Sergio Navarrete

Lines of Investigation:

In my research group we are dedicated to the study of the dynamics, diversity and conservation of coastal marine ecosystems, how they respond to climate change and are influenced by oceanographic, climatic and human drivers operating from local to regional scales.

One of my lines of research attempts to understand how species interactions, namely predation, competition and facilitation, are modulated by physical processes, which together drive the structure and dynamics of spatially structured coastal marine communities. This research combines traditional field experimental manipulations with observational studies on recruitment variability and oceanographic processes along the central coast of Chile.  A central issue in most of my research is understanding the consequences of larval dispersal and population connectivity on the dynamics and persistence of meta-communities, biodiversity and, especially, on our conservation and spatial management strategies. I also work on the empirical and theoretical study of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function, as well as on the application of network theory to approach complex socio-ecological systems, because I believe these approaches offer us a venue to examine and anticipate consequences of global and climate changes on coastal marine ecosystems. Thus, much of my research combines empirical, theoretical and numerical modeling in collaboration with students, postdocs and colleagues of diverse disciplines.

Selected Publications:

• • Rebolledo, R., S.A. Navarrete, S. Kéfi, S. Rojas, P.A. Marquet. 2019. An Open System approach to complex biological networks. SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, 79: 619–640. https://doi.org/10.1137/17M1153431
• • Blanco, M., A. Ospina-Alvarez, C. M. Aiken, S.A. Navarrete, M. Fernández. 2019. Influence of larval traits on dispersal and connectivity patterns of two exploited marine invertebrates in central Chile. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 612: 43-64
• • Freilich, M. A., E. Wieters, B. R. Broitman, P. A. Marquet, and S. A. Navarrete. 2018. Species co-occurrence networks: Can they reveal trophic and non-trophic interactions in ecological communities? Ecology 99:690-699
• • Kéfi, S., V. Miele, E.A. Wieters, S.A. Navarrete, E.L. Berlow. 2016. How structured is the entangled bank? The surprisingly simple organization of multiplex ecological networks leads to increased persistence and resilience. Plos Biology, 14(8): e1002527. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002527
• • Aguilera, M.A., N. Valdivia, S. Jenkins, S. A. Navarrete, B. Broitman 2019. Asymmetric competitive effects during species range expansion: an experimental assessment of interaction strength between ‘equivalent’ grazer species at their range overlap. Journal of Animal Ecology, 88: 277-289, DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12917
• • Duffy, J. E., J. S. Lefcheck, R. D. Stuart-Smith, S. A. Navarrete, and G. J. Edgar. 2016. Biodiversity enhances reef fish biomass and resistance to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113 (22): 6230 - 6235. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1524465113
• • Mandakovic, D., Rojas, C, Maldonado, J., Latorre, M, Travisany, D., Delage, E., Bihouée, A., Jean, G., Díaz, F.P., Fernández-Gómez, B., Cabrera, P., Gaete, P., Latorre, C., Gutiérrez, R.A., Maass, A., Cambiazo, V., Navarrete, S.A., Eveillard, D. & González, M., 2018. Structure and co-occurrence patterns in microbial communities under acute environmental stress reveal ecological factors fostering resilience. Nature Scientific Reports, DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-23931-0

Courses in which participates:

• • BIO249A, Biometría II: “Introducción a Diseño Experimental” (responsible)
• • SUS1000, Sustentabilidad, (invited)
• • BIO116M, Ecología Marina (invited)
• • BIO4042, Fundamentos de Ecología, doctorado
• • BIO4031, Fronteras de la Ecología, doctorado
• • BIO4030, Ecologia de Cambio Global, doctorado