1) Applied Ecology & Evolution in Anthropogenic environments
Humans have a profound impact on the earth’s ecosystems. Our goal is to understand the functioning of anthropogenic ecosystems and to determine the characteristics of successful and less successful species to propose appropriate management to limit the negative impacts of human development.
2) Behavioural Ecology
Behaviour ecology addresses the evolutionary basis of animal behaviour under different ecological conditions and covers both mechanistic and functional approaches. A wide range of organisms is studied, from bioluminescent worms and fish to herbivorous and parasitic insects, pollinators and aggregative unicellular organisms.
3) Metapopulation dynamics & Movement Ecology
Metapopulation ecology studies the functioning of networks of populations exchanging individuals by dispersal. A combination of natural (field) and experimental (laboratory) systems are used, such as unicellular organisms, mites, insects and birds.
4) Plant-Animal Interactions
Plant-animal interactions form the basis of ecosystems and represent a strong evolutionary force. Our goal is to understand the evolutionary and practical consequences of these interactions between plants, pollinators and herbivores, and prey, predators and parasites.
5) Speciation & Phylogeny
To understand the evolution of reproductive barriers between populations and ultimately the formation of new species, we study the mechanisms that keep species separate or still allow hybridization, and the evolutionary relationships between existing species.