Bridging the gap between theory and data in ecological models

• The MATE 2011 conference took place in September 2011 at the University of Essex, UK.
• The theme of the conference was ‘Linking models with ecological processes’.
• We report on MATE 2011 and review research in the field of mathematical and theoretical ecology.
• We introduce the 8 papers from MATE 2011 that were selected for this special proceedings issue.

In September 2011, the University of Essex, UK, hosted an interdisciplinary conference, Mathematical and Theoretical Ecology 2011 (MATE 2011), with the theme of ‘Linking models with ecological processes’. The aim of the meeting was to create discussion and debate between modellers and empiricists working in ecology. A wide range of topics were discussed at the meeting including evolutionary and community models of ecosystem structure, epidemiological models, non-linear models of population dynamics, spatiotemporal models, individual and collective movement behaviour, and applications of ecological models to engineering problems. In this introductory article, we provide a report of the MATE 2011 meeting, and briefly review the most recent relevant research in the fields of mathematical and theoretical ecology. We introduce and summarise the eight contributed articles that were selected for this special issue. The diverse range of topics and the wide range of mathematical, statistical and computational tools used illustrate the broad appeal and depth of research in the rich field of mathematical and theoretical ecology.