Personal Chair
- About
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- 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
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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 1 of 10 Results 1 to 10 of 91
Movement Strategies of Neotropical Nectarivorous Birds: insights from Insights From High-Andean Hummingbirds and Flowerpiercers Andean hummingbirds and flowerpiercers
Biotropica, vol. 58, no. 1, e70132Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe effect of differing levels of intrasexual and intersexual selection on survival and reproduction under a heatwave
Ecology and EvolutionContributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72778
Pollination ecology in the tropical Andes: moving towards a cross-scale approach
Biological Reviews, vol. 100, no. 6, pp. 2312-2345Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70049
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/01a3f7c3-bb78-434a-966d-3f54cfb78f6e/download
Genomic evidence of local adaptation in Scottish freshwater pearl mussels
Conservation GeneticsContributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-025-01739-6
Global changes in Lepidopteran phylogenetic diversity across space and time
Ecology and EvolutionContributions to Journals: ArticlesGuild Diversity Impacts Demographic Outcomes of Novel Species Interactions Following Range Shifts
Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 94, no. 10, pp. 2062-2078Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHigh-quality genome assembly and linkage map for a rapidly evolving plant species: Silene uniflora is potentially suitable
G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics MissionContributions to Journals: ArticlesTowards a sustainable energy transition
Journal of Applied Ecology, vol. 62, no. 7, pp. 1570-1578Contributions to Journals: Editorials- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70075
BioTIME 2.0: Expanding and Improving a Database of Biodiversity Time Series
Global Ecology and Biogeography, vol. 34, no. 5, e70003Contributions to Journals: ArticlesComplex life cycles shape the functional biogeography of European dragonflies
Global Ecology and Biogeography, vol. 34, no. 5Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.70056
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/fed72b23-22f7-4384-8dba-e923fc3c9307/download