Evolutionary Modelling Group

Research in the Evolutionary Modelling Group focuses on interactions between organisms and their environment and other biota that they share the environment with. We use theoretical and empirical approaches to study genetic, physiological and ecological variation through time in order to reveal the complex network of influences that determine survival, fitness and reproduction. Environmental and climatic changes have modulated the evolution of vertebrates, with anthropogenic pressure increasing the rate of change during the Holocene. Our research projects include predator-prey dynamics of wildlife in agricultural landscapes, the balance of camouflage and conspicuousness in small vertebrates with changing seasonal phenology of vegetation senescence, trait evolution with respect to colonisation rate and host responses to pathogen pressure.