Beatriz Willink

I'm an evolutionary biologist interested in understanding the causes, mechanisms, and emerging patterns in the evolution of discrete phenotypic polymorphisms in insects. Phenotypic polymorphisms are a remarkable, yet common form of diversity, wherein extensive phenotypic differentiation is maintained within single species, and often encoded by a single genetic locus. Phenotypic polymorphisms are therefore well-suited systems to investigate fundamental problems in evolutionary biology, such as the genotype-to-phenotype map, the evolution of genetic correlations and co-adapted phenotypes, the origin of novel traits, and the long-term dynamics of genetic diversity. I combine phylogenetic and molecular tools with field-based research and lab-based experiments, to capitalize on the rich research potential of polymorphic insects.

[2024] Willink, B., Ware, J., & Svensson, E. I. (2024). Tropical origin, global diversification and dispersal in the pond damselflies (Coenagrionoidea) revealed by a new molecular phylogeny. Systematic Biology, 73(2), 290-307. [2024] Willink, B., Tunström, K., Nilén, S., Chikhi, R., Lemane, T., Takahashi, M., Takahashi, Y., Svensson, E. I., & Wheat, C. W. (2024). The genomics and evolution of inter‐sexual mimicry and female‐limited polymorphisms in damselflies. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 8, 83-97. [2023] Vicente‐Santos, A., Willink, B., Nowak, K., Civitello, D., & Gillespie, T. (2023). Host‐pathogen interactions under pressure: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of stress‐mediated effects on disease dynamics. Ecology Letters, 26, 2003-2020.