Eco-evolutionary dynamics of life-history traits in a human population 

We study selection on life-history traits (age at first reproduction, fertility, etc) and temporal changes in these traits, as well as the factors shaping those changes: contemporary evolution, familial factors, socio-economic trends, demography, reproductive ecology, inbreeding. We are interested in the generality of the evolutionary process in different preindustrial populations exposed to similar conditions (founder effects, susbstance farming, etc) and to genetic and environmental constraints limiting this process. We study the feedback loop between evolution and demography (see Figure 1). Our team is the first one to have shown microevolution "in real time" (i.e. a genetic response to selection) in humans (see here for the original study and here for the story behind this study).