Russell Lande

Research spans population and quantitative genetics theory, stochastic demography and conservation biology. His theories stimulated work on spontaneous mutation in polygenic traits, random genetic drift phenotypic evolution, the measurement of natural selection on correlated characters, sexual selection, speciation, life history evolution, inbreeding depression and plant mating systems, coevolution of interacting species, and genetic risks of population extinction. His demographic models clarified the relative importance of stochastic demographic factors affecting the risk of population extinction. He developed an original theory of territorial occupancy in a fragmented habitat and applied this in the first demographic analysis of the northern spotted owl.