Naomi Zweerus | MSc student

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I accepted a PhD position at the University of Amsterdam, where I will work on the moths species Heliothis virescens and the topic “Understanding sexual selection: which sex leads the dance when both are signallers?”

My interests lie in ecology and formulating ecological problems in an evolutionary context. I am interested in what kind of strategies organisms use to deal with environmental conditions and consequently how evolution shapes life histories. It is particularly relevant to understand how, and to what extend, organisms can deal with altered conditions now climate change is influencing ecosystems at a large-scale.

During my internship in 2013 I developed a fascination for experimental ecology and investigating eco-evolutionary feedbacks in the lab. For my master’s thesis I therefore decided to study how past episodes of environmental pollution influence population dynamics and corresponding micro-evolutionary processes. Experiments on freshwater invertebrates, namely the two rotifer species Brachionus calyciflorus and B. urceolaris, form the basis of this work. The populations I work on originate from a lake with a well-documented history of anthropogenic pollution. As these rotifers produce dormant stages, so-called resting eggs, methods of resurrection ecology can be applied to investigate population dynamics in retrospect.

Apart from lab work, I like being outdoors, doing sports such as hiking, skiing, running and climbing. Furthermore, I regularly play badminton, I like travelling, reading and to have a good time with friends.