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Analysis of institutional authors

Latorre, RCorresponding AuthorBrun-Usan MAuthorFernández-Lázaro GAuthor

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January 5, 2026
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Article

Simulating macroevolutionary trends and open-ended evolution with a novel mechanistic multi-level approach

Publicated to: Plos One. 20 (11): e0335033- - 2025-11-06 20(11), DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0335033

Authors:

Latorre, R; Brun-Usan, M; Fernández-Lázaro, G
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Affiliations

Univ Autonoma Madrid, Escuela Politecn Super, Grp Neurocomp Biol, Dept Ingn Informat - Author
Univ Autonoma Madrid, Fac Psicol, Dept Psicol Biol Salud - Author
Univ Pablo Olavide CSIC, Ctr Andaluz Biol Desarrollo CABD - Author
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Abstract

Microevolution and macroevolution describe evolutionary change at different scales: short-term genetic and phenotypic variation within populations, and long-term patterns of diversification and extinction. Despite their interconnected nature, they have often been studied separately, and the reciprocal causal links between them remain poorly understood due to their operation on different timescales and the complexity of the processes involved, making mechanistic approaches particularly challenging. To bridge this operational gap, we introduce a novel bottom-up, process-based computational framework that integrates genotype-to-phenotype mapping, fitness evaluation under environmental constraints, and biotic interactions shaping ecological niches and adaptive pressures, while incorporating lower-level mechanisms such as mutation, gene flow, and gene-pool expansion through stochastic duplication of genes. Its modular design accommodates diverse microevolutionary mechanisms to study the emergence of large-scale eco-evolutionary patterns from explicit individual-level processes. The framework allows addressing research questions ranging from the formation of spatiotemporal biodiversity patterns to the role of eco-evolutionary feedbacks in macroevolution. It provides an open-ended platform that serves both as a theoretical tool for testing evolutionary hypotheses and as a flexible environment for exploratory simulations. To illustrate its heuristic potential, we present proof-of-concept simulations under biologically plausible conditions that reproduce multiple well-documented macroevolutionary patterns-such as biphasic diversification, saturating and exponential-like biodiversity trends, speciation-extinction correlations, species duration distributions, and niche structuring-as emergent phenomena. Beyond reproducing patterns, the simulations reveal underlying mechanisms, including trial-and-error dynamics in long-term adaptation, high species turnover maintaining biodiversity equilibrium, and self-organized niche occupancy. These findings establish the framework as a versatile tool for investigating the complex interplay of ecological and evolutionary forces shaping biodiversity. By capturing emergent dynamics from mechanistic microevolutionary processes without imposing predefined constraints, the model provides a unique perspective on long-term evolutionary change, contributing to a broader theoretical toolkit for studying macroevolutionary patterns under controlled conditions. Future extensions could assess how variations in environmental dynamics, genomic architecture, or species interactions influence evolutionary trajectories, refining our understanding of biodiversity evolution.
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Keywords

BiodiversityBiological evolutionComputer simulationModels, geneticPhenotype

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal PLoS ONE due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Multidisciplinary.

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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-21:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 5.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 4 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 2.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 1 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://repositorio.uam.es/handle/10486/723720
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (LATORRE CAMINO, ROBERTO) and Last Author (FERNANDEZ LAZARO, GLORIA).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been LATORRE CAMINO, ROBERTO.

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