Christopher P. Kempes

From cooperation to predation: the evolutionary origins of phagocytosis

This study uses a dynamical systems framework to show phagocytosis can evolve from cooperative microbial communities and coexist with original cooperators under specific ecological conditions.

Microbial Ecosystems Reveal a Universal Signature of Ecological Assembly

The paper uses metagenomic data to show microbial ecosystems follow unique ecological assembly patterns distinct from other complex systems.

Modeling the effect of temperature on species coexistence

This paper models how temperature affects species coexistence in pairwise competition, finding that symmetric thermal performance curves maximize coexistence at their intersection temperature.

A database of biological thermal performances

The paper constructs a database of thermal performance curves for species across multiple domains, enabling ecological predictions and integration with environmental data.

Scaling laws in biological thermal performances

The paper compiles a database of thermal response curves across species and performance tasks, revealing universal scaling relationships in thermal performance.

A general model for genomic traits evolution

The paper develops a general model for genomic trait evolution that explains dynamics across diverse taxa and fits experimental and observational data.

Linking power, efficiency, and bifurcations in consumer-resource systems

The paper links power, efficiency, and bifurcations in consumer-resource systems using mathematical models and shows how ecological principles can be formalized and tested.

Convergent Functional Constraints Make Biochemical Reaction Diversity Predictable

The paper shows that biochemical reaction diversity across organisms follows predictable scaling patterns, revealing convergent functional constraints independent of phylogeny or reaction identity.

An algorithm for predicting per-cell proteomic properties

The paper develops an algorithm to estimate per-cell proteomic properties using scaling relationships, finding higher total proteins per cell than previous estimates.

Protein degradation sets the fraction of active ribosomes at vanishing growth

The paper shows that protein degradation balances ribosome allocation at slow growth, maintaining active ribosomes even as growth rate diminishes.

Scaling laws in enzyme function reveal a new kind of biochemical universality

The paper identifies universal scaling laws in enzyme functions across diverse organisms, suggesting a new form of biochemical universality.