Animal Biodiversity, Evolution and Systematics
Natural History & Systematics - NHS

Hugo Gante

External Collaborator

I received a Ph.D. in Biology from Arizona State University in 2009 and I am currently collaborating with the Natural History & Systematics Research Group of cE3c. I am based at the University of Basel, where I am a Visiting Scientist. My research focuses on the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for the diversity of animals, and I use genomics tools, development, ecology and evolution to understand how different species arise, adapt and persist in the natural and changing world.

For many years I have been involved in evolutionary research using different fish groups as model systems. I started my work with Iberian freshwater fishes, nases and roaches of the genera Achondrostoma, Iberochondrostoma and Pseudochondrostoma, as well as barbels of the genera Barbus and Luciobarbus. I complemented these study systems with African cichlids, mostly Princess cichlids from Lake Tanganyika, genus Neolamprologus.

My current research is driven by three overarching objectives: 1) Uncovering the genetic basis of different phenotypes, 2) Understanding the impacts of genome architecture on speciation and adaptation, and 3) Translating some of the basic knowledge we have been generating to practical conservation actions.