Welcome to the Evolutionary Genetics Group

at Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL

Our group is interested in understanding the roles of demography and natural selection in shaping the life-histories, traits, and genetic composition of populations across a landscape. Our principal study systems are forest tree species and herbaceous plants. Our research is theoretically grounded in the field of evolutionary quantitative genetics: the study of the evolution of quantitative traits (such as growth) and its underlying genetic variation that also enables predicting the rate and direction of adaptive evolution. We make use of genomic tools and statistical models borrowed from plant breeding, such as genomic prediction, to answer fundamental evolutionary questions, such as the role of gene-environment interactions in adaptation, and to aid adaptive forest management decisions, such as the use of assisted gene flow. We use a variety of empirical approaches from field observations through transplant experiments to controlled crosses. We also develop and use statistical models, including spatial statistics and machine learning, and use individual-based computer simulations to validate our empirical findings.