prof. dr. M.E. (Martine) Maan

Ongoing projects:

Phenotypic plasticity and species divergence - Linking trait architecture, fitness and macro-evolution (with Rampal Etienne and Louis van de Zande). PhD student: Gerrit Potkamp.

What is the role of phenotypic plasticity in species diversification? Plasticity may help to colonise new niches, but on the other hand it may weaken the strength of divergent selection. We address this question by studying visual plasticity in cichlid fish. We combine phylogenetic comparative analysis (species richness patterns) with experimental investigation of visual plasticity (retinal pigment expression) and its fitness consequences (growth and survival under competition).

The evolution of disease resistance in amphibians (with Ido Pen and Hannah Dugdale). Postdoc: Joana Sabino Pinto.

​We study the role of sexual selection in the evolutionary dynamics of amphibian resistance to chytridiomycosis (chytrid), an emerging infectious disease that is causing population declines and extinctions worldwide. We test whether mate choice is influenced by i) MHC and ii) infection status of both partners, and we use comparative analysis and field surveys to iii) evaluate the association between the strength of sexual selection and species’ susceptibility to chytrid.

Epigenetics and inheritance of acquired characters: the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and its relevance for modern evolutionary biology (with Han-Thomas Adriaenssen). PhD student: Aude Giraud.

In this interdisciplinary PhD project we bring together evolutionary ecology and history and philosophy of science. We study the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the 19th-century French zoologist who developed a model of evolutionary change in which organisms acquire environment-induced changes in traits, and transmit those traits to subsequent generations. His ideas have been ridiculed and dismissed for a long time, but we are currently witnessing a revival of Lamarckian thought, driven by advances in molecular genetics. We aim to resolve some of the controversies surrounding Lamarck’s theory, by carefully analysing his assumptions and predictions and evaluating those in the light of actual ecological data.

Completed projects:

Divergent visual adaptation and sexual selection in cichlid fish. PhD student: Shane Wright, now postdoc at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Thesis: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/80cb839d-44e8-45b7-99af-28c420d9c8ae

The role of parasites in host speciation: testing for parasite-mediated divergent selection at different stages of speciation in cichlid fish (with Ole Seehausen, UBern and Eawag, Switzerland). PhD student: Tiziana Gobbin, now postdoc at the University of Hasselt. Thesis: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/1f23eeae-35e1-4672-813a-07b34c66f410

Phenotypic plasticity and species divergence - Linking trait architecture, fitness and macro-evolution (with Rampal Etienne and Louis van de Zande). PhD student: Elodie Wilwert, now lecturer at the University of Groningen. Thesis: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/bad3b556-6f88-4738-82cc-439f3e7cb125