A5056146755- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Plant and animal studies
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Lichen and fungal ecology
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Ecology and biodiversity studies
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Gene expression and cancer classification
- Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Natural product bioactivities and synthesis
Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/M
2022-2024
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre
2016-2022
McGill University
2011-2017
Goethe University Frankfurt
2017
University of Freiburg
2005-2013
Abstract Global climate change (GCC) increasingly threatens biodiversity through the loss of species, and transformation entire ecosystems. Many species are challenged by pace GCC because they might not be able to respond fast enough changing biotic abiotic conditions. Species can either shifting their range, or persisting in local habitat. If populations persist, tolerate climatic changes phenotypic plasticity, genetically adapt conditions depending on genetic variability census population...
Evidence of phenotypic parallelism is often used to infer the deterministic role played by natural selection. However, variation in extent or direction divergence evident among independent evolutionary replicates, raising following question: just how parallel, overall, parallel evolution? We answer this question through a comparative analysis studies fishes, taxon where evolution has been much discussed. first ask among-population variance traits can be explained different "environment"...
Evolutionary biologists have long trained their sights on adaptation, focusing the power of natural selection to produce relative fitness advantages while often ignoring changes in absolute fitness. Ecologists generally taken a different tack, abundance and ranges that reflect Uniting these perspectives, we articulate various causes maladaptation review numerous examples occurrence. This indicates is reasonably common from both yet contrasting ways. That is, can appear strong perspective,...
Summary An understanding of how biotic interactions shape species’ distributions is central to predicting host–symbiont responses under climate change. Switches locally adapted algae have been proposed be an adaptive strategy lichen‐forming fungi cope with environmental However, it unclear lichen photobionts respond gradients, and whether they play a role in determining the fungal host's upper lower elevational limits. Deep‐coverage Illumina DNA metabarcoding was used track changes community...
Two recent hypotheses have proposed that non-green plant colouration evolved as a defence against herbivores, either protective promoting handicap signals indicating fitness or by undermining their crypsis. The hypothesis posits co-evolutionary process between plants and whereas the anti-crypsis suggests an arms race insects is evolutionary mechanism. Both explanations assume are origin causing plants' colouration. Here, we propose different hypothesis, termed "Defence Indication...
Abstract Parallel (and convergent) phenotypic variation is most often studied in the wild, where it difficult to disentangle genetic vs. environmentally induced effects. As a result, potential contributions of plasticity parallelism nonparallelism) are rarely evaluated formal sense. Phenotypic could be enhanced by that causes stronger across populations wild than would expected from differences alone. dampened if site‐specific between otherwise genetically parallel populations. We used...
The large distributional areas and ecological niches of many lichenized fungi may in part be due to the plasticity interactions between fungus (mycobiont) its algal or cyanobacterial partners (photobionts). On one hand, broad‐scale phylogenetic analyses show that partner compatibility lichens is rather constrained shaped by reciprocal selection pressures codiversification independent drivers. other sub‐species‐level associations among lichen symbionts appear environmentally structured than...
Many fungal species occur across a variety of habitats. Particularly lichens, fungi forming symbioses with photosynthetic partners, have evolved remarkable tolerances for environmental extremes. Despite their ecological importance and ubiquity, little is known about the genetic basis adaption in lichen populations. Here we studied patterns genome-wide differentiation lichen-forming fungus Lasallia pustulata along an altitudinal gradient Mediterranean region. We resequenced six populations as...
Keystone mutualisms, such as corals, lichens or mycorrhizae, sustain fundamental ecosystem functions. Range dynamics of these symbioses are, however, inherently difficult to predict because host species may switch between different symbiont partners in environments, thereby altering the range mutualism a functional unit. Biogeographic models mutualisms thus have consider both ecological amplitudes various and abiotic conditions that trigger replacement. To address this challenge, we here...
SUMMARY Migratory birds contribute to the movement of avian parasites between distant locations, thereby influencing parasite distribution and ecology. Here we analyse prevalence, diversity interaction patterns Haemosporida infecting Blackcap ( Sylvia atricapilla ) populations in a recently established migratory divide southwestern Germany across 4 years. We hypothesize that temporal spatial isolation provided by 2 sympatric breeding (migratory divide) might modify ecological interactions...
The ability of populations to rapidly adapt new environments will determine their future in an increasingly human-modified world. Although meta-analyses do frequently uncover signatures local adaptation, they also reveal many exceptions. We suggest that particular constraints on adaptation might arise when organisms are exposed novel stressors, such as anthropogenic pollution. To inform this possibility, we studied the extent which guppies (Poecilia reticulata) show oil pollution southern...
Cope's rule, wherein a lineage increases in body size through time, was originally motivated by macroevolutionary patterns observed the fossil record. More recently, some authors have argued that evidence exists for generally positive selection on individual contemporary populations, providing microevolutionary mechanism rule. If larger confers fitness advantages as estimates suggest, thereby explaining then should increase over time scales. We test this corollary assembling large database...
Holobionts are dynamic ecosystems that may respond to abiotic drivers with compositional changes. Uncovering elevational diversity patterns within these microecosystems can further our understanding of community-environment interactions. Here, we assess how the major components lichen holobionts-fungal hosts, green algal symbionts, and bacterial community-collectively an gradient. We analyse populations two symbioses, Umbilicaria pustulata U. hispanica, along gradient spanning 2100...
ABSTRACT Molecular methods are routinely used to estimate the effective size of populations ( N e ). However, underlying model assumptions frequently violated an unknown extent. Although simulations can detect sources bias and help adjust sampling strategies analyses methods, additional information from empirical data also be calibrate improve molecular estimation methods. Here, we take advantage long‐term genetic ecological monitoring grey wolf Canis lupus ) in Germany, detailed population...
Migratory divides are thought to facilitate behavioral, ecological, and genetic divergence among populations with different migratory routes. However, it is currently contentious how much needed maintain distinct behavior across divides. Here we investigate patterns of neutral differentiation Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) strategies Europe. We compare the level migrating southwestern (SW) or southeastern (SE) wintering areas birds in British Isles following a recently established...
Abstract The evolution of visual warning signals is well known in animals but has received scant attention plants. coevolutionary hypothesis the most influential on plants proposing that red and yellow leaf colours autumn signal defensive strength to herbivores. So far, evidence support hypothesis, which assumes a origin autumnal colours, correlative open alternative explanations. We therefore tested experimentally by colouring leaves either or green same-aged mountain ash ( Sorbus aucuparia...