Luke Lear

About me:

I am a microbial ecologist broadly interested in how microbial communities respond to stress. In particular, I am interested in how they are affected by population bottlenecks (disturbances), toxic metals, and invasive species. My current research focuses on how these stressors may impact social evolution within bacterial communities – whether they increase cooperation or exploitation.

My previous work has tested how and when disturbance events can facilitate the invasion of microbial communities, with a strong focus on the consequences of invasion for the diversity of the invaded community. I have also previously tested the effect of metal stress on the virulence and antimicrobial resistance of microbes.