Welcome to the Evolutionary Ecology Group
We are based at Eawag's Department of Aquatic Ecology, and we are also part of the Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ) and the Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS) at ETH Zürich. Members of our group are fascinated by the process of evolution and strive to understand how ecological interactions act on the genetic variation inherent in populations to generate the biological diversity we observe. An important research focus of our group is the study of insect host-parasite interactions. In particular, we are interested in how such interactions are modified by endosymbiotic bacteria that protect insects against natural enemies like parasitic wasps. Some members of our group also work in the field of conservation genetics. We investigate how man-made fragmentation of streams and rivers affects the genetic population structure of aquatic animals (fish and crayfish), and we provide these informations to the responsible authorities to support conservation efforts for endangered native crayfish.News
28.02.2022: New paper out by Youn Henry et al. on 'gated communities' of aphid symbionts. [LINK].24.1.2022: The final paper from Heidi Käch's PhD on costs of infection with Hamiltonella got published.
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10.1.2022: New review by Christoph on defensive symbionts and parasitoid host specialization in ARE.
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MSc & BSc Projects
Follow this link for a list of available MSc or BSc Projects in our group. But note that there are always additional possibilities.So: If you're interested in what we're doing, it is best to simply contact us or come by for a visit.