Dr Andrew Letten
Dr

Andrew Letten

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 52454

Background

Andrew is a population biologist in the School of the Environment. A broad goal of his research is to understand the effect of environmental variability on the stability of ecological communities. At the same time, in order to deliver on this broader goal, he is working to scale up understanding from simple tractable systems to the more complex dynamics of real world-systems.

Before joining UQ, he was a Marie Curie fellow working with Jonathan Levine and Alex Hall at ETH Zurich (2018-2020), a postdoctoral fellow in Daniel Stouffer's lab at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand (2017-2018), and a CEHG (Centre for Computational, Evolutionary and Human Genomics) postdoctoral fellow in Tad Fukami's lab at Stanford University, USA (2015-2017). He did his PhD (2011-2015) with David Keith in the Centre for Ecosystem Science at UNSW Australia.

Availability

Dr Andrew Letten is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Biological Sciences Biological adaptation Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology) Ecology Evolutionary biology Evolutionary ecology Microbial ecology Microbiology Population ecology

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of New South Wales

Search Professor Andrew Letten’s works on UQ eSpace

40 works between 2009 and 2026
All (40) Journal Article (40)

1 - 20 of 40 works

2026

Journal Article

Growth-density inversion in Escherichia coli reveals superlinear, not sublinear, and density dependence

Orr, James A., Davis, Kaleigh E., Williams, Alicia H., Engelstädter, Jan, Stouffer, Daniel B. and Letten, Andrew D. (2026). Growth-density inversion in Escherichia coli reveals superlinear, not sublinear, and density dependence. PLOS Biology, 24 (7) e3003898, e3003898. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003898

Growth-density inversion in Escherichia coli reveals superlinear, not sublinear, and density dependence

2026

Journal Article

Drug mode of action and resource constraints modulate antimicrobial resistance evolution

Delaney, Oscar, Brown, Christopher~R.~P., Letten, Andrew~D. and Engelstäder, Jan (2026). Drug mode of action and resource constraints modulate antimicrobial resistance evolution. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 618 112316, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2025.112316

Drug mode of action and resource constraints modulate antimicrobial resistance evolution

2025

Journal Article

Optimal antimicrobial dosing combinations when drug-resistance mutation rates differ

Delaney, Oscar, Letten, Andrew D. and Engelstädter, Jan (2025). Optimal antimicrobial dosing combinations when drug-resistance mutation rates differ. Evolution, 79 (9), 1900-1910. doi: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf123

Optimal antimicrobial dosing combinations when drug-resistance mutation rates differ

2025

Journal Article

Evolution and evolvability of rifampicin resistance across the bacterial tree of life

Bolourchi, Negin, Brown, Christopher R. P., Letten, Andrew D. and Engelstädter, Jan (2025). Evolution and evolvability of rifampicin resistance across the bacterial tree of life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122 (31) e2424307122, 1-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2424307122

Evolution and evolvability of rifampicin resistance across the bacterial tree of life

2025

Journal Article

Making sense of (sublinear) density dependence

Letten, Andrew D. (2025). Making sense of (sublinear) density dependence. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 40 (7), 622-625. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2025.05.002

Making sense of (sublinear) density dependence

2025

Journal Article

A unifying principle for multispecies coexistence under resource fluctuations

Richardson, James A., Engelstädter, Jan and Letten, Andrew D. (2025). A unifying principle for multispecies coexistence under resource fluctuations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122 (24) e2424996122, 1-10. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2424996122

A unifying principle for multispecies coexistence under resource fluctuations

2025

Journal Article

Coexistence Theory for Microbial Ecology, and Vice Versa

Orr, James A., Armitage, David W. and Letten, Andrew D. (2025). Coexistence Theory for Microbial Ecology, and Vice Versa. Environmental Microbiology, 27 (3) e70072, 1-13. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.70072

Coexistence Theory for Microbial Ecology, and Vice Versa

2024

Journal Article

Microbial Dormancy Supports Multi‐Species Coexistence Under Resource Fluctuations

Letten, Andrew D., Yamamichi, Masato, Richardson, James A. and Ke, Po‐Ju (2024). Microbial Dormancy Supports Multi‐Species Coexistence Under Resource Fluctuations. Ecology Letters, 27 (9) e14507, e14507. doi: 10.1111/ele.14507

Microbial Dormancy Supports Multi‐Species Coexistence Under Resource Fluctuations

2023

Journal Article

Frequent, infinitesimal bottlenecks maximize the rate of microbial adaptation

Delaney, Oscar, Letten, Andrew D and Engelstadter, Jan (2023). Frequent, infinitesimal bottlenecks maximize the rate of microbial adaptation. Genetics, 225 (4) iyad185. doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyad185

Frequent, infinitesimal bottlenecks maximize the rate of microbial adaptation

2023

Journal Article

Eco‐evolutionary maintenance of diversity in fluctuating environments

Yamamichi, Masato, Letten, Andrew D. and Schreiber, Sebastian J. (2023). Eco‐evolutionary maintenance of diversity in fluctuating environments. Ecology Letters, 26 (S1), S152-S167. doi: 10.1111/ele.14286

Eco‐evolutionary maintenance of diversity in fluctuating environments

2023

Journal Article

The effect of non-linear competitive interactions on quantifying niche and fitness differences

Spaak, Jurg W., Millet, Remi, Ke, Po-Ju, Letten, Andrew D. and De Laender, Frederik (2023). The effect of non-linear competitive interactions on quantifying niche and fitness differences. Theoretical Ecology, 16 (2), 161-170. doi: 10.1007/s12080-023-00560-6

The effect of non-linear competitive interactions on quantifying niche and fitness differences

2023

Journal Article

Different measures of niche and fitness differences tell different tales

Spaak, Jurg W., Ke, Po‐Ju, Letten, Andrew D. and De Laender, Frederik (2023). Different measures of niche and fitness differences tell different tales. Oikos, 2023 (4) e09573. doi: 10.1111/oik.09573

Different measures of niche and fitness differences tell different tales

2023

Journal Article

Pulsed, continuous or somewhere in between? Resource dynamics matter in the optimisation of microbial communities

Letten, Andrew D. and Ludington, William B. (2023). Pulsed, continuous or somewhere in between? Resource dynamics matter in the optimisation of microbial communities. The ISME Journal, 17 (4), 641-644. doi: 10.1038/s41396-023-01369-1

Pulsed, continuous or somewhere in between? Resource dynamics matter in the optimisation of microbial communities

2022

Journal Article

Extending the gleaner‐opportunist trade‐off

Yamamichi, Masato and Letten, Andrew D. (2022). Extending the gleaner‐opportunist trade‐off. Journal of Animal Ecology, 91 (11), 2163-2170. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.13813

Extending the gleaner‐opportunist trade‐off

2021

Journal Article

Coexistence holes fill a gap in community assembly theory

Letten, Andrew D. (2021). Coexistence holes fill a gap in community assembly theory. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5 (8), 1062-1063. doi: 10.1038/s41559-021-01461-9

Coexistence holes fill a gap in community assembly theory

2021

Journal Article

Rapid evolution promotes fluctuation‐dependent species coexistence

Yamamichi, Masato and Letten, Andrew D. (2021). Rapid evolution promotes fluctuation‐dependent species coexistence. Ecology Letters, 24 (4), 812-818. doi: 10.1111/ele.13707

Rapid evolution promotes fluctuation‐dependent species coexistence

2021

Journal Article

Human-associated microbiota suppress invading bacteria even under disruption by antibiotics

Letten, Andrew D., Baumgartner, Michael, Pfrunder-Cardozo, Katia R., Levine, Jonathan M. and Hall, Alex R. (2021). Human-associated microbiota suppress invading bacteria even under disruption by antibiotics. The ISME Journal, 15 (9), 2809-2812. doi: 10.1038/s41396-021-00929-7

Human-associated microbiota suppress invading bacteria even under disruption by antibiotics

2021

Journal Article

Using ecological coexistence theory to understand antibiotic resistance and microbial competition

Letten, Andrew D., Hall, Alex R. and Levine, Jonathan M. (2021). Using ecological coexistence theory to understand antibiotic resistance and microbial competition. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 5 (4), 431-441. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-01385-w

Using ecological coexistence theory to understand antibiotic resistance and microbial competition

2021

Journal Article

Gleaning, fast and slow: In defense of a canonical ecological trade-off

Letten, Andrew D. and Yamamichi, Masato (2021). Gleaning, fast and slow: In defense of a canonical ecological trade-off. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (5) e2022754118, 1-2. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2022754118

Gleaning, fast and slow: In defense of a canonical ecological trade-off

2020

Journal Article

Publisher Correction: Intensive farming drives long-term shifts in avian community composition

Hendershot, J. Nicholas, Smith, Jeffrey R., Anderson, Christopher B., Letten, Andrew D., Frishkoff, Luke O., Zook, Jim R., Fukami, Tadashi and Daily, Gretchen C. (2020). Publisher Correction: Intensive farming drives long-term shifts in avian community composition. Nature, 581 (7808), E6-E6. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2310-0

Publisher Correction: Intensive farming drives long-term shifts in avian community composition

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2026
    The role of resource fluctuations in structuring microbial communities
    ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2025
    The costs and consequences of resistance to stress in microbial systems
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Andrew Letten is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The evolution of antibiotic resistance through the lens of ecological competition theory

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The costs and consequences of antibioitic resistance in fluctuating environments

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Costs of antibiotic resistance through the lens of resource-competition theory

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Microbial community dynamics in nonequilibrium systems

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The role of resource fluctuations in structuring microbial communities

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The effects of rapid evolution and phenotypic plasticity on ecological dynamics in fluctuating environments

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr John Dwyer

  • Master Philosophy

    Investigating the fitness effects of rifampicin resistance mutations across environments

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Rapid evolution and the dynamics and stability of ecological communities.

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter, Dr Simon Hart

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Manipulating disturbance synchrony to regulate microbial systems

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr James Orr

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the evolution of intrinsic antibiotic resistance using machine learning

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Engelstaedter

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Volatile synchrony: Pulse reproductive events of giant canopy trees, and the fauna they impact.

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Matthew Luskin

Enquiries

For media enquiries about Dr Andrew Letten's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au