Tomas Jonsson
Professor of Bioscience
School of Bioscience
Room G2241
Lecturer in ecology, evolution and organismal biology on the bachelor's program "Ecology and sustainable development". Head of the Ecological Modelling Research group. Member of Associate Professor advisory board.
My main responsibilities include teaching ecology, evolution and organismal biology on the bachelor's program "Ecology and sustainable development" and doing research in theoretical ecology. The latter often means using mathematical models to study ecological systems.
Research
My research is carried out within the Ecological modelling research group. I have a broad research interest in population and community ecology, but with the common goal of increasing our understanding of
- how species interact,
- the consequences, at several levels, of such interactions, and
- how perturbations, mainly of human origin such as habitat fragmentation and climate change, may affect all this.
Popular science presentation of my research from 2021 (in Swedish):
Research
Publications
Projects
Ever since my PhD, which focused on patterns in and consequences of the distribution of body sizes in food webs, a recurring theme of my research has been, and still is, on various aspects of food webs. Here I often use theoretical approaches, such as mathematical modelling, to study consequences of trophic interactions on populations as well as community structure and function.
During the last decade, much of my research has fallen under four separate but still related main themes (see below for details):
- Advancing the Metabolic theory of Ecology as a predictor of ecological phenomena on various levels
- Combining geographical information systems (GIS) with an ecological model to assess conditions for biological diversity at the landscape level
- Advanced understanding of ecosystem functioning through food web ecology (in close collaboration with SLU)
- Increased understanding of fishes in the great lakes of Sweden using a food web approach (in collaborationn with SLU and the county adminsistrative board)
Theoretical approaches, such as mathematical modelling, is an important part of these projects. Theoretical research should, however, not live a life of its own, at some point there must be an interaction between theory and empirical observation. The research I carry out fulfills this requirement by using a mixture of theoretical and experimental techniques as well as empirically observed field data.
Degrees
- Professor in Ecology, University of Skövde, 2019
- Associate Professor of Theoretical ecology, University of Skövde, 2007
- PhD, Linköping University, 1998
- BSc, Linköping University, 1990
Researcher identity
ORCID: 0000-0002-5234-9576
Researcher ID: G-1787-2013
Academic positions
- 2019 - : Professor in Bioscience with specialization in Theoretical Ecology at the division of Biology and Bioinformatics, School of BioScience, University of Skövde.
- 2017 - 2019 : Lecturer and Associate Professor in Theoretical Ecology at the division of Ecology, School of BioScience, University of Skövde.
- 2012 – 2016: Researcher in Theoretical Population Ecology at the Dept. of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala.
- 2001 – 2012: Assistant professor in Theoretical Ecology (Universitetslektor i Teoretisk ekologi) at the division of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, University of Skövde.
- 1999 – 2000: Postdoctoral Associate at the Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
- 1998: lecturer (vik. Universitetslektor) at the Department of Biology, Linköping University.
- 1992 – 1998: Ph.D.-student at the Department of Biology, Linköping University.
- 1990 – 1992: lecturer (vik. Högskoleadjunkt) at the Department of Biology, Linköping University.
Former PhD-students
- Kate Wootton (“Love (eating) thy neighbour?”), Dissertation at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences - Uppsala: 2020 (Assistant supervisor)
- Eve Roubinet (“Food webs in agroecosystems - implications for biological control of insect pests”), Dissertation at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences - Uppsala: 2016 (Assistant supervisor)
- Sofia Berg ("Community robustness analysis: theoretical approaches to identifying keystone structures in ecological communities"), Dissertation at Linköping University: 2013 (Main supervisor)
- Malin Setzer ("The decline of great Arctic charr in Lake Vättern – empirical and theoretical analyses of suggested causes"), Dissertation at Linköping University: 2012 (Main supervisor)
- Patrik Karlsson ("Food webs, models and species extinctions in a stochastic environment"). Dissertation at Lund University: 2007 (Main supervisor)
2024
PLOS ONE
2024. Article.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309664
Ecological Modelling
2024. Article.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110703
Fisheries Management and Ecology
2024. Article.
https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12723
2023
Scientific Reports
2023. Article.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43743-1
Ecology
2023. Article.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4101
Functional Ecology
2023. Article.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13954
2022
PLOS ONE
2022. Article.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251896
2021
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Finished projects
Advancing the Metabolic theory of Ecology
Ecology as a science has lacked a general scientific theory capable of making predictions on ecological phenomena on various levels, but now a candidate for such a theory exists. This is termed the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) and states that energy use (metabolism) is a central process for all organisms that partly can be predicted from body size and then used to make predictions on ecological processes at the population and community level. However, there is some scepticism towards MTE as a general theory and so far the empirical support for it is mixed. In this project, different predictions of MTE will be studied to test the theory and see if and how it may need to be modified.
January 2019 - December 2024 Systems BiologyLandscape biodiversity capacity: a tool for measuring, monitoring and managing
Sweden and the vast majority of other countries in the world have agreed to preserve biodiversity, ie the variation of species and natural environments. Man need biodiversity as the basis for ecosystem services. Some examples of ecosystem services are carbon sequestration that slows down global warming, water purification that gives clean drinking water and pollination that increases crops.
April 2019 - December 2021 Systems BiologyWaterAssess: Multi-biomarker panel for environmental impact assessment of wastewater effluents
Industrial wastewater is usually characterized by analyses of chemical concentrations or biological toxicity tests in combination. Included is to detect if there are toxic substances or combinations of substances that are toxic and in turn will affect ecosystems negatively. In this project we aim to improve and design novel biological tests using biomarkers.
April 2017 - March 2020 Systems BiologyEvaluation of the Restoration of Hornborgasjön
Like many other lakes and wetlands, Hornborgasjön has been utilised over the past couple of centuries to expand agricultural and forestry land. At Hornborgasjön, five water level reductions were carried out, and by the 1930s, the lake was almost completely drained. It became overgrown with riparian forests, shrubs, sedge, and reeds. Following a government decision, a restoration project to recreate the bird lake began in the late 1980s. Reeds were removed, and forests and shrubs were cleared. The water level increase commenced in 1992 and was completed in 1995.
October 2013 - September 2016 Systems Biology