Chuliang Song
@clsong.com
Quantitative ecologist at UCLA EEB. clsong.com
Pinned
Chuliang Song
@clsong.com
· 14d
Rigorous validation of ecological models against empirical time series - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Validating theoretical models against empirical data presents challenges. Here the authors present an assumption-light method to validate ecological models against time series data, along with a dedic...
www.nature.com
Ecology faces an accumulation of models but not an accumulation of confidence. Our new paper w/ Jonathan Levine www.nature.com/articles/s41... in @natecoevo.nature.com introduces a rigorous test rooted in queueing theory to falsify inadequate models and build confidence in useful ones.
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Excited to share our fresh-off-the-press Annual Review on the role of temperature in metabolic scaling! We review the state of the field on this topic and unpack confusion about the various ways the term "scaling" is used in metabolic theories. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Scaling Temperature Effects on Metabolism from Individuals to Ecosystems
The effects of temperature on metabolic rates are a core component of ecological change, with surprisingly regular effects across diverse ecological systems. Metabolic scaling theories can provide qua...
www.annualreviews.org
November 7, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Excited to share our fresh-off-the-press Annual Review on the role of temperature in metabolic scaling! We review the state of the field on this topic and unpack confusion about the various ways the term "scaling" is used in metabolic theories. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Biological modeling is organized inquiry, but how should we think about the process?
My new paper in #EcologyLetters argues that we should model like experimentalists: define treatments, measure responses, validate, perturb, repeat.
👉 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Do you agree?
My new paper in #EcologyLetters argues that we should model like experimentalists: define treatments, measure responses, validate, perturb, repeat.
👉 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Do you agree?
https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70251
November 6, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Biological modeling is organized inquiry, but how should we think about the process?
My new paper in #EcologyLetters argues that we should model like experimentalists: define treatments, measure responses, validate, perturb, repeat.
👉 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Do you agree?
My new paper in #EcologyLetters argues that we should model like experimentalists: define treatments, measure responses, validate, perturb, repeat.
👉 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Do you agree?
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Most major theories in ecology assume some sort of equilibrium, but only ~half of empirical tests acknowledge it & even fewer observed it in their system. Does this matter? How did the idea become so pervasive in ecology anyway? Find out in our new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The Equilibrium Conundrum
Although an assumption of equilibrium dynamics underlies most ecological theory, the evidence for this dynamic in nature and in empirical studies is scarce. This creates an unfortunate disconnect bet...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Most major theories in ecology assume some sort of equilibrium, but only ~half of empirical tests acknowledge it & even fewer observed it in their system. Does this matter? How did the idea become so pervasive in ecology anyway? Find out in our new paper! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
We take a deep dive into the equilibrium assumption in ecology—hope it's a useful synthesis for the community!
New paper out today in Ecology Letters! In this synthesis we dive into the equilibrium assumption in ecology - why it's everywhere in ecological theory, the evidence for it in nature, when meeting the assumption is important, how to achieve it in empirical research, and more! tinyurl.com/yh6kyysm
November 3, 2025 at 3:38 PM
We take a deep dive into the equilibrium assumption in ecology—hope it's a useful synthesis for the community!
Very excited about this work led by Sergio
Species interactions are internally constrained despite large climatic variability https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.28.684754v1
October 29, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Very excited about this work led by Sergio
Ecology faces an accumulation of models but not an accumulation of confidence. Our new paper w/ Jonathan Levine www.nature.com/articles/s41... in @natecoevo.nature.com introduces a rigorous test rooted in queueing theory to falsify inadequate models and build confidence in useful ones.
Rigorous validation of ecological models against empirical time series - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Validating theoretical models against empirical data presents challenges. Here the authors present an assumption-light method to validate ecological models against time series data, along with a dedic...
www.nature.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Ecology faces an accumulation of models but not an accumulation of confidence. Our new paper w/ Jonathan Levine www.nature.com/articles/s41... in @natecoevo.nature.com introduces a rigorous test rooted in queueing theory to falsify inadequate models and build confidence in useful ones.
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Really excited about launching the universe of "Grassy Trees" to diversify plant growth forms in forest ecology! Bamboo, palms, and bananas are nature-based solutions that have already been working for thousands of years in many cultures. We just need to SEE them now.
Online now: Grassy trees: the neglected hybrids for sustainability
Grassy trees: the neglected hybrids for sustainability
Grassy trees – large forest-adapted monocots such as bamboo, palm, and bananas – combine grass-like rapid growth with tree-like canopy dominance. Their ambiguous status between woody and herbaceous plants has led to research neglect. Recognizing them as a distinct growth form is key to harnessing their potential as nature-based solutions for sustainability.
dlvr.it
October 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Really excited about launching the universe of "Grassy Trees" to diversify plant growth forms in forest ecology! Bamboo, palms, and bananas are nature-based solutions that have already been working for thousands of years in many cultures. We just need to SEE them now.
Reposted by Chuliang Song
POSTDOC JOB AD: I'm hiring a Bayesian ecologist to build a (IMO, extremely fun) model of humpback whale spatiotemporal dynamics in California
2-year position starting fall 2026. in-person in Santa Cruz; collab w with Mevin Hooten's lab at UT Austin.
ask me Qs or apply: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
2-year position starting fall 2026. in-person in Santa Cruz; collab w with Mevin Hooten's lab at UT Austin.
ask me Qs or apply: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
Fredston Lab: Postdoctoral Scholar
University of California, Santa Cruz is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucsc.edu
October 22, 2025 at 5:14 PM
POSTDOC JOB AD: I'm hiring a Bayesian ecologist to build a (IMO, extremely fun) model of humpback whale spatiotemporal dynamics in California
2-year position starting fall 2026. in-person in Santa Cruz; collab w with Mevin Hooten's lab at UT Austin.
ask me Qs or apply: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
2-year position starting fall 2026. in-person in Santa Cruz; collab w with Mevin Hooten's lab at UT Austin.
ask me Qs or apply: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Excited to share that I’ll be starting my research group in Nov 2025 at the Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica in Taipei🎉
We study how eco & evo rules govern complex systems layered by hosts🌱& symbionts🦠 & mobile genes🧬
Recruiting soon at all levels!
🔗 chang-yu-chang.github.io/changlab/
We study how eco & evo rules govern complex systems layered by hosts🌱& symbionts🦠 & mobile genes🧬
Recruiting soon at all levels!
🔗 chang-yu-chang.github.io/changlab/
Laboratory of Microbial Symbiosis, Ecology, and Evolution
chang-yu-chang.github.io
October 7, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Excited to share that I’ll be starting my research group in Nov 2025 at the Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica in Taipei🎉
We study how eco & evo rules govern complex systems layered by hosts🌱& symbionts🦠 & mobile genes🧬
Recruiting soon at all levels!
🔗 chang-yu-chang.github.io/changlab/
We study how eco & evo rules govern complex systems layered by hosts🌱& symbionts🦠 & mobile genes🧬
Recruiting soon at all levels!
🔗 chang-yu-chang.github.io/changlab/
Reposted by Chuliang Song
What sustains biodiversity? 🌿🌸🐝🐦⬛ It’s not just about species, it’s also about individuals.
Our new paper in @esajournals.bsky.social Ecol. Monogr. shows how the way individuals specialize on their mutualistic partners can scale up to shape species persistence.
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
Our new paper in @esajournals.bsky.social Ecol. Monogr. shows how the way individuals specialize on their mutualistic partners can scale up to shape species persistence.
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
Bridging the gap between individual specialization and species persistence in mutualistic communities
Mutualistic interactions among organisms are fundamental to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. Yet, the study of community dynamics often relies on values averaged at the species level, igno...
doi.org
October 2, 2025 at 1:12 PM
What sustains biodiversity? 🌿🌸🐝🐦⬛ It’s not just about species, it’s also about individuals.
Our new paper in @esajournals.bsky.social Ecol. Monogr. shows how the way individuals specialize on their mutualistic partners can scale up to shape species persistence.
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
Our new paper in @esajournals.bsky.social Ecol. Monogr. shows how the way individuals specialize on their mutualistic partners can scale up to shape species persistence.
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecm....
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Excited to share a new pre-print in collaboration with @sebastianschreiber.bsky.social, "Using Modern Coexistence Theory to understand community disassembly"! We set out to understand how techniques used to study coexistence can be extended to understand community disassembly. (1/X)
Using modern coexistence theory to understand community disassembly
Community disassembly examines how species extinction alters ecological communities. Sometimes, the extinction of one species can trigger the loss of others, known as secondary extinction. These secon...
www.biorxiv.org
October 2, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Excited to share a new pre-print in collaboration with @sebastianschreiber.bsky.social, "Using Modern Coexistence Theory to understand community disassembly"! We set out to understand how techniques used to study coexistence can be extended to understand community disassembly. (1/X)
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Feel free to contact me for info about this open position and the project! Fully funded through @hfspo.bsky.social and in collaboration with @jacrickets.bsky.social and Shawn McGlynn
Postdoc opportunity in Dal Bello Lab at Yale EEB (starting Dec 2025). Focus is on microbial ecology and learning mechanisms. Apply via email to Martina with CV. More info: https://www.dalbellolab.com/ #postdoc
dal bello lab
dal bello lab
www.dalbellolab.com
September 25, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Feel free to contact me for info about this open position and the project! Fully funded through @hfspo.bsky.social and in collaboration with @jacrickets.bsky.social and Shawn McGlynn
The blog and the comments are very thought-provoking statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/09/15/t...
The Desperation of Causal Inference in Ecology | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu
September 19, 2025 at 9:31 PM
The blog and the comments are very thought-provoking statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/09/15/t...
Reposted by Chuliang Song
ICYMI: AmNat Editor-in-Chief Volker Rudolf speaks out: "Best Publishing Practices and Open Access Options at The American Naturalist"
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Best Publishing Practices and Open Access Options at The American Naturalist | The American Naturalist: Vol 206, No 2
www.journals.uchicago.edu
September 12, 2025 at 4:53 PM
ICYMI: AmNat Editor-in-Chief Volker Rudolf speaks out: "Best Publishing Practices and Open Access Options at The American Naturalist"
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Reposted by Chuliang Song
The first Aguillon Lab paper is officially out in early view at Evolution!! Led by postdoc @devonderaad.bsky.social, we’ve explored the hybrid zone between black-headed and rose-breasted grosbeaks in the Great Plains. #ornithology #hybridization #speciation #evolution doi.org/10.1093/evol...
September 12, 2025 at 3:49 PM
The first Aguillon Lab paper is officially out in early view at Evolution!! Led by postdoc @devonderaad.bsky.social, we’ve explored the hybrid zone between black-headed and rose-breasted grosbeaks in the Great Plains. #ornithology #hybridization #speciation #evolution doi.org/10.1093/evol...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
A truly delightful read by Judith Bronstein reflecting on the state of mutualism studies. It's a thoughtful look at where the field has been and where it's going—and such beautiful writing as well!
A truly delightful read by Judith Bronstein reflecting on the state of mutualism studies. It's a thoughtful look at where the field has been and where it's going—and such beautiful writing as well!
The Study of Mutualism, Past, Present, and Future | The American Naturalist: Vol 0, No ja
www.journals.uchicago.edu
September 2, 2025 at 7:01 PM
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
A truly delightful read by Judith Bronstein reflecting on the state of mutualism studies. It's a thoughtful look at where the field has been and where it's going—and such beautiful writing as well!
A truly delightful read by Judith Bronstein reflecting on the state of mutualism studies. It's a thoughtful look at where the field has been and where it's going—and such beautiful writing as well!
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Novak et al. derive a functional response model that unifies Holling’s classical forms. The model clarifies when linearity can be a mechanistically-reasoned description of predator feeding rates and the impact it has on predator-prey dynamics.
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
In Defense of Type I Functional Responses: The Frequency and Population Dynamic Effects of Feeding on Multiple Prey at a Time | The American Naturalist
Abstract Ecologists differ in the degree to which they consider the linear type I functional response to be an unrealistic versus sufficient representation of predator feeding rates. Empiricists tend ...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
August 30, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Novak et al. derive a functional response model that unifies Holling’s classical forms. The model clarifies when linearity can be a mechanistically-reasoned description of predator feeding rates and the impact it has on predator-prey dynamics.
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Reposted by Chuliang Song
We will be recruiting graduate researchers to start Fall 2026 in the Dallas lab at U South Carolina. We are a mix of population, community, and disease ecologists. Parasite macroecology!!!
Feel free to reach out to chat and see our webpage for more info on our science (taddallas.github.io).
Feel free to reach out to chat and see our webpage for more info on our science (taddallas.github.io).
August 29, 2025 at 5:44 PM
We will be recruiting graduate researchers to start Fall 2026 in the Dallas lab at U South Carolina. We are a mix of population, community, and disease ecologists. Parasite macroecology!!!
Feel free to reach out to chat and see our webpage for more info on our science (taddallas.github.io).
Feel free to reach out to chat and see our webpage for more info on our science (taddallas.github.io).
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Come work with us!! Great group and super cool work 😎
We may have a one-year postdoctoral position opening! We're looking for someone with experience in attribution science OR very strong skills in climate epidemiology to come help us launch a Global Burden of Climate Change Study. Remote possible for the right person; aim to raise $ for a second year.
August 19, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Come work with us!! Great group and super cool work 😎
Amazing opportunity!
Thrilled to announce that next year I will be joining @DukeBiology as an assistant professor!
I am excited to recruit postdocs and PhD students to start as early as Fall 2026. If you are interested in plant community dynamics, global change, and/or wildfire, please see details below.
I am excited to recruit postdocs and PhD students to start as early as Fall 2026. If you are interested in plant community dynamics, global change, and/or wildfire, please see details below.
August 19, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Amazing opportunity!
Reposted by Chuliang Song
I am seeking a postdoc for my group at UCLA. We work at the intersection of population genetics x microbiome (garud.eeb.ucla.edu). If interested, please message me!
Garud Lab
garud.eeb.ucla.edu
July 22, 2025 at 5:51 PM
I am seeking a postdoc for my group at UCLA. We work at the intersection of population genetics x microbiome (garud.eeb.ucla.edu). If interested, please message me!
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Happy to share a new preprint! W/ @zachgold.bsky.social, Haylee Oyler, Jonathan Levine and @nathanjbkraft.bsky.social. We use a spatially explicit experimental design to ask:
do higher-order interactions structure the dynamics of annual plant communities?
Link: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵
do higher-order interactions structure the dynamics of annual plant communities?
Link: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵
July 21, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Happy to share a new preprint! W/ @zachgold.bsky.social, Haylee Oyler, Jonathan Levine and @nathanjbkraft.bsky.social. We use a spatially explicit experimental design to ask:
do higher-order interactions structure the dynamics of annual plant communities?
Link: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵
do higher-order interactions structure the dynamics of annual plant communities?
Link: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Label invariance: a guiding principle for ecological models https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.15.664968v1
July 20, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Label invariance: a guiding principle for ecological models https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.15.664968v1
Reposted by Chuliang Song
Last year, I joined a brilliant group of researchers for a 3-week deep dive into host–microbe systems. Each week explored a different theme, led by inspiring lecturers.
I’m excited to share that videos of their talks — along with presentations by several team members — are now on YouTube:
I’m excited to share that videos of their talks — along with presentations by several team members — are now on YouTube:
July 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Last year, I joined a brilliant group of researchers for a 3-week deep dive into host–microbe systems. Each week explored a different theme, led by inspiring lecturers.
I’m excited to share that videos of their talks — along with presentations by several team members — are now on YouTube:
I’m excited to share that videos of their talks — along with presentations by several team members — are now on YouTube:
Reposted by Chuliang Song
This excellent article by @clsong.bsky.social synthesizes research on the Assembly Graph, a useful conceptual & methodological tool to understand the dynamic assembly of microbial communities and multispecies coexistence.
enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Assembly Graph as the Rosetta Stone of Ecological Assembly
This paper introduces the assembly graph as an integrative lens to unify ecological assembly theories across dynamical, informational, and probabilistic approaches. In addition to theory, it also pre....
enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
July 16, 2025 at 2:58 PM
This excellent article by @clsong.bsky.social synthesizes research on the Assembly Graph, a useful conceptual & methodological tool to understand the dynamic assembly of microbial communities and multispecies coexistence.
enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...