Prof. Dr. Sven Gould
In each and every eukaryotic lineage we find examples of how typical eukaryotic traits have evolved in different ways, adapting to the individual requirements of the organisms specific lifestyles. Traits can be completely lost or modified and expanded in order to execute entirely new duties. Most evidently this happens in parasitic lineages, whose genomes are often streamlined and cell biology tuned into infiltrating and exploiting the host. My work characterises the effect symbiosis has on the evolution of eukaryotic cells and their compartments.