Evolutionary Ecology - EE
MITE2: Multidisciplinary Investigation Targeting Ecology and Evolution

Leonor R. Rodrigues

Post-Doc Researcher

Herbivorous mites Competition Behaviour and evolution Sexual selection Reproductive strategies Experimental evolution

My general goal in research is to address a broad range of issues within the subject of competitive interactions, primarily sex-driven, combining different abiotic and biotic factors within the same framework. Ultimately, I intend to merge applied and fundamental science to address pressing societal issues of scientific relevance.

My academic education is in evolutionary and developmental biology. During my PhD, and first postdoc in cE3c, in collaboration with the University of Montpellier, I investigated the consequences of multiple mating the spider mite Tetranychus urticae, a polyphagous cosmopolitan crop pest of high economic value. I have also explored the impact of population structure on the evolution of sexual conflict and sex allocation and searched for genetic correlations between demographic and reproductive traits.

Then, I moved to Stockholm University to investigate the impact of high temperature in reproductive traits, using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

Recently I moved back to ce3c, to study the adaptation of spider mites to their host plants in the presence of competitors and metal pollutants, and the impact of heat on spider mites’ reproductive interactions, in the pursuit of contributing more significantly to agricultural sustainability.