Liselotte Sundström

Liselotte Sundström (born 16 July 1955 in Helsinki) is a Finnish zoologist. She is professor emerita of evolutionary biology at the University of Helsinki.

Early career

Sundström gained her doctoral thesis and docentship in 1994.

Her contribution to our understanding of conflict resolution in the social insects combines multiple approaches: by bringing together behavioural experiments, the analysis of chemical recognition cues, and genetic methods, Sundström's work has provided numerous new insights into the complex dynamics of the ant colony. These findings demonstrate support for the predictions of inclusive fitness theory.

Sundström has also made significant contributions to population biology, in particular with relation to life history trade-offs. This work is founded on a long-term dataset she has collected by studying a population of the wood ant Formica exsecta in an archipelago near the Tvärminne zoological station in southern Finland since 1994.

Current research

As part of the Global Ant Genomics Alliance Sundström is contributing to compiling a comprehensive dataset of the genomic diversity of the world's ant genera.

Academic roles

Sundström was vice-dean of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental sciences of the University of Helsinki from 2014 until 2017. In addition, from 2012 to 2017 she led the Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions along with Johanna Mappes, Hanna Kokko and Jaana Bamford and was the director of the Doctoral Programme in Wildlife Biology Research of the University of Helsinki over the same time period. Sundström has published over 100 scholarly articles and has supervised or co-supervised 14 PhD students. Entomologia and Insectes Sociaux and a former member of the editorial boards of Evolution, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences and Behavioral Ecology. She was awarded membership of AcademiaNet in 2013, a portal for outstanding women academics and scientists. She is also a Winner of the Stora Priset Award, 2001.

Selected works

Sundstrom, L.; Chapuisat, M.; Keller, L. (1996) "Conditional manipulation of sex ratios by ant workers: A test of kin selection theory". Science. 274 (5289): 993-995. doi:10.1126/science.274.5289.993 PMID 8875943 Sundstrom, L. (1994) "Sex-ratio bias, relatedness asymmetry and queen mating frequency in ants". Nature. 367 (6460): 266-267. doi:10.1038/367266a0 Sundstrom, L. (1993) "Genetic population structure and sociogenetic organisation in Formica truncorum (Hymenoptera; Formicidae)" Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 33 (5): 345-354. doi:10.1007/BF00172934 Helantera, H.; Sundstrom L. (2007) "Worker reproduction in Formica ants". American Naturalist. 170 (1): E14-E25. doi:10.1086/518185 Sundstrom, L.; Seppa, P; Pamilo, P. (2005) "Genetic population structure and dispersal patterns in Formica ants - a review". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 42 (3): 163-177. Bos, N.; Sundstrom, L.; Fuchs, S.; Freitak, D. (2015) "Ants medicate to fight disease". Evolution. 69 (11): 2979-2984. doi:10.1111/evo.12752 Sundstrom, L. (1995) "Sex allocation and colony maintenance in monogyne and polygyne colonies of Formica truncorum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): The impact of kinship and mating structure". American Naturalist. 146 (2): 182-201. doi:10.1086/285794 Vitikainen, E. I. K.; Haag-Liautard, C.; Sundstrom, L. (2015) "Natal dispersal, mating patterns and inbreeding in the ant Formica exsecta". American Naturalist. 186 (6): 716-727. doi: 10.1086/683799 PMID: 26655979 Sundstrom, L.; Keller, L.; Chapuisat, M. (2007) "Inbreeding and sex-biased gene flow in the ant Formica exsecta". Evolution. 57 (7): 1552-1561 doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2003.tb00363.x