Molecular Ecology

left to right
Kirsty Deiner, Arjun Sivasundar, Marcel Haesler, Kay Lucek

Scope of the molecular ecology group

• Population genetics - we investigate the ecological, environmental and evolutionary factors, both proximate and ultimate, which shape present day patterns of gene flow among populations of a species

• Adaptation - we study the ways in which organisms adapt to their environments over a range of temporal scales, using genetic, morphological and ecological data

• Speciation - we combine the above two approaches to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the formation of species

Past research

Population genetics - the suite of factors influencing population connectivity in Sebastes rockfish have been studied in North America. Besides being scientifically intriguing, these results provide important input into conservation and management planning

Adaptation - molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptations of Sebastes species to different depth distributions in the marine environment have been investigated

Ongoing research

Adaptation and Speciation - current projects at EAWAG and UBern are investigating rapid adaptive radiation in the threespined stickleback (Gastarosteus aculeatus). This species has spread rapidly throughout Switzerland in the last century, and displays a range of phenotypic and genetic diversity within CH which is on the same scale as variation across Europe in general.

We use a highly integrative approach to understand the mechanisms behind this rapid burst of adaptation. We use genetic, morphological, ecological, behavioural, environmental, physical, chemical and ecosystem level data to gain a holistic understanding of this impressive radiation.

Team

• Arjun Sivasundar, group leader
• Kay Lucek, PhD Student