Leon Vlieger
CV Pub
E-mail: leon.vlieger(@)helsinki.fi
My academic interests lie in the field of evolution and sexual selection. I find it fascinating to see what the interplay between these forces has resulted in. And although species show a great deal of flexibility to deal with even the most hostile of environments, the effects of man's workings are exerting tremendous pressures and reshaping life as we know it. The consequences are as fascinating as they are frightening. For many species their continued existence has now become a matter of sink, swim or learn to evolve really quickly. This offers unique opportunities for the biological sciences but also shows the increasing need for knowledge if we are to understand and predict the impact our way of life exerts.
I have joined the University of Helsinki in October 2005 for a PhD on the effect of eutrophication of the Baltic Sea on sexual selection in threespine sticklebacks, focussing on alternative mating tactics (sneaking behaviour and egg stealing). Through laboratory experiments, field observations and genetical analyses I hope to discover how these behavioural patterns are modified under changing environmental conditions.
