Theoretical Biology

The Theoretical Biology group develops theory in evolutionary ecology and the behavioural sciences. Current research projects focus on speciation, adaptive variation (animal personalities), the causes and consequences of sexual reproduction (sex determination, sex allocation, sexual selection), evolutionary game theory (conflict and cooperation), cultural versus genetic evolution, the interaction of evolution and self-organization, and non-equilibrium processes in ecology and evolution. Most of these projects are based on a general theoretical question but also closely related to a specific empirical problem in the 'real world'. We try to develop mechanistic models whose predictions can be tested in the lab or in the field. To this end, we closely collaborate with empirical biologists from various departments.

The Theoretical Biology group participates in the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies (CEES), which also harbours the research groups Animal Ecology, Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization, Community and Conservation Ecology, Evolutionary Genetics, Marine Benthic Ecology and Evolution, Marine Evolution and Conservation, Microbial Ecology, and Plant Ecophysiology. We closely collaborate with groups of the Centre for Behaviour and Neurosciences (CBN), the Evolutionary Social Psychology group, and we participate in the Systems Biology Centre - Energy Metabolism and Ageing (SBC-EMA).

Our group participates in various Bachelor and Master programmes. F.J. Weissing is director of the Erasmus Mundus MSc Programme in Evolutionary Biology (MEME) that also harbours the Top Programme Evolutionary Biology. We also teach in the Research School Ecology and Evolution (RSEE). F.J. Weissing is director of the Groningen Graduate School of Science (GGSS).

NEW: PhD (4 years) or Post-doc (3 years) position in Theoretical Evolutionary Ecology Causes and consequences of variation in dispersal behaviour

Recent key publications

• De Jager et al. (2011): Evolution of environmental complexity by individual selection. Science  [PDF]
• Duarte et al. (2011): Evolution of self-organized division of labor. AREES  [PDF]
• Fawcett et al. (2011): Sex ratio control erodes sexual selection. PNAS  [PDF]
• Uller & Pen (2011): Evolution of maternal effects. Evolution  [PDF]
• Botero et al. (2010): Evolution of communication strategies. Evolution  [PDF]
• Pen et al. (2010): Climate driven divergence in sex determination systems. Nature  [PDF]
• Van Doorn et al. (2009): On the origin of species. Science  [PDF]
• Wolf et al. (2008): Responsive and unresponsive personalities. PNAS  [PDF]
• Sæther et al. (2007): Reproductive isolation in flycatchers. Science  [PDF]
• Wolf et al. (2007): Evolution of animal personalities. Nature  [PDF]