Barbara Fischer
Mag. Dr.
Elise Richter Project Leader
Lecturer
phone +43-1-4277-56709
b.fischer@univie.ac.at
External links
Personal homepage
Profile in ResearchGate
Profile in Google Scholar
Teaching at the Univ. Vienna
About me
I am an evolutionary biologist at the Department of Theoretical Biology of the University of Vienna. I study phenotypic evolution using theoretical and empirical approaches. My work centers on the classical problem of adaptation vs. constraint in evolution: Why are some traits easily adapted by evolution, while others are not?
More recently, my work concentrates on the evolution of birth in humans. I study how such a difficult birth process could evolve and why it has persisted, despite the high mortality and morbidity associated with it.
I am also a dedicated teacher and I enjoy communicating science and writing articles for a non-scientific audience.
Keywords Evolution of childbirth, Evolutionary medicine, Biostatistics, Evolutionary theory, Science communication
The weight of the inner organs is supported by the pelvic floor in upright species like humans (A), but not in chimps (B), bats (C) or sloths (D).
Drawing by Eva Zaffarini. After Grunstra et al. (2019).
The pelvis is sexual dimorphism in humans, with larger pelvises in women. Modified after Fischer & Mitteroecker (2019).
Recent publications
Nicole DS Grunstra, Frank E Zachos, Anna Nele Herdina, Barbara Fischer, Mihaela Pavličev, Philipp Mitteroecker (2019). Humans as inverted bats: A comparative approach to the obstetric conundrum. American Journal of Human Biology 31:e23227.
Barbara Fischer, Philipp Mitteroecker (2017). Allometry and sexual dimorphism in the human pelvis. The Anatomical Record 300:698-705.
Philipp Mitteroecker, Simon Huttegger, Barbara Fischer, Mihaela Pavlicev (2017). Reply to Grossman: The role of natural selection for the increase of Caesarean section rates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113:14680-14685.
Philipp Mitteroecker, Simon Huttegger, Barbara Fischer, Mihaela Pavlicev (2016). Cliff-edge model of obstetric selection in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113:14680-14685.
Philipp Mitteroecker, Barbara Fischer (2016). Adult pelvic shape change is an evolutionary side effect. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112:5655-5660.
Truls Hansson, Barbara Fischer, Anna Black Mazzarella, Kjetil Lysne Voje, Asbjorn Vollestad (2016). Lateral plate number in low‐plated threespine stickleback - a study of plasticity and heritability. Ecology and Evolution 6: 3154-3160.
Barbara Fischer, Philipp Mitteroecker (2016). Reply to Underdown and Oppenheimer: Roles of selection, plasticity, and genetics in the integration of human pelvis shape and head size. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112:5655-5660.
Barbara Fischer, Philipp Mitteroecker (2015). Covariation between human pelvis shape, stature, and head size alleviates the obstetric dilemma. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112:5655-5660.
Anna Black Mazzarella, Kjetil Lysne Voje, Truls Hansson, Annette Taugbol, Barbara Fischer (2015). Strong and parallel salinity‐induced phenotypic plasticity in one generation of threespine stickleback. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 28: 667-677.
Barbara Fischer, Sander Van Doorn, Ulf Dieckmann, Barbara Taborsky (2014). The Evolution of Age-Dependent Plasticity. The American Naturalist 183: 108-125.