Evolutionary theory, theoretical population biology, complex systems, dynamical systems. My current projects focus on the dynamics of speciation, coevolution, sexual conflict, and cultural and social evolution.

Depending on the context, I call myself a theoretical evolutionary biologist (most of the time) or an applied mathematician (sometimes). I use mathematical models to study complex evolutionary processes. Over the last several years, my research interests have mostly concentrated on the five major areas outlined below.

Social and cultural evolution

I have developed a model for the evolution of human intelligence formalizing the hypothesis of Machiavellian (or social) intelligence (Gavrilets&Vose 2006; in the news). I have ongoing projects focusing on meme dynamics and on the dynamics of coalition formation.

Speciation and adaptive radiation

I have been developing mathematical foundations for a general theory of speciation. The models I have built predict how different quantitative characteristics of speciation process (e.g., the probability of speciation, the average waiting time to speciation, the average actual duration of speciation, the relative sizes of new sister species, etc.) depend on the rates of mutation and migration, on the population size, on the strength of selection for local adaptation, and on genetics of reproductive isolation (e.g., Gavrilets et al. 1998; 2000; Gavrilets 1999  in the news; 2000,2003,2005, Gavrilets&Hastings 1996; Gavrilets&Boake 1998, Gavrilets 1996,  Matessi et al. 2001, Gavrilets&Waxman 2002, McPeek&Gavrilets 2006). My book summarizes most of this work. More recently I have worked on models of adaptive radiation (Gavrilets and Vose, 2005) and on models of ecological speciation taylored for particular systems (Gavrilets et al. 2007, Gavrilets and Vose 2007).

Sexual conflict

Sexual conflict occurs when characteristics that enhance the reproductive success of one sex reduce fitness of the other sex. Numerous examples of sexual conflict resulting from sensory exploitation, polyspermy and the cost of mating are known. The potential for evolution due to such conflict has been evaluated experimentally. I have been developing mathematical foundations of a dynamical theory of evolutionary consequences of sexual conflict. I have used my models to explain

Holey fitness landscapes

My work (e.g., Gavrilets&Gravner 1997; Gavrilets 1997; Gavrilets 2003, Gavrilets 2004) has lead to understanding that the properties of multi-dimensional fitness landscapes are quite different from those implied in Wright's (1932) metaphor of rugged fitness landscapes. I have been advancing a refined view of fitness landscapes (holey fitness landscapes) focusing on nearly neutral networks of high-fitness genotypes extending throughout the genotype space. These networks provide a way for extensive genetic and phenotypic divergence without the need to cross any fitness valleys. I have shown that nearly neutral networks are a general feature of multidimensional fitness landscapes. I believe this theoretical result is of general and fundamental importance. I have studied the properties of these networks and holey fitness landscapes existing in a number of important population genetic models. See the first chapters of my book for more discussion of fitness landscapes.

Microevolutionary processes and macroevolutionary patterns

I have been developing a mathematical formalism linking microevolutionary processes with macroevolutionary patterns. In a serious of papers, I was able to establish some important relationships across different evolutionary scales (from individuals to populations to species to clades). Examples include studies focusing on

- the relationships between the rates of mutation and deme extinction and the number of species, their range sizes and the degree of diversification in a metapopulation (Gavrilets et al. 2000),

- the relationships between species-level processes and clade-level patterns with application to the diversification of blastozoan over 300 million years (Gavrilets 1999), and

- the waiting time and duration of parapatric speciation as functions of  mutation and migration rates, intensity of selection for local adaptation and genetics of for reproductive isolation (Gavrilets 2000b). 

   See also a recent paper attempting to reconcile microevolutionary processes with macroevolutionary patterns (Eldredge et al. 2005) and a paper on the dynamic patters of adaptive radiation (Gavrilets and Vose, 2005).

Some other projects

I have also worked with mathematical models aiming to describe/explain

- maintenance of genetic variation in natural populations (Zhivotovsky&Gavrilets 1992; Gavrilets 1993; Gavrilets&Hastings 1993; Gavrilets and de Jong 1993; Gavrilets&Hastings 1994)

- dynamics of genetic variation under selection (Gavrilets&Hastings 1994; Gavrilets&Hastings 1994)

- phenotypic plasticity ( Gavrilets&Scheiner 1993a; Gavrilets&Scheiner 1993b; de Jong&Gavrilets 2000) and developmental noise (Gavrilets&Hastings 1994)

- frequency-dependent selection (Gavrilets& Hastings 1995; Waxman and Gavrilets 2005a,b) and coevolution (Gavrilets 1997; Gavrilets&Hastings 1998, Kopp&Gavrilets 2006)

- maternal and parental effects (Gavrilets 1998, Miller et al. 2006, Gavrilets&Rice 2006)

- hybrid zones and clines (Gavrilets 1997a ; Gavrilets 1997b; Gavrilets&Cruzan 1998; Hastings&Gavrilets 1999)

- spatially heterogeneous selection (Gavrilets&Gibson 2002)