Evolutionary dynamics of quantitative traits
Evolutionary dynamics of quantitative traits
Artificial selection on fly wing allometry (Bolstad et al. 2015)Evolution results from the interplay between selection and the ability of organisms to evolve and adapt, that is, their Evolvability. Until recently, however, selection has been considered as the main dynamical force to explain variation in micro- and macro-evolution. The aim of our research activity is to understand how much evolvability of complex characters, measured by their level of genetic variance, affects their evolution at both micro- and macroevolutionary time scales. We use both experimental studies on different model organisms and comparative/meta-analyses to study evolvability.
Current research
- Understanding variation in seed size: genetic and ecological aspects.
- How far can we predict response to selection? An empirical approach using artificial selection.
- Measurement theory in biological sciences.
Who are we?
Christophe Pélabon (Prof.) Christophe’s main activity consists in combining various type of empirical and comparative studies to understand factors affecting evolutionary potential.
Gunilla Rosenqvist (Prof.) Gunilla’s research addresses questions in behavioural ecology and evolution. It aims at providing an understanding on how environmental changes affect the evolution of individual behaviour.
Geir H. Bolstad (Researcher at NINA). Geir’s main interest is evolutionary dynamics on all timescales and its genetic underpinnings. He is working with Dalechampia (a genus of tropical vines), fruit-fly wings, salmonids, quantitative genetic theory and population dynamics.
Elena Albertsen (PhD candidate) Elena is conducting both experimental and field study to understand the effects of genetic architecture and fluctuating selection on the evolution of the Dalechampia blossom.
Christopher H. Hilde (PhD candidate) Christoffer is currently working on the evolution of vital rates and demographic buffering. He has received a Master degree from the Department of Biology, NTNU, on the effect of wind on the costs of incubation in the common eider
PhD and Master projects
Current projects
Elena Albertsen (PhD): Genetic architecture and selection in Dalechampia scandens blossom
Christoffer H. Hilde (PhD): Evolution of vital rates: a test of the demographic buffering hypothesis
Astrid Raunsgard (Master): Parental conflict on seed size revealed by inter-population crosses in Dalechampia scandens.
Runa Ekrem (Master): Genetic architecture of the Dalechampia seed size: a test of the Primack hypothesis.
Adriana Martins (Master): Seed dormancy and environmental variation: a study in Dalechampia scandens.
Laura S. Hildesheim (Master): Timing of pollination and seed quality and Dalechampia scandens.
Selected publications
Houle, D., Bolstad, G.H., van der Linde, K. and Hansen, T.F. 2017. Mutation predicts 40 million years of fly wing evolution. Nature 548, 447-450.
Opedal, Ø.H., Albertsen, E., Armbruster, W.S., Pérez-Barrales, R., Falahati-Anbaran, M. and Pélabon, C. 2016. Evolutionary consequences of ecological factors: pollinator reliability predicts mating-system traits of a perennial plant. Ecology Letters 19, 1486–1495.
Pélabon, C., Albertsen, E., Falahati-Anbaran, M. and Armbruster, W.S. 2015. Does multiple paternity affect seed mass in angiosperms? An experimental test in Dalechampia scandens. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 28, 1719-1733
Bolstad, G.H., Cassara, J.A., Márquez, E., Hansen, T.F., van der Linde, K., Houle, D. and Pélabon, C. 2015. Complex constraints on allometry revealed by artificial selection on the wing of Drosophila melanogaster. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112, 13284–13289
Bolstad, G.H., Hansen, T.F., Pélabon, C., Falahati-Anbaran, M., Perez-Barrales, R. & Armbruster, W.S. 2014. Genetic constraints and evolutionary divergence in Dalechampia blossoms. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 369, 20130255
Armbruster, W.S., Pélabon, C., Bolstad, G.H. & Hansen, T.F. 2014. Integrated phenotypes: Understanding trait covariation in plants and animals. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B 369, 20130245