Jacintha Ellers

My research integrates evolution and ecology to address questions relating to how trait variation and plasticity of species affect the outcome of species interactions under anthropogenic global change. To link mechanistic and adaptive explanations of how an individual’s phenotype is shaped by the interplay of its genome and the environment I combine molecular, physiological and evolutionary approaches. In recent years my research has increasingly focused on urban habitats. My group uses the university campus and Amsterdam as a “living laboratory”, looking at the biophysical environment of city habitats, urban facilitation of invasive species, and biodiversity of urban sites, studying birds, soil organisms, and reptiles.