Affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1393-9220
Full profile:
What drives rapid evolution? What are the benefits of sex? Why is genetic diversity so high in natural populations?
Prof. King’s research addresses these fundamental problems in evolutionary biology by studying the interactions between parasites and hosts. Parasites are ubiquitous, and their antagonism can be severe and genotype-specific. Thus, host-parasite interactions provide a powerful empirical framework to elucidate the causes and consequences of intra- and interspecific evolutionary changes. Our work focuses on the ecological and genetic aspects of rapid (co)evolution, with particular implications for community interactions, mating systems, and the maintenance of diversity. We use a combination of experimental evolution of lab populations, genomics, theory, and collections from natural populations.