Evolution is the change in inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It is a unifying concept in all of biology and evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organization, including species, populations, individuals and molecules. An important mechanism causing evolution is natural selection; individuals vary in heritable traits and this variation results in differences in fitness that depend on the environment. Evolution may be studied at different temporal and spatial scales and may involve reconstruction of historical patterns as well as the processes resulting in evolution.
At DEEP research explicitly focusing on evolutionary aspects includes studies on phylogeny, trait evolution, biogeography, speciation, hybridization, interactions between species, selection in natural populations, and the links between selection and the environment.
Research areas with contact people
Genome evolution in fungi (Hanna Johannesson)
Cell differentiation and coordination in plant tissues (Edouard Pesquet)
Cold tolerance in plants (Aelys Humphreys)
Ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant-animal interactions (Johan Ehrlén)
Ecology and evolution of indirect interactions in host-parasitoid systems (Peter Hambäck)
Evolution in lycopods (Catarina Rydin)
Evolution in the Gnetales (Catarina Rydin)
Evolution of angiosperm seed disperser mutualisms (Ove Eriksson)
Evolution of diversity (Aelys Humphreys)
Phylogenetic and biogeographical studies of the Rubiaceae (Catarina Rydin)
Selection on timing of reproduction in plants (Johan Ehrlén)
Symbioses between vascular plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Katharina Pawlowski)
Systematic studies of the Asteraceae (Per Ola Karis)
The ecology and evolution of plant-based food webs, with a focus on the spatial dynamics of plants, insects and microbes (Ayco Tack)
Plant mating system evolution (Tanja Slotte)
Plant evolutionary genomics (Tanja Slotte)
Population genomics (Tanja Slotte)
Evolution of parasitic plants (Gitte Petersen)
Evolution of the monocotyledons (Gitte Petersen)
Plant mitochondrial genomics (Gitte Petersen)
