Lukas Schrader

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I am interested in understanding how genomes evolve in response to changing selection regimes and how genome evolution spurs phenotype evolution.

My research addresses these and similar questions of evolutionary biology in a system of recent yet considerable evolutionary change: Inquiline parasites of leaf-cutting ants. In spite or because of the remarkably complex societies of attine ants, there are several ant species that convergently evolved a socially parasitic behaviour, aiming to infiltrate and usurp the colonies of fungus growers. The transition from eusociality to social parasitism is generally accompanied by substantial phenotypic change, in particular in morphology and behaviour, because inquiline social parasites face fundamentally different selection pressures compared to their hosts. My current research focuses on resolving genomic causes and consequences associated with this transition.

 

Primary fields of research

• Evolution of phenotypic plasticity and novelty
• The adaptive potential of transposable elements
• The genomic basis of niche specialization