appear.
   They can also change the strengths of existing interactions and
   consumer-resource feedbacks, with important consequences for the long-term
   dynamics.


*   The dynamics of the interplay between mutualism and competition. If
   predation can promote diversity by regulating dominance among competitors,
   mutualisms can intensify the strength of competition between species,
   becoming a destabilizing factor.


*   Changes in species interactions. In many systems mutualism occur only during
   very specific life-stages, such as the adult phase of an insect. Changes in
   the population structure of a mutualist, caused by climate change or
   pesticides for example, can alter the amount of benefits due to mutualism.
   If other life-stages are actually harmful, such as herbivorous larvae,
   changes in population structure can change the net sign of the interaction.


*   Mechanistic derivation of mutualistic models. The exchange of resources such
   as nectar or nutrients, or services such as pollination or defense, requires
   the existence of structures and behaviors (e.g. flowers and fruits,
   vigilance, gardening) that are usually short lived compared with individual
   life-times. This gives origin to limiting steps in the dynamics of species
   interactions that in turn cause diminishing returns and saturating responses
   in mutualistic benefits.


Recent publications
-------------------

*   Revilla, T.A. (2025) "Plant--pollinator interaction model with separate
   pollen and nectar dynamics" Journal of Theoretical Biology. Vol. 594,
   art. 112096

*   Marcou, T., Revilla, T.A. & Křivan, V. (2024) "Evolutionary emergence
   of plant and pollinator polymorphisms in consumer-resource mutualisms"
   Journal of Theoretical Biology. Vol. 594, art. 111911

*   Romero-Mujalli, D., Fuchs, L.I.R., Haase, M., Hildebrandt, J.-P.,
   Weissing, F.J. & Revilla, T.A. (2024) "Emergence of phenotypic plasticity
   through epigenetic mechanisms" Evolution Letters. Vol. 8(4), pp. 561-574

*   Galanthay T. E., Křivan V., Cressman R., & Revilla,  T. A. (2023)
   "Evolution of aggression in consumer-resource models"
   Dynamic Games and Applications. Vol. 13, pp. 1049–1065


[Personal website](http://tomrevilla.sdf.org)

[Resume](http://tomrevilla.sdf.org/files/cv.eng.pdf)

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