Evolutionary Ecology

University of Jyväskylä

Director: Academy Professor Rauno Alatalo
tel. +358 14 2602 306 (or +358 40 5488 474)
fax +358 14 2602 321
alatalo(at)dodo.jyu.fi

Centre of Excellence Homepage

The Unit's research is strongly based on the evolutionary approach to the study of ecological processes: natural selection and adaptation to the environment provide the tools with which we seek to understand animal and plant life. The Unit's research can be grouped into four main topics: signal evolution, evolution of reproductive strategies, population ecology and soil food webs. Research on aposematic and sexual signals involves scientifically challenging and innovative research on key questions of evolutionary theory. Reproduction is the key component of fitness, and the Unit is particularly interested in mating success and reproductive effort. There is also a close link to the more applied studies of the significance of genetic diversity and local adaptation to individual fitness and population viability. The Unit's population studies combine the analysis of spatial and temporal patterns with experimental and theoretical work. Experiments on food chain dynamics, on factors affecting biodiversity and on mutualistic processes characterise the Unit's ecosystem studies.

The Unit has eleven senior researchers, nine post doctoral researchers and 19 post-graduate students.