Abstract:
The study of ecosystems, both natural and artificial, has historically been mediated by population dynamics theories. In this framework, quantifying population numbers and related variables (associated with metabolism or biological-environmental interactions) plays a central role in measuring and predicting system-level properties. As we move towards advanced technological engineering of cells and organisms, the possibility of bioengineering ecosystems (from the gut microbiome to drylands) opens several questions that will require quantitative models to find answers. Here, we present a comprehensive survey of quantitative modelling approaches for managing three kinds of synthetic ecosystems, sharing the presence of engineered strains. These include test tube examples of ecosystems hosting a relatively low number of interacting species, mesoscale closed ecosystems (or ecospheres), and macro-scale, engineered ecosystems. The potential outcomes of synthetic ecosystem designs and their limits will be relevant to different disciplines, including Earth Systems Science, biomedical engineering, astrobiology, space exploration and fighting climate change impacts on endangered ecosystems. We propose a space of possible ecosystems that captures this broad range of scenarios and a tentative road map for open problems and further exploration.

Bio:
Prof. Ricard Solé holds a degree in physical sciences and biological sciences from the University of Barcelona and a PhD in physics from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He is currently an ICREA research professor at the Pomp. He is also an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute (New Mexico, USA) and the Vienna Complexity Hub. His work has been oriented towards the search for universal laws associated with the evolution of complex systems, including evolutionary transitions, cognitive spaces and the terraforming of ecosystems. This research is carried out using mathematical and simulation models as well as synthetic biology experiments.