Bill Nelson
Professor
I am interested in the interaction between ecological and short-term evolutionary dynamics, and how this influences patterns of diversity we see in nature. We use life-histories as a focal point to connect these processes, and are broadly interested in understanding how life-histories scale up to the biological dynamics of populations and communities. Our lab uses four study systems with pronounced stage-structure (freshwater zooplankton, bacterial parasites, cowpea weevils, and tortrix moths), and our research combines mathematical modeling, laboratory experiments, and field-based mesocosm experiments. We also collaborate with a number of other researchers tackling questions such as the influence of environmental gradients on zooplankton community productivity and the role of resource consumption on malaria parasite evolution. Have a look around the website to see more about our research and to meet our lab group.