Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "Daphnia-parasite interactions on ecosystem level: is there a scope for eco-coevolutionary dynamics ?" "Ellen Decaestecker" "Numerical Analysis and Applied Mathematics (NUMA), Biology, Kulak Kortrijk Campus" "We will study the role of host-parasite coevolution as an important evolutionary process underlying eco-evolutionary dynamics (‘eco-coevolutionary dynamics’, i.e. eco-evolutionary dynamics where co-evolution is the central evolutionary process). We aim to study how this eco-coevolutionary dynamics affect fundamental ecosystem functions, more in particular primary productivity and nutrient recycling in freshwater ecosystems. We will use the invertebrate waterflea Daphnia and its parasites because of the evolutionary and ecological significance in pelagic freshwater ecosystems. We will perform experiments to investigate to what extent parasites affect grazing activity, energetic constraints and stoichiometry of individual Daphnia. We will study the effect of parasites on primary productivity and nutrient cycling. We hypothesize that P-limitation increases parasite virulence via changes in within-host competition for biogenic elements and changes in Daphnia population density and associated parasite transmission. Therefore, we will study the role of reciprocal effects of coevolutionary and ecological responses, i.e. eco-coevolutionary feedbacks. At last, we will simulate long-term and larger scale experiments via extended host-parasite coevolution models and agent-based models, which will serve as a basis to better understand the drivers of ecocoevolutionary feedback loops." "Using East African Zosterops to understand speciation and eco-evolutionary dynamics in rapidly changing environments" "Luc Lens" Biology "Natural selection is the key process of speciation and can act rapidly under environmental change. Habitat destruction, for instance, isolates populations that need to adapt to prevent extinction. Under these circumstances evolutionary rescue by related interacting species could promote adaptation. Using recently radiated Zosterops in Eastern Africa I want to study their eco-evolutionary dynamics under past and present environmental changes." "Parallel evolution and eco-evolutionary dynamics in city ponds – from evolution to nature-based solutions in coupled human-natural systems" "Luc De Meester" "Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation" "There has been an upsurge in studies on adaptive evolution in cities over the past five years because of its high relevance in the context of  population resilience and persistence, and the need to improve biodiversity conservation across anthropogenic landscapes. This proposal builds on the exceptionally well-documented multi-trait urban evolution in water fleas (Daphnia) in Flanders. I aim to address a number of key knowledge gaps in the field of urban evolution and urban eco-evolutionary dynamics using Daphnia and urban ponds as model systems. More specifically, I will  (i) elucidate the genomic underpinning of urban evolution and in this way complement the study of phenotypic trait evolution by information on genes, pathways and islands of divergence, (ii) test for parallel urban evolution across larger geographic scales (several European cities), (iii) test for effects of urbanization-induced evolution on resilience during anthropogenic disturbance, and (iv) contribute to the development of the field of socio-eco-evolutionary dynamics by  testing for societal drivers (e.g. wealth) of urban evolution and by quantifying potential ecosystem services that originate from urban evolution." "Eco-Evolutionary dynamics in the community assembly of Daphnia gut microbiome" "Luc De Meester" "Laboratory of Reproductive Genomics, Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation" "The gut microbiome exerts a profound effect on the development, physiology and behaviour of its host and plays an important role in the rapid adaptation of host individuals to changing environmental conditions. While much research has been done in recent years in evaluating the mechanisms driving community assembly in gut microbiomes, there is a very limited understanding of the underlying eco-evolutionary processes involved in shaping the gut microbiota composition. Using the water flea Daphnia as a model system, this thesis aims at investigating the importance of eco-evolutionary processes, more specifically evolution-mediated and microbiome-mediated priority effects in gut microbiome community assembly, to explore the consequences of the resulting variation in microbiome composition on host adaptation to environmental stressors. This project thus seeks to generate unique insights on microbiome community assembly with profound relevance for general gut microbiome studies." "Eco-evolutionary dynamics in spatially structured systems" "Dries Bonte" Biology "Eco-evolutionary dynamics are key to adaptation and biological diversification in heterogeneous environments. These eco-evo interactions also steer the three processes of dispersal (departure, transfer and settlement), and therefore the organization of biodiversity in space. A qualitative and quantitative theory is to date lacking. The research network will merge existing research communities on eco-evolutionary dynamics and dispersal ecology. The research network will promote the integration of these fields, not only by stimulating mobility, but also by the further development of collaborative experiments and synthesis actions. More specifically, network will organise a variety of activities, including the organisation of symposia, workshops as fostered by postdoctoral mobility between the Flemish and International partners." "Eco-evolutionary dynamics in spatially structured systems" "Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Université de Montpellier, Concordia University, University of Potsdam, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS Moulis), University of Connecticut, Catholic University of Louvain, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, University of California, Berkeley, University of Aberdeen, Ghent University, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Evolutionary ecology group (EVECO)" "Eco-evolutionary dynamics are key to adaptation and biological diversification in heterogeneous environments. These eco-evo interactions also steer the three processes of dispersal (departure, transfer and settlement), and therefore the organization of biodiversity in space. A qualitative and quantitative theory is to date lacking. The research network will merge existing research communities on eco-evolutionary dynamics and dispersal ecology. The research network will promote the integration of these fields, not only by stimulating mobility, but also by the further development of collaborative experiments and synthesis actions. More specifically, network will organise a variety of activities, including the organisation of symposia, workshops as fostered by postdoctoral mobility between the Flemish and International partners." "Eco-evolutionary dynamics of the gut microbiota" "Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology (Rega Institute)" "The intestinal microbiota is composed of multiple species of microorganisms that have important functions for the health of the human host. These microbial communities result from complex relationships between its single components, yet detailed knowledge about these inter-species dynamics, their evolution and response to external factors remains scarce. This project will investigate the eco-evolutionary dynamics between major species and strains of the human gut microbiota by combining experimental evolution and bioinformatic analyses. The main research objectives are: (1) To characterize the types of relationships established between gut microbial species; (2) to identify genetic changes (mutations and gene flows between species) that may help us to understand adaptive evolution within the human gut; and (3) to investigate how abiotic factors (culture media, diet carbohydrates, oxygen, antibiotics,…) affect these interspecies relationships and evolutionary processes. A deeper comprehension of these processes will be of high value for the rational design of probiotics and for the treatment of gut-associated infectious diseases." "Eco-evolutionary dynamics of the extended pace-of-life syndrome in a range expanding damselfly" "Robby Stoks" "Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation" "Investigating one trait at a time is insufficient to understand the responses of organisms towards changing environments. This is because life history, behavioural and physiological traits integrate and align along a fast-slow axis, called the pace-of-life syndrome. For example, bold individuals with a fast metabolic rate live fast and die young, whereas shy individuals with a slow metabolism live slow and die old. We don’t know (i) which exact traits and associated genes are part of this syndrome, (ii) whether and how it evolves rapidly in a predictable way, and (iii) what the consequences are for interactions with other species. To address these knowledge gaps, I will work with a damselfly that is currently expanding its range polewards. I will focus on less studied traits such as physiology and performance, and link these to gene expression patterns. I will test the idea that individuals with a faster life style will be the pioneers in the range expansion process by comparing the life styles of newly colonized damselfly populations located at the range edges with core populations. Finally, I will test whether differentiation in lifestyle between edge and core populations leads to changes in the outcome of predator-prey interactions, and eventually may influence the stability of the food web. Overall, my proposal aims to advance understanding of the exciting, yet understudied mechanisms underlying ecological and evolutionary processes. " "Towards a multiple-species approach to assess the importance of eco-evolutionary dynamics in communities" "Luc De Meester" "Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation" "Ecological and evolutionary dynamics often take place over similar spatial and temporal scales. However, little is still known about how eco-evolutionary feedbacks affect community and ecosystem responses to environmental change in nature. One key limitation of current research is that most studies neglect the fact that multiple species of a guild evolve simultaneously. Here we aim to take an explicit multiple species approach to assess the relative importance of ecological (species sorting) and evolutionary (genetic adaptation) processes in determining changes in community composition, community trait values and ecosystem features in response to global change. We will use freshwater plankton communities as model system to simultaneously quantify genetic adaptation in multiple species and assess how their trait evolution influences community responses to warming. We will combine a selection experiment with a common gardening community assembly experiment to assess how evolution of one or all species influences community composition, top-down control, and ecosystem features. We will also hatch communities from different time points of a lake aiming for a resurrection commmunity ecoevolutionary experiment to quantify how evolution in multiple species influences community responses to warming. This research will push the field of eco-evolutionary dynamics from a focal species to an explicitly multi-species perspective, crucial to obtain realistic estimates of its importance." "Eco-evolutionary dynamics in unique ecosystems: sodic waters" "Luc De Meester" "Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation" "There is increasing evidence for rapid local genetic adaptation even at very small geographic scales (microgeographic adaptation). The water flea Daphnia magna is one of the model systems for which pronounced patterns of local adaptation to multiple environmental gradients have been documented. As populations genetically adapt to local conditions, this may change the dynamics of population and community assembly, patterns of landscape genetic variation, and ecosystem functioning. Quantifying these impacts is the key focus of this project proposal. Sodic aquatic habitats are unique saltwater ecosystems that are locally dominant in Austria and Hungary. The zooplankton in these systems is strongly dominated by large-bodied Daphnia species, especially D. magna. This dominance by a species on which a lot of research has been done on local adaptive evolution offers a unique opportunity to test for the implications of local genetic adaptation on genetic structure and community assembly at the landscape level in natural systems. We will quantify levels of local genetic adaptation to salinity gradients in these unique systems and carry out field transplant and common gardening experiments to quantify the effect of microgeographic adaptation to salinity differences on landscape genetic structure and community dynamics as well as ecosystem characteristics."