From Molecular Changes to Evolutionary Processes 

Molecular changes provide the heritable variation on which evolutionary processes act, but their consequences are expressed across multiple levels of biological organization — from phenotypes and populations to species interactions, communities and ecosystems. A major challenge in contemporary evolutionary biology is therefore to understand how molecular variation is translated into adaptation, diversification and evolutionary responses observed in nature, particularly under rapid environmental and climatic change. Understanding these connections is essential for addressing fundamental questions in genetics, ecology, zoology, botany, taxonomy and conservation biology. 

Molecular evolution is not a field exclusively for geneticists or molecular biologists. It provides concepts and tools that help zoologists, botanists, ecologists and other biologists understand the origins of biological diversity, reconstruct relationships among species, investigate adaptation and explain how organisms respond to environmental change. 

The USEB 2027 will explore how molecular changes arise and contribute to adaptation, biological diversity, species interactions and evolutionary responses to environmental change. The programme will connect molecular evolution with population genetics, ecology, organismal biology, phylogenetics, experimental evolution and the study of biodiversity. 

Programme

USEB 2027 will take place in a hybrid format, combining in-person participation at Uzhhorod National University with online lectures and discussions. Under the theme “From Molecular Changes to Evolutionary Process,” the programme will connect molecular mechanisms with evolutionary patterns observed at the level of organisms, populations, species and ecosystems.

School topics will include:

• Origins of molecular variation: mutation and recombination

• Evolution of genes and genomes

• Natural selection, genetic drift and gene flow

• Population genetics and molecular adaptation

• Molecular phylogenetics and the reconstruction of evolutionary history

• Speciation and the origins of biological diversity

• Evolutionary ecology and responses to environmental change

• Host–symbiont and host–pathogen coevolution

• Evolution of microbiomes and biological interactions

• Experimental evolution

• Molecular approaches in zoology, botany, taxonomy and biodiversity research

• Conservation and applied evolutionary biology

Further details and the full programme will be announced soon.