Edmund D. Brodie III serves as the B.F.D. Runk Professor of Biology at the University of Virginia and Director of the Mountain Lake Biological Station. His research program investigates the selective forces shaping biodiversity and genetic mechanisms translating natural selection into evolutionary change across multiple biological scales. His work spans three primary research domains: Genetic interactions (epistasis and coadaptation) Behavioral dynamics (social networks and indirect genetic effects) Coevolutionary processes (predator-prey arms races) The Brodie Lab employs diverse model systems including snake-newt coevolution (focusing on tetrodotoxin resistance) and social behavior evolution in forked fungus beetles ( Bolitotherus cornutus ). Fieldwork predominantly occurs at Mountain Lake Biological Station during summer months, where Brodie directs operations and mentors students in independent project development. Analysis of recent publications reveals consistent focus on geographic mosaics of coevolution, multilevel selection in social networks, and molecular mechanisms of toxin resistance. His work integrates molecular, physiological, behavioral, and ecological approaches across spatial and temporal scales, with notable emphasis on how landscape variation shapes evolutionary outcomes in predator-prey systems. Brodie secures research funding including an NSF REU Site for undergraduate field research in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at Mountain Lake. He delivered the 2021 Presidential Address for the American Society of Naturalists titled In Defense of Pre-Hypothesis Science , advocating for exploratory research approaches. The Brodie Lab functions as a collaborative team emphasizing student-driven inquiry. Members conduct fieldwork at Mountain Lake Biological Station and other sites, investigating coevolutionary dynamics and social behavior evolution through experimental and observational approaches. Current research explores how resource distribution, population age structure, and environmental gradients influence social networks and adaptive evolution in natural populations.












