Personal Chair
- About
-
- Email Address
- lesleylancaster@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 274551
- School/Department
- School of Biological Sciences
Biography
PhD, University of California Santa Cruz, 2008. Dissertation title: Maternal Effects as Adaptations for Organizing Alternative Social and Antipredator Strategies.
Postdoctoral Fellow, National Center for Ecological Ananlysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), 2009-2012. Project title: Macroevolutionary causes of regional and habitat-based biodiversity gradients.
Postdoctoral associate, Lund University, 2012-2013. Project title: Adaptation at range limits in Ischnura elegans.
Lecturer, University of Aberdeen, 2013-
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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Ecology Research Cluster Lead
SBS Executive Committee
- External Memberships
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Senior editor, Journal of Animal Ecology
Member of British Ecological Society and European Society for Evolutionary Biology
- Research
-
Research Overview
My research focuses on evolution under climate change, and evolutionary processes associated with geographic range limits. I am interested in how social and behavioral factors interact with changing ecological conditions to faciliate or hinder evolutionary change and macroevolutionary processes associated with geographic range shifts and habitat shifts.
Research Areas
Accepting PhDs
I am currently accepting PhDs in Biological and Environmental Sciences.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.

Current Research
Recent work focuses on biogeography, niche evolution, and population- and community-level processes associated with climate change and invasions. My current study systems include Scottish damselflies (Odonata), experimental evolution in seed beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus), and synthesis of global data.
- Publications
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Page 2 of 2 Results 51 to 91 of 91
Ancient geological dynamics impact neutral biodiversity accumulation and are detectable in phylogenetic reconstructions
Global Ecology and Biogeography, vol. 38, no. 8, pp. 1633–1642Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13326
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/11ceeda9-b75f-4c58-b978-c771e73dd7d7/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Reply to Perez et al.: Experimental duration unlikely to bias global variation in plant thermal tolerances
PNAS, vol. 118, no. 30, e2102037118Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2102037118
Dispersal Evolution in Currents: spatial sorting promotes philopatry in upstream patches
Ecography, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 231-242Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEpigenetic responses to temperature and climate change
Integrative and Comparative Biology, vol. 60, no. 6, pp. 1469-1480Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHost use diversification during range shifts shapes global variation in Lepidopteran dietary breadth
Nature Ecology & Evolution, vol. 4, no. 7, pp. 963-969Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] https://rdcu.be/b4ff4
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1199-1
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/752591d2-c558-4e0e-84e4-fb212878a649/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Global variation in the thermal tolerances of plants
PNAS, vol. 117, no. 24, pp. 13580-13587Contributions to Journals: ArticlesQuantifying the differences in avian attack rates on reptiles between an infrastructure and a control site
European Journal of Wildlife Research, vol. 66, 54Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-020-01393-y
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/c0e013cf-e106-415f-b20b-70785c7ef58e/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Maladaptive plasticity facilitates evolution of thermal tolerance during an experimental range shift
BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 20, 47Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-020-1589-7
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/317a5d96-c40c-4de5-82cb-1697f3843960/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
A new Editor team
Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 89, no. 1, pp. 4-5Contributions to Journals: Editorials- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13165
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Temperature drives pre-reproductive selection and shapes the biogeography of a female polymorphism
Ecology Letters, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 149-159Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13417
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/c85ffa39-9911-4dc5-8ab4-25bf5aa8b68d/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Increased duration of extreme thermal events negatively affects cold acclimation ability in a high-latitude, freshwater ectotherm (Ischnura elegans; Odonata: Coenagrionidae)
European Journal of Entomology, vol. 117, pp. 93-100Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2020.010
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/955c18fd-faa9-4bda-aa4d-5349a9dbc264/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Evolving social dynamics prime thermal tolerance during a poleward range shift
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 126, no. 3, pp. 574-586Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/bly197
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/ae90ee19-f80f-41a5-a271-c0a0f8fb88f7/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
Towards an interactive, process-based approach to understanding range shifts: developmental and environmental dependencies matter
Ecography, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 201-210Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.03975
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/69bfa89f-28ef-4020-9088-d73db4167134/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene
Global Ecology and Biogeography, vol. 27, no. 7, pp. 760-786Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12729
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/0f60e75f-1657-4f4d-9266-714705878eeb/download
Odonata assemblages along an anthropogenic disturbance gradient in Ghana’s Eastern Region
Odonatologica, vol. 47, no. 1/2, pp. 73-100Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSignatures of local adaptation along environmental gradients in a range-expanding damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Molecular Ecology, vol. 27, no. 11, pp. 2576-2593Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14709
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/6d4d83bb-7c45-4fd9-8039-ce55c4b503d3/download
Range shifting species reduce phylogenetic diversity in high latitude communities via competition
Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 86, no. 3, pp. 543-555Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDo group dynamics affect colour morph clines during a range shift?
Journal of Evolutionary Biology, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 728-737Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13037
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/15c3eab3-8f84-4ac7-aa8e-a4a121e4e561/download
Odonata community structure and patterns of land use in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, Eastern Region (Ghana)
International Journal of Odonatology, vol. 20, no. 3-4, pp. 173-189Contributions to Journals: ArticlesWarp-speed adaptation to novel hosts after 300 generations of enforced dietary specialisation in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae)
European Journal of Entomology, vol. 114, pp. 257-266Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLife history trade-offs, the intensity of competition, and coexistence in novel and evolving communities under climate change
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 372, no. 1712, 20160046Contributions to Journals: ArticlesWidespread range expansions shape latitudinal variation in insect thermal limits
Nature Climate Change, vol. 6, pp. 618-621Contributions to Journals: ArticlesGene expression under thermal stress varies across a geographical range expansion front
Molecular Ecology, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 1141-1156Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13548
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/82baee4b-ac22-4bd3-b5f1-6e8bdd58a420/download
Latitudinal shift in thermal niche breadth results from thermal release during a climate-mediated range expansion
Journal of Biogeography, vol. 42, no. 10, pp. 1953-1963Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12553
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/fb528fec-91ab-42f4-9043-bd64312eaa36/download
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/927516f4-7baa-43d7-94b7-aedea19f4a96/download
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/0e6f4aa8-d722-422f-9b18-8f652a61f7a0/download
Maternal and genetic effects on escape: a prospective review
Escaping From Predators: An Integrative View of Escape Decisions. Cooper, W. E., Blumstein, D. T. (eds.). Cambridge University Press, pp. 343-359, 17 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107447189.015
Frequency-dependent and correlational selection pressures have conflicting consequences for assortative mating in a color-polymorphic lizard, Uta stansburiana
The American Naturalist, vol. 184, no. 2, pp. 188-197Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/676645
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/0526e213-1af3-4d77-9340-9389c7a8a0c7/download
Origin and diversification of the California flora: re-examining classic hypotheses with molecular phylogenies
Evolution, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 1041-54Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12016
Rapid formation of reproductive isolation between two populations of side-blotched lizards, Uta stansburiana
Copeia, no. 4, pp. 593-602Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1643/CH-11-166
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Sensitivity of Spring Phenology to Warming Across Temporal and Spatial Climate Gradients in Two Independent Databases
Ecosystems, vol. 15, no. 8, pp. 1283-1294Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPhylogenetic inference of reciprocal effects between geographic range evolution and diversification
Systematic Biology, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 451-465Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syr046
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Epistatic social and endocrine networks and the evolution of life history trade-offs and plasticity
Mechanisms of Life History Evolution: The Genetics and Physiology of Life History Traits and Trade-Offs. OXFORD UNIV PRESSChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersMolecular evolutionary rates predict both extinction and speciation in temperate angiosperm lineages
BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 10, 162Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-10-162
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/7a668712-5015-4e53-9966-d6926e8ded17/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Maternal adjustment of egg size organizes alternative escape behaviors, promoting adaptive phenotypic integration
Evolution, vol. 64, no. 6, pp. 1607-1621Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00941.x
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Female choice for optimal combinations of multiple male display traits increases offspring survival
Behavioral Ecology, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 993-999Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arp088
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The role of pleiotropy vs signaller-receiver gene epistasis in life history trade-offs: Dissecting the genomic architecture of organismal design in social systems
Heredity, vol. 101, no. 3, pp. 197-211Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.2008.64
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Corticosterone manipulation reveals differences in hierarchical organization of multidimensional reproductive trade-offs in r-strategist and K-strategist females
Journal of Evolutionary Biology, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 556-565Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2007.01478.x
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Gonadotropin hormone modulation of testosterone, immune function, performance, and behavioral trade-offs among male morphs of the lizard Uta stansburiana
The American Naturalist, vol. 171, no. 3, pp. 339-357Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAdaptive social and maternal induction of antipredator dorsal patterns in a lizard with alternative social strategies
Ecology Letters, vol. 10, no. 9, pp. 798-808Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01069.x
Self-recognition, color signals, and cycles of greenbeard mutualism and altruism
PNAS, vol. 103, no. 19, pp. 7372-7377Contributions to Journals: ArticlesFunctions and consequences of play behaviour in juvenile Belding's ground squirrels
Animal Behaviour, vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 27-37Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPlay behavior and motor development in juvenile Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi)
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 97-105Contributions to Journals: Articles