Finding patterns through Phylogenetic Ecology
Phylogenetic Ecology — PhyloEcology — represents the interface between ecology and evolutionary biology, making use of the information contained within phylogenetic trees to provide a bridge between them.
Welcome to the Davies Lab!
Located in the Biodiversity Research Center, at the University of British Columbia, Canada, the PhyloEcology Lab is within the departments of Botany, and Forest & Conservation Sciences.
Our Lab explores the integration of phylogenetic approaches in ecology, with a focus on sub-disciplines in conservation, biodiversity science, invasion biology, climate change biology, emerging infectious disease research and community ecology.
The PhyloEcology Lab unites people with different backgrounds, knowledge and skills. From microbiology and ecology to mathematics, biogeography, and bioinformatics.
New paper on the Janzen–Connell hypothesis and seed masting
Davies, T.J., Lambers, J.H.R. and Wolkovich, E.M. [2025]. The Janzen–Connell hypothesis and seed masting. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 40: 1190-1198.
The Janzen–Connell hypothesis (JC effect) has been proposed as a mechanism for explaining high tropical tree diversity via negative conspecific density dependence imposed by natural enemies. Seed masting describes the uneven investment in reproduction between years, and could be a mechanism for reducing seed predation by means of predator satiation. JC effects select for wider dispersal kernels, allowing species to escape enemies in space, while the predator-satiation model of seed masting assumes escape from predators in time. Although representing contrasting ecological dynamics, both models are predicated on similar assumptions: that tree recruitment is limited by seed mortality via natural enemies. We suggest that the individual fitness advantages of masting and JC dynamics would be better understood by considering both mechanisms together.
Different perspectives, different models.
Finding the connections.
Diseases
Understanding the phylogenetic patterns behind disease transmission and emergence, from bovine tuberculosis to grapevine trunk diseases.
Networks
Studying how phylogeny influences patterns of species interactions, inferring ecological and evolutionary parameters from phylogeny.
Fungi
Using massive data to find fungi, predicting associations between microorganisms and hosts.
View our Publications
New paper by Zihui Wang on increasing pest pressure in North American forests with climate change just accepted at Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Meet the People in our Lab
We are a team of scientists with a wide range of skills and experience: from evolution and ecology to microbiology, biochemistry, and mathematics. We love what we do, and we do it with passion.
The PhyloEcology Lab 