Microevolution and biodiversity

In our research we apply an integrative approach to fundamental questions in evolutionary biology. We mostly work from a genetic perspective and incorporate information from other biological disciplines including ecology, behavior and computer science. One of the main questions in the group is to understand the microevolutionary processes and genetic mechanisms underlying species divergence and adaptation to novel environments. Using large-scale genetic approaches, as well as lab and field-based experiments, we characterize genomic divergence across populations and species and assess its relationship to phenotypic divergence. In addition, we engage in comparative approaches to study (genome) evolution across larger timescales. Our research further touches upon aspects of conservation biology. Empirical systems currently include natural populations of birds (corvids, cuckoos, swallows, tits), marine mammals (pinnipeds, killer whales), plant communities and both natural and experimental populations of fission yeast.

Jochen Wolf is Chair of the Evolutionary Biology Division at Munich University (LMU). He was appointed as Max Planck Fellow of the MPI for Biological Intelligence in 2022. The program‘s aim is to strengthen the cooperation between Max Planck Institutes and universities.