The Evolutionary Ecology group is also part of the Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ) and the Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS) at ETH Zürich. An important research focus of our group is the study of insect host-parasite interactions. In particular, we are interested in how such interactions are modified by endosymbiotic bacteria that protect insects against natural enemies like parasitic wasps. Some members of our group also work in the field of conservation genetics. We investigate how man-made fragmentation of streams and rivers affects the genetic population structure of aquatic animals (fish and crayfish), and we provide these informations to the responsible authorities to support conservation efforts for endangered native crayfish.
