M. Doebeli

Evolutionary branching in multi-level selection models

This study examines evolutionary dynamics in multi-level selection models, showing that weaker individual-level selection promotes group-level diversification while stronger selection enhances group adaptation.

Adaptive diversification and niche packing on rugged fitness landscapes

This study investigates how ruggedness in fitness landscapes affects adaptive diversification and stable diversity, finding that global carrying capacity shape, not local ruggedness, determines diversity outcomes.

Ecological diversity exceeds evolutionary diversity in model ecosystems

The paper compares ecological diversity in randomly assembled communities to evolutionary diversity in ESSs, finding that ecological diversity can exceed evolutionary diversity under certain conditions.

Phenotypic heterogeneity is adaptive for microbial populations under starvation

This study shows that phenotypic heterogeneity in starved microbial populations is adaptive, with quiescent and non-quiescent cells providing fitness advantages under different starvation conditions.

Origin of diversity in spatial social dilemmas

The paper analyzes how spatial structure affects evolutionary diversification in social dilemmas, finding that it promotes diversification through new modes driven by population structure and mutation dynamics.

Multilevel selection favors fragmentation modes that maintain cooperative interactions in multispecies communities

This study uses a multilevel selection model to show that fragmentation strategies in multi-species groups can maintain cooperation by balancing cheater accumulation and species diversity.

Evolution to alternative levels of stable diversity leaves areas of niche space unexplored

The paper shows that natural populations may not fully saturate niche space due to low diversity metastable states caused by small mutations and limited resources.

Boom-bust population dynamics can increase diversity in evolving competitive communities

This study shows boom-bust population dynamics can increase diversity in competitive communities by allowing desynchronized species cycles.

Evolution of diversity in metabolic strategies

The paper shows that non-linear physiological tradeoffs limit species diversity, while linear tradeoffs allow for high diversity in consumer-resource models.

Evolutionary dynamics and diversification in changing environments

This study uses adaptive dynamics models to show that environmental changes reduce species and phenotypic diversity, with survival depending on the rate of change.

The role of multilevel selection in host microbiome evolution

The paper uses multilevel selection theory to quantify when selection can act at the holobiont level, finding it requires slow microbiome heritability decay and short host generation times.

Microbial metabolite fluxes in a model marine anoxic ecosystem

The paper develops a computational method to estimate microbial metabolite fluxes in the Cariaco Basin, revealing higher diffusivity of reductants than previously thought.