Prof Andy Gardner
Professor
Research areas
I work on Darwinian adaptation. Natural selection explains the appearance of design in the living world, but at what level is this design expected to manifest – gene, individual, society – and what is its function? Social evolution provides a window on this problem, by pitting the interests of genes, individuals and societies against each other. I develop general theory on the topics of inclusive fitness and multilevel selection, and also tailor general theory to the biology of particular species to facilitate empirical testing. I work on a wide range of biological systems, including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, crustaceans, insects, fish and humans. Visit my webpage at https://gardner.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/ for more information.
PhD supervision
- Chon I Kam
- Kalyani Twyman
Selected publications
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Open access
Faster adaptation but slower divergence of X chromosomes under paternal genome elimination
Baird, R. B., Hitchcock, T. J., Ševčik, J., Monteith, K. M., Gardner, A., Ross, L. & Mongue, A. J., 11 Jun 2025, In: Nature Communications. 16, p. 1-12 12 p., 5288.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Kin competition drives the evolution of earlier metamorphosis
Dong, B. & Gardner, A., Jan 2025, In: Ecology and Evolution. 15, 1, 6 p., e70806.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Kin-discriminating partner choice promotes the evolution of helping
Scott, T., Wild, G. & Gardner, A., 1 Jun 2025, In: Evolution. 79, 6, p. 962–972 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
The clonality window: relatedness and the group covariance effect in the evolution of division of labour
Twyman, K. Z. & Gardner, A., Aug 2025, In: Evolution. 79, 8, p. 1533–1543 11 p., qpaf093.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
The consequences of constrained sex allocation in diploids and haplodiploids under local mate competition
Chokechaipaisarn, C. & Gardner, A., Sept 2025, In: Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 38, 9, p. 1278–1282Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
A geometric approach to the evolution of altruism
Gardner, A., 7 Jan 2024, In: Journal of Theoretical Biology. 576, 4 p., 111653.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Ancestor-descendant conflict
Stucky, K. & Gardner, A., 5 Oct 2024, Encyclopedia of religious psychology and behavior. Shackelford, T. (ed.). Cham: Springer, 5 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary
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Open access
Density-dependent dispersal reduces conflict over the sex ratio
Chokechaipaisarn, C. & Gardner, A., 30 Oct 2024, In: Biology Letters. 20, 10, 6 p., 20240378.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Kin selection as a modulator of human handedness: sex-specific, parental and parent-of-origin effects
Dong, B., Paracchini, S. & Gardner, A., 27 Aug 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Evolutionary Human Sciences. 6, 14 p., e32.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Kin selection favours religious traditions: ancestor worship as a cultural descendant-leaving strategy
Stucky, K. I. & Gardner, A., 2024, In: Religion, Brain & Behavior. 14, 3, p. 231-244 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review