Moosmann, Marvin (2023). The ecological dynamics of natural selection in a community context. (Thesis). Universität Bern, Bern
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23moosmann_m.pdf - Thesis Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial (CC-BY-NC 4.0). Download (45MB) | Preview |
Abstract
This thesis explores the dynamic interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes in community contexts. Both community ecology and evolutionary biology aim to understand the mechanisms driving the diversity, abundance, and distribution of species, with evolutionary change and ecological dynamics being deeply interconnected. Recent theoretical and empirical advances have highlighted the importance of integrating these two fields to better understand how community contexts influence phenotypic evolution and vice versa, as well as how these reciprocal dynamics can shape ecological and evolutionary trajectories. However, studying this interaction presents significant challenges, particularly in understanding how species interactions drive natural selection and how evolutionary outcomes, such as phenotypic changes, affect selective environments. This thesis addresses these challenges through a combination of literature review, theoretical analysis, experimentation, and comparative studies across natural populations and ecosystems. Focusing on the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and the communities they inhabit, the research explores how community context drives phenotypic variation (Chapters 1 and 4) and how phenotypic divergence influences species interactions and community structure (Chapters 2 and 3). Through these investigations, this thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how ecological and evolutionary dynamics intersect to shape biodiversity.
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Dissertation Type: | Cumulative |
| Date of Defense: | 26 January 2023 |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology |
| Institute / Center: | 08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IEE) |
| Depositing User: | Hammer Igor |
| Date Deposited: | 23 May 2025 12:20 |
| Last Modified: | 23 May 2025 22:25 |
| URI: | https://boristheses.unibe.ch/id/eprint/6212 |
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