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Emanuel A. Fronhofer
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Emanuel A. Fronhofer

CNRS researcher at the Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier
(ISEM; UMR5554; University of Montpellier, France)


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Jhelam N. Deshpande:
Gene regulatory networks and the evolution of dispersal plasticity.

MSc Thesis. Univ. Montpellier, France & IISER Pune, India (co-supervision with S. Dey).

Jhelam studies the evolution of information use and dispersal plasticity.
She works theoretically on this topic using a systems biology approach.


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Natalie Lewis:
Dispersal evolution during climate change induced range shifts
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MEME M1 Thesis. Univ. Montpellier, France.

Natalie studies the evolution of dispersal in communities experiencing climate change.
She works theoretically on this topic using individual-based simulations.


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Sarthak P. Malusare:
Testing the evolutionary species interactions - abiotic stress hypothesis.
PhD Thesis. Univ. Montpellier, France.

Sarthak studies the interaction between abiotic and biotic stressors and how they define range dynamics.
He uses experimental evolution and protist communities for his research.


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Iain Moody
Experimental evolution of the temperature niche.
MEME M1 Thesis. Univ. Montpellier, France.

Iain studies the evolution of temperature niches in experimental ciliate communities.
He works empirically on this topic using microcosm experiments.


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Benoît Pichon:
Catastrophic transitions in spatially explicit metapopulations.
M1 Thesis. Univ. Montpellier, France (co-supervision with S. Kéfi and C. Saade).
Benoît explores catastrophic transitions in patch networks.
He develops models for his research.


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Camille Saade:
Metacommunity dyamics in the context of climate change.
PhD Thesis. Univ. Montpellier, France (co-supervision with S. Kéfi).
Camille explores eco-evolutionary metacommunity dynamics in response to temperature changes.
He combines laboratory work using protist microcosm landscapes and theory.


alumni
Felix Moerman: From the genetic basis to the ecological dynamics of spreading populations.
PhD Thesis, 2017-2021. Eawag & Univ. Zurich, Switzerland (co-supervision with F. Altermatt & A. Wagner).

Felix studied the genetic and genomic basis of range expansions in the protist model organism Tetrahymena thermophila.
He used experimental evolution, numerical analyses and genomic data for his investigations.


Mellina Sidous: Eco-evolutionary metapopulation dynamics.
MSc Thesis (M1), 2020. Univ. Montpellier, France.
Mellina aimed at understanding the eco-evolutionary dynamics of metapopulations under various patch extinction regimes.
She used theoretical approaches such as agent-based simulations for her research.


Shrinath Narayanan: Coevolution of dispersal and foraging in a consumer-resource metapopulation.
MSc Thesis (MEME M1), 2020. Univ. Montpellier, France.

Shrinath was interested in understanding eco-evolutionary consumer-resource dynamics.
He used evolutionary individual-based models his investigations.


Louise S. Nørgaard: The evolution of costly resistance at the edge - host-pathogen interactions in space.
ESEB Godfrey Hewitt Mobility Award visiting doctoral researcher, 2019
(co-supervised with O. Kaltz; based in M. Hall's Lab, Monash University)

Louise studied the evolution of host-parasite interactions during range expansions.
She worked experimentally with the Paramecium-Holospora model system.

Camille Saade: How do spatial perturbations affect the ecological dynamics of metafoodwebs?
MSc Thesis (M2), 2019. ENS & Univ. Montpellier, France (co-supervision with S. Kéfi).
Camille explored metafoodweb dynamics in response to spatially autocorrelated disturbance events.
He combined laboratory work using protist microcosm landscapes and theory.


Nathalie Zeballos: Eco-evolutionary consequences of life-history trade-offs in spatial host-parasite systems.
MSc Thesis (M2), 2019. Univ. Montpellier, France (co-supervision with O. Kaltz).
Nathalie explored life-history trade-offs in the model host-parasite system Paramecium caudatum - Holospora undulata.
She used experimental evolution and simulation modelling to study host-parasite metapopulation dynamics.


Jhelam N. Deshpande: Dispersal evolution in host-parasite metapopulations.
Internship, 2018 and 2019. Univ. Montpellier, France & IISER Pune, India (co-supervision with O. Kaltz & S. Dey).

Jhelam studied the evolution of context-dependent dispersal in host-parasite metapopulations.
She worked theoretically on this topic and used individual-based, eco-evolutionary modelling.


Lynn Govaert: Evolution of dispersal in metacommunities.
ESEB Godfrey Hewitt Mobility Award visiting PostDoc, 2018.

Lynn was interested in the evolution of dispersal and resulting eco-evolutionary dynamics in metacommunities
She worked theoretically using individual-based simulations.

Lilia Galvez: Eco-evolutionary dynamics of range expanding communities.
MSc Thesis (MEME M1), 2018. Univ. Montpellier, France (co-supervision with O. Kaltz).

Lilia studied the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of range expanding communities.
She used experimental evolution and protist microcosms for her investigations.


Martina Ramel: ​Evolution of dispersal during range expansions in multi-species systems.
MSc Thesis, 2016. Eawag & Univ. Zurich, Switzerland (co-supervision with F. Altermatt).
Martina studied the eco-evolutionary dynamics of multi-species range expansions.
She used experimental evolution and numerical analyses for her investigations.

Ludwig Leidinger: ​Intraguild predation in a spatial context: the impact of landscape heterogeneity.
MSc Thesis, 2016. Eawag & Univ. Würzburg, Germany (co-supervision with E. Martin & O. Mitesser).

Ludwig studied the ecological dynamics of an intraguild predation foodweb module in a spatially explicit context.
He used individual-based models for his work.

Nicolai Nitsche: Non-random dispersal and the eco-evolutionary dynamics of invasions.
MSc Thesis, 2014. Eawag & Univ. Constance, Switzerland (co-supervision with F. Altermatt & M. van Kleunen).
Nicolai studied the impact of information use on the eco-evolutionary dynamics of range expansions.
He did both experimental evolution using protist microcosms and theoretical work.
Fronhofer E. A., Nitsche N. & Altermatt F. (2017) Information use shapes the dynamics of range expansions into environmental gradients. Global Ecology and Biogeography 26: 400-411.

Jonas Stelz: Experimental evolution of dispersal distance in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae.
BSc Thesis, 2013. Univ. Würzburg, Germany (co-supervision with H. J. Poethke).
Jonas was interested in how dispersal distances (the dispersal kernel) evolve depending on the spatial autocorrelation of patch extinctions.
He studied the experimental evolution of dispersal kernel using spider mites as model organisms.

Fronhofer E. A., Stelz J. M., Lutz E., Poethke H. J. & Bonte D. (2014) Spatially correlated extinctions select for less emigration but larger dispersal distances in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. Evolution 68: 1838-1844.

Lisa Teckentrup: Bayesian foraging and the emergence of home ranges.
BSc Thesis, 2013. Univ. Würzburg, Germany (co-supervision with H. J. Poethke).

Lisa wanted to know whether stable home ranges can emerge from intelligent movement rules.
She
investigated informed, non-random movement strategies using individual-based simulations.

Anna-Marie Winter: Range border elasticity under strong Allee effects.
BSc Thesis, 2013. Univ. Würzburg, Germany (co-supervision with A. Kubisch and H. J. Poethke).
Anna-Marie wanted to know under what conditions species ranges show 'elastic' behaviour, i.e. a range contraction after an initial expansion.
She studied range border dynamics and the evolution of dispersal using individual-based simulations.

Kubisch A., Winter A.-M. & Fronhofer E. A. (2016) The downward spiral: eco-evolutionary feedback loops lead to the emergence of 'elastic' ranges. Ecography 39: 261-269.

Anna Kreis: Olfactory cues mediate vector choice in a phoretic flower mite.
MSc F1 Thesis, 2012. Univ. Würzburg & Univ. Ulm, Germany (co-supervision with M. Tschapka and H. J. Poethke).
Anna was interested in the use of chemical cues for informed emigration and immigration decisions.
She
studied the chemical ecology of phoretic flower mites in a lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica (La Selva Biological Station, OTS).
Fronhofer E. A., Sperr E. B., Kreis A., Ayasse M., Poethke H. J. & Tschapka M. (2013) Picky hitch-hikers: vector choice leads to directed dispersal and fat-tailed kernels in a passively dispersing mite. Oikos 122: 1254-1264.

Hanna Märkle: Optimal despotism - group sizes and dispersal in spatially structured populations.
BSc Thesis, 2011. Univ. Würzburg, Germany (co-supervision with H. J. Poethke).
Hanna was interested in the evolution of optimal group sizes and the coexistence of eusocial and solitary strategies.
She used individual-based simulations to explore the evolution of eusociality in metapopulations.
Dr. Emanuel A. Fronhofer -  Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (ISEM), Montpellier, France