Host-symbiont interactions provide ideal models for exploring diverse evolutionary and ecological processes. These relationships, spanning the continuum from mutualism to parasitism, have profound implications across multiple fields.
At the ISEE lab, we integrate bottom-up (focused on specific interactions) and top-down (addressing broader community and ecosystem dynamics) approaches to investigate how symbiotic micro-organisms influence insect host communities. We also study how the diverse interactions within species networks facilitate the dispersal and ecological success of their endosymbionts.
Using innovative experimental designs and molecular techniques, our research uncovers symbiotic diversity and investigates how symbiosis can shape ecosystem functioning, drive species diversity, and support species health and resilience in the face of environmental changes. Our study systems includes, between others, the Åland metapopulation and bumblebee species from the Baltic agricultural landscape.