Research Groups - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Research conducted in the Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics
Professor Hanna Kokko
The Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics focuses on questions that combine
evolutionary processes with their ecological effects. Our mission is to make behavioural ecologists aware that
populations are more than a convenient source of individuals for their experiments, and to make population ecologists
realize that individual behaviours can make a difference. Also, our particular strength is to combine theoretical
advances with real-life data on natural systems, ranging from analysis of long-term datasets of bird nest site use and
breeding success to laboratory experiments on bean weevils.
Many of the projects also take a conservation angle. The fact that natural selection does not necessarily create traits
that are 'good for the species' means that we cannot take it as granted that species adapt without problems to
environmental change. We are interested in the theoretical aspects of conflict between individuals and how badly these interfere with healthy population growth, but also in testing these ideas in nature. Examples of current projects:
- 'Surplus' individuals of the endangered Seychelles magpie robins (Copsychus sechellarum) compete for territories on
tiny islands in the Indian Ocean. How does their behaviour contribute to population persistence, and what are the
management implications?
- Many species nowadays exist in urban environments, which is an entirely different environment from their evolutionary
past. How well do they cope, and is there a way to measure how human populations benefit from their presence?
- Success in intraspecific competition may mean employing strategies that make a species more vulnerable to
interspecific competition. There are theoretical results that predict that adaptive evolution can drive a species
extinct. Is this an idea that should be taken seriously by the empirical biologist as well? Are species-level selective
processes necessary for explaining some trait distributions in nature? We are in the process of modelling these
questions.
- One example of competition is sexual selection, which again gives rise to plenty of conflict between individuals
which may have demographic consequences. Not all sexual selection is 'good' from a population perspective (think about
the excessive antlers of the Irish Elk!), but we know little about how 'bad' it can get. We are studying this question
using bean weevils as a model organism. We are also interested in the ways female-female competition can influence
mating systems, here using gobies as a study system. We are also exploring ideas about nonadditive benefits of mate
choice, as well as condition dependence and maintenance of genetic variation necessary for female choice.
- Space division by territorial animals is another form of conflict, that can have drastic effects on carrying
capacities of environments. Some ways of competing over space can improve population persistence: territorial animals
often have remarkably stable population sizes. But conflicts over space use can also lead to 'unnecessary' levels of
conflict. In addition to developing theory on arrival at breeding sites and territorial defence, we collaborate
extensively with bird research groups around the world to examine large data sets on individual breeding 'careers'
(species include blue-footed boobies in Mexico, common guillemots in Scotland, black-tailed godwits in Iceland, and
wheaters in Sweden).
Projects own web site: http://www.helsinki.fi/~hmkokko/LEED.html
Contact: Prof. Hanna Kokko, hanna.kokko@helsinki.fi
tel +358-9-1915 7702
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