Prof. Hadas Hawlena
Evo. Eco. Micro. Lab
Our research topics
We use evolutionary and ecological theories to investigate the interactions between microbes, their vertebrate hosts, arthropod vectors, and the surrounding environment. We address three fundamental questions:
1) Do different mechanisms operate in microbes than in macroorganisms?
2) What are the main selective pressures and their effects on microbial community composition within hosts and vectors?
3) What are the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that determine the interplay between hosts, vectors, and their pathogenic microbes?
Our philosophy
1. Balancing between realism and simplicity
Realism and simplicity must be balanced. We get closer to reality by simultaneously studying multiple host (three rodent species) and multiple parasite species (a flea and two flea-borne bacterial pathogens, Mycoplasma and Bartonella) in natural or semi-natural settings. However, since the dynamics of the target pathogens is mostly determined by the three rodent and one flea species, all of which are readily manipulated in the lab and field, the system stays quite simple as a model
2. From field patterns to experiments, using interdisciplinary approaches
Our overall approach is to use the natural sand dune system to identify and test for general patterns in disease and microbial ecology and evolution, and then to test for specific mechanisms underlying these patterns in the laboratory, using short-term and long-term (at the evolutionary scale) experiments.
3. Running multiple interrelated projects
We work in parallel on multiple projects, but there is a certain overlap between these projects. This yields productive research, in which every student has his/her own project, but knowledge and experience are freely transferred.
