PEDRO NETO-PERES

Research interests

No two places on the planet contain the exact same species or environment. Unravelling nature’s complex species distributional patterns is one of ecology’s biggest challenges. My research focuses on one of the most fundamental and broad questions in ecology – what controls which species where? Our group utilizes large-scale field surveys, experimental, quantitative and theoretical approachesto seek knowledge as to how species are organized into patterns across space and attempt to understand and disentangle the multiple processes underlying these patterns.  We focus mainly on (1) understanding the links between evolutionary, abiotic and biotic mechanisms that drive biodiversity patterns at local, regional and global scales; (2) producing evidence that the spatial structure of the environment matters to community structure and species coexistence; (3) developing quantitative frameworks to link ecological and evolutionary mechanisms to complex biodiversity patterns; (4) producing and testing new theories about the ecological and evolutionary principles underlying biodiversity.