What is the impact of changing environmental conditions on freshwater eco-evolutionary processes and
how do these effects directly feed back on the community or ecosystem?
This project aims at initiating a Long Term Ecological Research project to investigate the Rhine Eco-Evolutionary System (REES).
how do these effects directly feed back on the community or ecosystem?
This project aims at initiating a Long Term Ecological Research project to investigate the Rhine Eco-Evolutionary System (REES).
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REES is a collaborative effort of ecological research at University of Cologne. With complementary work and focusing on different research aspects, we aim to generate a holistic perspective on the eco-evolutionary dynamics of the Rhine system.
More collaborations welcome! Send your request to a.waldvogel(at)uni-koeln.de |
The project focuses on an area at the Lower Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia (district Rees), which can be described as landscape of ecological succession including several gravel pit lakes, Rhine oxbows and abandoned meanders, as well as the main river channel.
This wider system of standing and flowing freshwater bodies offers great opportunities to study dynamic fluctuations of community compositions and also intra-specific population dynamics in response to environmental and ecological variation. In order to generate an insight in eco-evolutionary feedback loops as comprehensive as possible, this project will be most powerful if many collaborators focusing on different target aspects of the ecosystem join forces to build the overall picture.
This wider system of standing and flowing freshwater bodies offers great opportunities to study dynamic fluctuations of community compositions and also intra-specific population dynamics in response to environmental and ecological variation. In order to generate an insight in eco-evolutionary feedback loops as comprehensive as possible, this project will be most powerful if many collaborators focusing on different target aspects of the ecosystem join forces to build the overall picture.
First publication online: Schönle et al. 2024
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Map of LTER-site: Ecological Research station Rees-Bienen of the University of Cologne (Institute of Zoology) and the Naturschutzzentrum Kleve e.V. build the core facilities of the area.
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Focus research project Team Waldvogel
Using genomic biomonitoring to study eco-evo dynamics
-> Postdoc Alexandra Schönle
-> Students: Tobias Nickel, Marayke Schreier
Using genomic biomonitoring to study eco-evo dynamics
-> Postdoc Alexandra Schönle
-> Students: Tobias Nickel, Marayke Schreier
Research question:
-> Can we measure/infer demographic as well as mutational oscillations from long-term population genomic time-series data?
-> How responsive is the dependence of mutation rate on variations in effective population sizes through time?
Background:
Whilst population genetics/genomics as well as quantitative genetics approaches have already elucidated many processes where evolution is shaping ecology, the opposite direction from ecology to evolution, however, has scarcely been investigated empirically and even to a lesser extent using genomic data. Using population genomics approaches, both evolutionary as well as ecological processes can be inferred from genome data (e.g. signatures of selection, genotype-environment associations, demographic history,
dispersal).
-> Can we measure/infer demographic as well as mutational oscillations from long-term population genomic time-series data?
-> How responsive is the dependence of mutation rate on variations in effective population sizes through time?
Background:
Whilst population genetics/genomics as well as quantitative genetics approaches have already elucidated many processes where evolution is shaping ecology, the opposite direction from ecology to evolution, however, has scarcely been investigated empirically and even to a lesser extent using genomic data. Using population genomics approaches, both evolutionary as well as ecological processes can be inferred from genome data (e.g. signatures of selection, genotype-environment associations, demographic history,
dispersal).
