Research

Research in the group of Experimental Ecology has been focussing on the study of host-parasite interactions from different angles. Th major study system is the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris L., and its infectious gut parasites of the genus Crithidia (Trypansomatidae). The methods of study included field sampling, experiments in the field and in the lab, generic analyses either by markers or genomic sequences, some theory, or comparative studies. Since its inception in 1991, the group and its members have made several hundred contributions to the primary research literature, reviews, and books.

Currently, the group continues to study host-parasite interactions, with afocus on bumblebees and Crithidia parasites, and especially on the genetics and genomics of the interaction.