Eco-evolutionary dynamics of biodiversity change

Welcome!

Research in the Usui Lab focuses on how ecological and evolutionary processes together shape species distributions and community structure, particularly in an era of rapid global change.

We value creative approaches to asking fundamental questions on how populations and communities are organized across space.

This includes questions on what shapes a species geographical range and ecological niche, how species interact and assemble in communities, and on how global change is altering the ecological and evolutionary processes that structure patterns of biodiversity.

We currently use a variety of approaches including experimental evolution in microcosms and mesocosms, field work, and data synthesis, with much of our work integrating ideas and frameworks at the interface of evolution, population ecology, and community ecology.