Eco-evolutionary dynamics
Eco-evolutionary dynamics
A fundamental aim in ecology is to understand how organisms respond to changing environmental conditions. Empirical studies typically focus either on the direct effects on individual characteristics and corresponding effects on population abundance changes, or on long-term evolutionary changes. Yet, it is becoming increasingly clear that these two processes occur simultaneously and may influence each other. We use a highly suitable zooplankton model organism (Daphnia) to study eco-evolutionary feedback mechanisms. Our aim is to obtain results that yield a novel understanding of links between ecological and evolutionary responses to environmental change.
Who are we?
Professor Sigurd Einum. Eco-evolutionary dynamics, with focus on responses in life history traits, physiology and population dynamics to temperature variation.
Post doc Tim Burton. The role of plastic shifts in thermal tolerance in helping maintaining organismal performance under changing patterns of temperature variability.
PhD candidate Semona Issa. Interactive effects of metal pollution and temperature on population dynamics.
PhD and Master projects
Current
- Øystein Kielland (PhD), The role of evolution of metabolism in shaping ecological responses to temperature
- Erlend Fossen (PhD), Quantitative genetics of thermal reaction norms
- Semona Issa (PhD), Ecotoxicology expanded: individual and population responses to combined effects of temperature and toxic compounds using Daphnia as a model organism
- Victor Parry (MSc), The effects of temperature on gross growth efficiency of Daphnia magna
- Vitalja Bartuseviciute (MSc), Is genetic variance in thermal reaction norms minimized at home? An empirical test using populations of Daphnia magna from different latitudes
- Ane Simonsen (MSc), Population responses to the combined effect of temperature and inorganic mercury (Hg2+) on ephippia production in Daphnia magna
Selected publications
Raeymaekers JAM, Chaturvedi A, Hablützel PI, Verdonck I, Hellemans B, Maes GE, De Meester L & Volckaert FAM (2017). Adaptive and non-adaptive divergence in a common landscape. Nature Communications 8, 267
Hablützel PI, Vanhove MPM, Deschepper P, Grégoir AF, Roose AK, Volckaert FAM & Raeymaekers JAM (2017). Parasite escape through trophic specialization in a species flock. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 30, 1437-1445.
Kielland, Ø.N., Bech, C. and Einum, S. 2017. No evidence for thermal transgenerational plasticity in metabolism when minimizing the potential for confounding effects. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 284, 20162494
Yashchenko, V., Fossen, E.I., Kielland, Ø.N. and Einum, S. 2016. Negative relationships between population density and metabolic rates are not general. Journal of Animal Ecology 85, 1070–1077.
Sereni, L. and Einum, S. 2015. No evidence for activity adjustment in response to increased density in Daphnia magna. PLoS ONE 10, e0144759
Einum, S. 2014. Ecological modeling of metabolic rates predicts diverging optima across food abundances. American Naturalist 183, 410-417
Robertsen, G., Armstrong, J., Nislow, K.H., Herfindal, I., McKelvey, S. & Einum, S. 2014. Spatial variation in the relationship between performance and metabolic rate in wild-juvenile Atlantic salmon. Journal of Animal Ecology 83, 791-799