Research

Generally, we are interested in social evolution and multi-level selection. Our research focus is in the combined experimental and theoretical study of evolutionary dynamics, i.e., feedbacks between evolutionary and ecological processes — nowadays called eco-evolutionary dynamics — and the role of genetic factors in determining these dynamics. In this context we have mainly worked on 1) the evolution of specialization in herbivorous arthropods, and 2) the evolution of cooperation and altruism in humans and arthropods.

A major challenge in ecology is the need for a better theoretical framework for understanding how species assemblages (ecological communities) arise, why some are species-rich and others species-poor, and why some species are present or dominant whereas others are not. Current community assembly theory is largely based on static models that do not include ecological and evolutionary dynamics, whereas the dynamical models that do exist do not take the community perspective or do not readily allow inferences from data.

We attempt to solve these problems simultaneously by developing a fully stochastic, dynamical and data-friendly theory of community assembly, and testing and informing this theory with model-oriented experiments and field studies of both macro-organisms and micro-organisms. We apply this framework particularly to island biogeography, as islands are natural laboratories of evolution, including macroevolution and diversification. We develop software tools to assess the processes underlying natural communities and predict their future composition and diversity.

The history of life on earth may be viewed as a sequence of major transitions in which lower-level entities evolve to cooperate with each other and form ever higher levels of biological organisation. Genes cooperate to form genomes and cells, cells cooperate to form multicellular individuals, individual organisms cooperate to form social communities and species cooperate in mutualistic interactions. Yet the stability of higher-level cooperative units is constantly threatened by potential conflict between lower-level entities over their share in the genetic contribution to future generations. We study how this balance between conflict and cooperation shapes individual development, the social structure of populations and the dynamics of mutualistic interactions.

We strive to construct data-driven models of eco-evolutionary processes. Sometimes we include all (data, ecology and evolution), and sometimes we focus on a subset of these three factors. We have a particular interest in processes that play out over multiple spatial scales simultaneously, and we are always curious to learn about new systems!

Although biologists know the complete molecular blueprint of an increasing number of organisms, the connection between the evolution of molecular mechanisms and phenotypic adaptation remains obscure. As a result, it is difficult to understand how complex molecular interaction networks function, how they have been shaped by selection, and how their architecture influences the outcome of evolution. In order to resolve these questions, we develop models and perform microbial evolution experiments that merge ideas from evolutionary theory with detailed knowledge of molecular mechanisms. Breaking with the tradition of using simple descriptive, black-box models of the genotype-phenotype map to study evolution, we rely on systems biology models to accurately reflect the processes of development. This approach allows us to decipher the evolutionary principles underlying molecular organization and to create insights in the adaptation and diversification of complex traits.