Evolution and demography team

The Evolution and Demography (EvoDemo) team focuses on the interactions between evolution and population demography, particularly in response to environmental changes, whether biotic or abiotic. The applications of our research in population genetics and dynamics concern conservation biology, adaptation to global changes, and the management of pathogens and their resistance to treatments. We investigate these interactions through the evolution of phenotypic traits that affect demographic processes (population growth and spatial distribution), taking into account the stochasticity of these processes and the structure of populations (by age, genotype, site, etc.). These questions are explored through the development of theoretical models (notably phenotypic adaptive landscapes), long-term monitoring of natural plant populations, and experimental evolution approaches (phages and bacteria). Our research addresses the evolution of reproductive systems (self-incompatibility, homogamy), life-history traits (senescence, phenology), species distributions, and resistance to antibiotics and phage therapy. Two related themes run through our current work: the study of evolutionary rescue (when evolution prevents extinction), and the examination of the evolutionary and demographic consequences of manipulating gene flow for conservation purposes (assisted gene flow and genetic rescue).