Lecture series in Ecology and Environmental Research WS 2025/26
Dr. Jos Kramer
Department of Evolutionary Animal Ecology, BayCEER (Homepage)
Thursday, 20.11.2025 ,
The social lives of insects and microbes – alone and together
Social behaviours are multifaceted, widespread, and essential to the diversity of life on Earth. They range from 'selfless' altruistic behaviours to selfish exploitation, span complex animal societies as well as allegedly simple microbes, and underpin major evolutionary transitions in the hierarchical organization of life.
I am interested in the benefits and costs of social behaviours and their ecological consequences. Over the years, I have studied the social lives of both animals and microbes using approaches from behavioural ecology and microbiology, and—more recently—genetic methods for community profiling.
As a new member of BayCEER, I will outline how I combine these seemingly independent lines of research in my current work to explore the links between animal–microbe interactions and animal social life.
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