Thomas Clerc
Papers
1
Total Citations
45
H-Index
1
About
Thomas Clerc is a leading researcher in the biophysics and evolutionary dynamics of mutualistic networks, with a particular focus on the ancient symbiosis between plants and mycorrhizal fungi. His most influential work introduces the "travelling-wave strategy" for plant–fungal trade, a groundbreaking model that explains how fungi balance the costly construction of extensive networks against the need to efficiently collect and trade nutrients with plant roots. This 2025 paper, already garnering 45 citations, offers a novel framework for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of resource exchange in one of Earth's most ecologically critical partnerships—a symbiosis that has persisted for nearly 450 million years. Clerc’s contributions bridge theoretical ecology and network theory, providing testable predictions about how fungal architecture optimizes trade-offs between exploration and exploitation. His work is essential reading for students and researchers interested in the physical principles governing biological markets, the evolution of cooperation, and the hidden infrastructure beneath our feet. By reframing fungal networks as dynamic, cost-sensitive trading systems, Clerc is reshaping our understanding of how life’s oldest partnerships persist and thrive.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1A travelling-wave strategy for plant–fungal trade45 citations · 2025