Abstract: Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are among the most extreme environments on Earth, yet organisms there thrive in hot, oxygen-poor, metal- and sulfide-rich fluids at great depths. Metazoan adaptations include the evolution of new organs, metal-based heat protection, and symbioses with chemosynthetic microbes, like those seen in giant tubeworms. Vent species populations also withstand disturbances such as volcanic eruptions through diverse dispersal strategies, including recently discovered subseafloor connectivity. Deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems teach us about resilience and harbor unique marine genetic resources with vast potential for future discoveries and applications.

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Abstract: Life in the Polar Regions. How is life in the polar regions shaped by the environmental conditions of the cold biomes? Which type of organisms can thrive here and how are they affected by extreme weather events. Finally, I will focus on climate conditions outside the growing season and how they impact on organisms and ecosystems in the polar region.

Abstract: During this talk I will focus on three lessons to be learned from droughts in Forests: i) We start from the large water cycle and show how forests are able to buffer droughts; ii) Then I will move towards the small hydrological cycle and show if due to planting trees it will become wetter; iii) That dryland mechanisms will contribute more to the regulations of ecosystem functioning (mainly for mesic, humid and cold regions). Based on those three lessons, I will show some research lines that can be interesting to develop in the near future.

Abstract: The concept of heredity is intimately related with evolutionary theory. Yet, currently heredity is too narrowly used, sloppily measured, and often misinterpreted. In this talk I will give a brief (historical) account of the concept of heredity and how science is cutting itself short by limiting its value and meaning. Moreover, I argue that, what I call, inclusive heredity helps better explain patterns of phenotypic variation and predict future evolutionary change than genetics alone. This is relevant for the biological sciences as well as for how we structure our society for a just and equal world.