Evolutionary Ecology Research

My research interests can be divided into two main areas. First, I am interested in understanding the adaptive evolution of physiological traits along environmental gradients and in response to extreme and changing climatic conditions. For this, I focus on the interaction of quantitative genetics (phenotypic level), and molecular approaches (proteomics, transcriptomics, genomics), to assess the mechanisms underpinning plasticity and local adaptation. My Second area of interest is more applied to biodiversity conservation and management. Using evolutionary principles and genetic/genomic approaches, my work aims to enhance ecosystem services, restoring intra- and inter-specific diversity, through for instance assisted gene flow, evolutionary rescue, and genetically informed interventions. 

Some of the core areas in our work are:

• Phenotypic plasticity and evolution of physiological traits.

• Physiological ecology: thermal stress

• Functional Genomics: linking genotype to phenotype

• Host-microbiome interactions and the concept of holobiomes

• Seagrass & seaweed ecology and evolution 

• Blue carbon and ecological restoration (More info)

• Biodiversity conservation.

Some of the questions we addressed in our work are:

• How does environmental variation influence the expression of genetic variation that underpins adaptation?

• How important is phenotypic/genetic variation for adaptive evolutionary responses to environmental change?

• What mechanisms underpin rapid phenotypic responses and local adaptation in natural populations?