Evan Economo

Appointment: 2009 to 2012
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

I have broad interests in understanding biological diversity and complexity, and enjoy pursuing both theoretical and field research. My main research focus is on using mathematical and computational modeling to ask general questions about ecological and evolutionary processes in complex landscapes. I am especially focused on using network theory to represent the complex structure of space, such as the arrangement of islands in an archipelago or patches in a fragmented landscape. How do the structures of these spatial landscape networks determine biodiversity patterns under different mechanistic models? How do we best conserve biodiversity in such networks as landscapes are deconstructed? My field research is focused on Pacific island ant biodiversity, especially in the Fiji Islands. My other interests include complex systems theory and biological scaling. I received my B.S. from the University of Arizona and my Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. I teach in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.