Spatial mathematical ecology: a topical collection to celebrate the 60th birthday of Mark Lewis

The spatial arrangement of ecosystems is one of the core concerns of ecological research, impacting conservation decisions, the spread of biological invasions, and the emergence and maintenance of biodiversity. However, it is intrinsically complex. Each constituent population in an ecosystem both affects and is affected by those surrounding it, generating networks of nonlinear feedbacks whose emergent properties can be difficult to predict and require mathematical analysis to understand.

Over the past 30 years (and counting), Mark Lewis has been at the forefront of efforts to model, understand, and predict the spatial properties of ecosystems. He has provided key insights into a wide range of problems in spatial ecology, including the spread of biological invasions, the self-organising properties of collective animal movement, critical domain sizes for population persistence, the emergence of territories and home ranges, the spread of epizootics, the importance of spatial memory for pattern formation, and many others. His work has had a profound impact on the communities of both ecologists and applied mathematicians. He has mentored dozens of PhD students and postdocs, many of whom are now scientific leaders in their own right. These achievement have been recognised in various prizes, but perhaps most importantly, have provided a legacy of science that will likely last well into the future.

This topical collection will consist of articles on topics in spatial mathematical ecology related to the work of Mark Lewis. We will invite a range of contributors, many of whom have collaborated with Mark and all of whom have been influenced by his work. This will serve as a fitting milestone marking the ongoing legacy of a great scientist and inspirational friend on the occasion of his 60th birthday.