Polymorphism may play a role in speciation, but how morphs diversify into independent lineages is unclear. The alternative adaptation hypothesis predicts that 'developmental character release', generated by the loss of a morph, plays a key role. We test this hypothesis by comparing body size and wing shape in closely related damselflies that co-exist as either polymorphic or monomorphic populations.

Ecological character displacement - understood as competition-driven changes in phenotype that allow for reduced levels of interspecific competition - is a phenomenon rarely described in vertebrate species. From analyses of simple morphometric measurements, we report an observed case of character displacement (and competitive release) between two White-eye Zosteropidae species present on the Wakatobi archipelago, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Evolutionary maladaptation is a potential consequence of gene flow between locally adapted populations and is ubiquitous in nature. However, the importance of gene flow maladaptation as drivers of ecological patterns and processes is poorly understood. Using both observational and experimental field methodology, we demonstrate that maladaptation can regulate insect herbivore populations, structure plant-arthropod communities, and determine rates of herbivory.

Many flower-visiting insects overnight inside flowers. A few studies have suggested that some plants have adapted to exploit sleeping insects for pollination in return for a heat reward. Here we examine bedroom choice of pollinators in a South African desert plant community in relation to their thermal requirements and the thermal properties of their floral boudoirs.

Here we examine the impact on female Chinese painted quail paired with males of varying badge size and boldness scores on their investment in a clutch. In this study we found significant evidence for alterations in investment between groups.  We also explore the relationship between these traits and embryos sex at 5 days of incubation.

Warmer temperatures have led to changes in phenological timing including earlier flowering. The objective of our study was to get a better understanding of how the timing of flowering affects the development of Arabidopsis thaliana by comparing the developmental strategy of plants that had been selected to flower early under two different growth conditions. 

The evolution of helping behaviour in eusocial animals can be explained by the kin-selected benefits of raising relatives. Nest-drifting behaviour, where helpers visit multiple nests, may challenge this. Using radio-tags to monitor nest-drifting and helping effort in tropical paper wasps, we show that helpers respond to the needs of their natal nest, assuring inclusive fitness for themselves and their relatives.

Collective dispersal is the correlated dispersal of two or more individuals. Collective dispersal is observed (e.g. marine larval dispersal, wind driven seed dispersal) but has received little attention in population genetic theory. We present theory that incorporates collective dispersal into estimates of F_ST and expected coalescence times and discuss links with anisotropic dispersal.

Age-related variation in reproductive success has significant consequences for ecological and evolutionary dynamics. We use a 30 year longitudinal dataset to characterise age-specific breeding success in the wandering albatross. We then examine the complex processes underpinning this age-related demographic variation, statistically dissecting the population-level patterns to reveal independent contributions of breeding experience, senescence and terminal investment.

If an X chromosome in a male kills his Y chromosome gametes, it results in all female broods. Unless stopped, these selfish chromosomes should spread until they drive the population extinct. However, in nature meiotic drivers are found in stable latitudinal clines, being rarer at higher latitudes, despite occurring in species with very different ecologies. This talk asks why.

The positions of anthers and stigmas should govern pollen dispersal in animal-pollinated plants. Pontederia cordata is trystylous, so that sex organs appear at three positions: protuding, at the perianth mouth, and at the perianth base. We tracked pollen movement in this species and found that pollen exchange is generally greatest for the mid-positioned organs when pollinators are abundant.

The study of the evolution of ecological specialization in more complex systems than pairwise ones is a challenge. We model a pollinator-plants-herbivore system wherein the strength of antagonistic interactions and the strength of mutualistic ones are considered to coevolve. We investigate the evolution of specialization in this system and highlight its feedback effects on pollination services.

Predation is a major force structuring ecological communities.  Predation is also responsible for the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in many organisms. Here, combining a naturally replicated experiment varying predator regime with a laboratory experiment focused on predator induced phenotypic plasticity, we show how this plasticity is central to local adaptation at a landscape scale.

Existence of morphologically distinct forms of a cichlid species in several independent lagoons in Northern Mexico presents an ideal system to look at how traits evolve in parallel.  Using ecological, genetic and morphological data we found genetically distinct populations among lagoons and resource partitioning within lagoons. This constitutes strong evidence of divergent selection underlying the radiation of this cichlid assemblage.

Using a quantitative genetic model of adaptation by genetic assimilation, phenotypic plasticity and maternal effects, we examine the impacts of auto-correlated environmental change. If environmental change is extreme or predictable across generations, positive maternal effects are beneficial. In relatively stable environments, negative maternal effects minimise phenotypic variance, keep more individuals close to the target phenotype and therefore maximise fitness.