Animal evolutionary biology unit

At the ANIMAL EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY UNIT, we focus on the study of general evolutionary biological topics, such as mechanisms of species formation, the genetic basis of adaptations, co-evolution of pathogens, parasites, or symbiotic gut microbiota and their hosts. Further, we are interested in sexual selection at both pre-copulatory and post-copulatory levels with overlaps into reproductive biology, evolution of the nervous system, and molecular mechanisms of communication between individuals and species. We conduct research on both wild and captive animal species. While our unit is predominantly focused on vertebrates, there is also a smaller-scale development of research on invertebrate animals. The research often integrates both genetic and phenotypic levels, combining diverse methodological approaches, particularly population genetics, phylogenetics, comparative genomics, morphometry, comparative anatomy, as well as ecological and ethological approaches.