The King Laboratory of Theoretical Ecology and Evolution at the University of Michigan

The King Laboratory
of Theoretical Ecology & Evolution
at the University of Michigan

Aaron A. King, Ph.D.: I am interested in many theoretical topics in ecology and evolution. I use mathematical and statistical approaches to understand ecological interactions, their evolution, and their consequences. Formalizing scientific hypotheses as mathematical models allows for precise predictions and powerful inference. One major focus of my research is on the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. I formulate mathematical models and confront them with data to learn about the mechanisms that operate in the host-pathogen interaction and about how they are likely to evolve.

Clay Cressler, Ph.D. candidate: My research is broadly focused on the evolution of behavior and life history. In particular, I am interested in the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in traits that mediate predation risk, i. e., inducible defenses. Using multiple theoretical approaches, I explore how the intrinsic tradeoffs involved in defense expression interact with one another and the environment (e.g, the dynamics of resources and predators) to determine optimal patterns of behavior and life history. This work has generated novel predictions regarding the evolution of qualitatively different defense strategies. Additionally, I am interested in testing the predictions of this theory in a phylogenetic context using recently developed tools for phylogenetic comparative hypothesis testing (the OUCH project).