The Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity (IEB) integrates groups working on evolutionary ecology of animals and plants, (molecular) phylogeny and evolution, aquatic ecology, biocomplexity, and evolutionary bioinformatics. Our core question is "how biodiversity and biocomplexity at all levels of the biological hierarchy arises through evolutionary processes".

Example research at the IEB [ reload to see more ]

Description: Phylotranscriptomics of an ecological keyspecies: Deciphering signatures of local adaptations of seagrass populations occurring along a thermal temperature gradient with respect to rising water temperatures during summer heat waves.. The experimental design is shown for the heat wave simulation experiments with various seagrass populations (Zosteraceae) performed in spring 2008, 2009 and 2010. In all three experiments, seagrass shoots from Northern and Southern populations were exposed to a simulated summer heat wave in a common stress garden design. RNA samples were taken at timepoint T3 and T5 and sequenced with 454 and Illumina. Results from the 2008 experiments show divergent responses of populations in early recovery, indicating transcriptomic resilience for the Southern European population. This is part of the research of the Evolutionary Bioinformatics Group . Find out more about Genome and Transcriptome Evolution on their research page

This is a random sample of recent research conducted by one of the groups at the IEB. Other examples can be viewed by reloading the page.