Zooplankton Ecology and Evolution

Description

We are part of the Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ) and the Department of Environmental System Sciences (D-USYS) at ETH Zürich. Our group is hosted by Eawag in Dübendorf, where our offices and labs are based.

Our main research interests are questions, related to the maintenance and functioning of zooplankton populations, and the understanding of processes that influence genetic variation. We are especially interested in evolutionary ecological questions related to hybridization. We investigate how predation (interaction through kairomones), life history strategies, parasites and local adaptation influence the fitness of hybrid and parental taxa. Recently we started to combine evolutionary concepts with eco-toxicology. For our studies we use a multidisciplinary approach, combining experimental work with field studies and population genetics. We mainly use Daphnia as a model organism.