Understanding Evolutionary Changes—Katie Peichel—Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern

Why do species look and behave differently from each other? It seems like a simple question that would have a simple answer, but it’s actually an incredibly complex question that’s found at the core of evolutionary biology and the center of Professor Katie Peichel’s work at the University of Bern. When it comes to adaptation, speciation, and evolution, Dr. Peichel is an expert, but she’s also the first to admit that there’s a great deal of debate among biologists regarding how new species develop, how phenotypic changes occur, and how a species should be defined.

In today’s episode, she touches on a number of interesting subjects, including marine stickleback reproduction, evolution, and behavior, and the ins and outs of the research going on in her lab. She also discusses how genetic changes can accumulate in such a way as to lead to behavioral isolation, how a species’ behavior can explain reproduction barriers and the performance of hybrids in the wild.

Interested in learning more? Press play and check out http://www.ee.iee.unibe.ch/.

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