Department Fish Ecology & Evolution

We study ecology, evolution and biodiversity of fishes and other aquatic organisms. We are interested in the mechanisms that drive the origins, the maintenance and the loss of species, genetic and functional diversity.

In colonised countries, the profits from the exploitation of natural resources such as cotton did not benefit the countries themselves, but contributed to Europe’s industrial rise. (Photo: Martinesku, Adobe Stock)

August 19, 2026 –

A new study finds the link between biodiversity and poverty was shaped by colonial history rather than by nature itself—and argues that conservation built on the opposite assumption risks repeating it.

Grégoire Saboret, catching fish in a glacial river in Greenland. (Photo: Coralie Moccetti)

August 7, 2026 –

As glaciers retreat, new lakes emerge and ecosystems develop. A study in Greenland shows that they are highly connected to the surrounding landscape.

spatial and temporal distribution of sampling

July 10, 2026 –

Ryan Shipley and Cornelia W. Twining have contributed to this research arcticle entitled "Divergent population trajectories despite similar response to temperature in a widespread aerial insectivore". This work has now been...

Ryan Shipley and Cornelia W. Twining have contributed to this research arcticle entitled "Divergent population trajectories despite similar response to temperature in a widespread aerial insectivore". This work has now been published in PNAS.

May 8, 2026 –

We are happy and proud to announce that Ole has been elected as an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences!

More News from the Department of Fish ecology and evolution

Eawag News

Postdoc in Food-Web Responses to Artificial Flood Restauration in Alpine Rivers

15.09.2026,

9.00 am

Eawag Kastanienbaum, Seeheim seminar room & Online

How to avoid being eaten, or should you even care?

28.09.2026,

9.00 am

Empa-Akademie, Dübendorf

Wenn Wasser wärmer wird (SCNAT)

scnat

14.10.2026,

9.00 am

Eawag Kastanienbaum, Seeheim seminar room & Online

From Traits to the Ecosystem: Linking Evolution and Ecosystem Function Through Ecological Stoichiometry

Ahi, E. P., Moustakas-Verho, J., & Singh, P. (2026). Ectodysplasin-A (EDA) signaling cross-talk in skeletogenesis. Calcified Tissue International, 117(1), 37 (28 pp.). doi:10.1007/s00223-026-01502-0, Institutional Repository

Ahi, E. P., Sturmbauer, C., Albertson, R. C., & Singh, P. (2026). Molecular basis of variations in facial soft tissues: insights from cichlid fishes. Developmental Biology, 529, 200-212. doi:10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.10.014, Institutional Repository

The human face serves as a crucial component of attractiveness and identity, playing a pivotal role in social interactions. Teleost fish models, particularly zebrafish, have offered valuable insights into the developmental and molecular mechanisms governing craniofacial skeletogenesis, owing to the molecular conservation in these processes. However, knowledge regarding the morphogenic processes shaping facial soft tissues remains surprisingly sparse. On the human side, most causal evidence comes from gene–phenotype associations in clinical genetics; however, these studies rarely provide cellular-resolution analyses of facial soft tissues, leaving tissue- and cell-type–specific mechanisms unresolved. The diverse family of Cichlidae constitute ∼10 % of teleost fish species and represent an exceptional opportunity for evolutionary biology research due to their extensive ecological diversity and rapid speciation rates. Cichlid fishes also exhibit remarkable craniofacial morphological diversity, making them excellent models for studying both craniofacial skeletal and soft tissue morphogenesis. Utilizing the wealth of natural mutants within cichlid populations, this short review pitches cichlid fish models as valuable tools for investigating the genetic regulators and interactions underlying facial soft tissue formation. At present, most cichlid studies rely on comparative transcriptomics between closely related species with and without pronounced traits; these data are associative, and the regulatory hierarchy and primary drivers remain to be established through functional tests (e.g., genome editing). By synthesising developmental and regulatory mechanisms that influence morphological variations in facial soft tissues in cichlids and other model organisms, we create a blueprint for future molecular genetic investigations into facial diversity. Accordingly, we highlight the need for (i) causative functional studies in cichlids and (ii) cellular-resolution analyses of human facial soft tissues to bridge correlative and mechanistic evidence across systems.