Oliver Niehuis
A5044528222- Plant and animal studies
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Fossil Insects in Amber
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Insect behavior and control techniques
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Coleoptera Taxonomy and Distribution
- Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Scarabaeidae Beetle Taxonomy and Biogeography
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Semiconductor materials and interfaces
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Crustacean biology and ecology
- Gene expression and cancer classification
University of Freiburg
2017-2025
University of Education Freiburg
2024
Institut de Biologia Evolutiva
2019
Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig
2007-2018
Arizona State University
2007-2017
Institute for Biodiversity
2013
Osnabrück University
2009-2010
Insects are the most speciose group of animals, but phylogenetic relationships many major lineages remain unresolved. We inferred phylogeny insects from 1478 protein-coding genes. Phylogenomic analyses nucleotide and amino acid sequences, with site-specific or domain-specific substitution models, produced statistically robust congruent results resolving previously controversial relations hips. dated origin to Early Ordovician [~479 million years ago (Ma)], insect flight Devonian (~406 Ma),...
Parasitoid Wasp Genomes wasps, which prey on and reproduce in host insect species, play important roles plant herbivore interactions, may provide valuable tools the biological control of pest species. The Nasonia Genome Working Group (p. 343 ; see news story by Pennisi ) presents genome three very closely related species: vitripennis, N. giraulti , longicornis . findings document rapid evolution between a endosymbiont that can cause nuclear-cytoplasmic incompatibilities affect speciation.
The order Coleoptera (beetles) is arguably the most speciose group of animals, but evolutionary history beetles, including impacts plant feeding (herbivory) on beetle diversification, remain poorly understood. We inferred phylogeny beetles using 4,818 genes for 146 species, estimated timing and rates diversification 89 521 species representing all major lineages traced evolution enabling symbiont-independent digestion lignocellulose 154 genomes or transcriptomes. Phylogenomic analyses these...
Insects and their arthropod relatives including mites, spiders, crustaceans play major roles in the world’s terrestrial, aquatic, marine ecosystems. Arthropods compete with humans for food transmit devastating diseases. They also comprise most diverse successful branch of metazoan evolution, millions extant species. Here, we describe an international effort to guide genomic efforts, from species prioritization methodology informatics. The 5000 genomes initiative (i5K) community met formally...
Remipedes are a small and enigmatic group of crustaceans, first described only 30 years ago. Analyses both morphological molecular data have recently suggested close relationship between Remipedia Hexapoda. If true, the remipedes occupy an important position in pancrustacean evolution may be pivotal for understanding evolutionary history crustaceans hexapods. However, it is to test this hypothesis using new types analytical approaches. Here, we assembled phylogenomic set 131 taxa,...
We report the draft genome sequence of red harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus . The was sequenced using 454 pyrosequencing, and current assembly annotation were completed in less than 1 y. Analyses conserved gene groups (more 1,200 manually annotated genes to date) suggest a high-quality comparable recently insect genomes Sanger sequencing. ant is model for studying reproductive division labor, phenotypic plasticity, sociogenomics. Although P. similar other hymenopterans ( Apis mellifera...
Abstract Background Arthropods comprise the largest and most diverse phylum on Earth play vital roles in nearly every ecosystem. Their diversity stems part from variations a conserved body plan, resulting recorded adaptive changes genome. Dissection of genomic record sequence change enables broad questions regarding genome evolution to be addressed, even across hyper-diverse taxa within arthropods. Results Using 76 whole sequences representing 21 orders spanning more than 500 million years...
Abstract Background Transposable elements (TEs) are a major component of metazoan genomes and associated with variety mechanisms that shape genome architecture evolution. Despite the ever-growing number insect sequenced to date, our understanding diversity evolution TEs remains poor. Results Here, we present standardized characterization an order-level comparison arthropod TE repertoires, encompassing 62 11 outgroup species. The repertoire contains almost every class previously described, in...
Apoid wasps and bees (Apoidea) are an ecologically morphologically diverse group of Hymenoptera, with some species having evolved eusocial societies. Major problems for our understanding the evolutionary history Apoidea have been difficulty to trace phylogenetic origin reliably estimate geological age bees. To address these issues, we compiled a comprehensive phylogenomic dataset by simultaneously analyzing target DNA enrichment transcriptomic sequence data, comprising 195 single-copy...
Polyneoptera represents one of the major lineages winged insects, comprising around 40,000 extant species in 10 traditional orders, including grasshoppers, roaches, and stoneflies. Many important aspects polyneopteran evolution, such as their phylogenetic relationships, changes external appearance, habitat preferences, social behavior, are unresolved a enigma entomology. These ambiguities also have direct consequences for our understanding evolution insects general; example, with respect to...
Despite considerable progress in systematics, a comprehensive scenario of the evolution phenotypic characters mega-diverse Holometabola based on solid phylogenetic hypothesis was still missing. We addressed this issue by de novo sequencing transcriptome libraries representatives all orders holometabolan insects (13 species total) and using previously published extensive morphological dataset. tested competing hypotheses analyzing various specifically designed sets amino acid sequence data,...
Orthology characterizes genes of different organisms that arose from a single ancestral gene via speciation, in contrast to paralogy, which is assigned duplication. An accurate orthology assignment crucial step for comparative genomic studies. Orthologous two can be identified by applying so-called reciprocal search strategy, given complete information the organisms' repertoire available. In many investigations, however, only fraction content under study examined (e.g., RNA sequencing)....
Abstract Biodiversity analyses based on next‐generation sequencing ( NGS ) platforms have developed by leaps and bounds in recent years. A PCR ‐free strategy, which can alleviate taxonomic bias, was considered as a promising approach to delivering reliable species compositions of targeted environments. The major impediment such method is the lack appropriate mitochondrial DNA enrichment ways. Because genomes (mitogenomes) make up only small proportion total , methods will inevitably result...
It has been experimentally shown that DNA methylation is involved in the regulation of gene expression and silencing transposable element activity eukaryotes. The variable levels among different insect species indicate an evolutionarily flexible role insects, which due to a lack comparative data not yet well-substantiated. Here, we use computational methods trace signatures across insects by analyzing transcriptomic genomic sequence from all currently recognized orders. We conclude that: 1)...
RNA interference (RNAi) refers to the set of molecular processes found in eukaryotic organisms which small molecules mediate silencing or down-regulation target genes. In insects, RNAi serves a number functions, including regulation endogenous genes, anti-viral defense, and defense against transposable elements. Despite being well studied model organisms, such as Drosophila, distribution core pathway genes their evolution insects is not understood. Here we present most comprehensive overview...
Abstract Background The latest advancements in DNA sequencing technologies have facilitated the resolution of phylogeny insects, yet parts tree Holometabola remain unresolved. Neuropterida has been extensively studied, but no strong consensus exists concerning phylogenetic relationships within order Neuroptera. Here, we assembled a novel transcriptomic dataset to address previously unresolved issues and infer divergence times group. We tested robustness our estimates by comparing summary...
Abstract Scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae) are a diverse and ecologically important group of angiosperm‐associated insects. As conventionally understood, scarab comprise two major lineages: dung the phytophagous Pleurosticti. However, previous phylogenetic analyses have not been able to convincingly answer question whether or lineages form monophyletic group. Here, we report our results from more than 4000 genes mined transcriptomes 50 species Scarabaeidae other Scarabaeoidea. Our provide...
Caddisflies (Trichoptera) are among the most diverse groups of freshwater animals with more than 16 000 described species. They play a fundamental role in ecology and environmental engineering streams, rivers lakes. Because this, they frequently used as indicator organisms biomonitoring programmes. Despite their importance, key questions concerning evolutionary history caddisflies, such timing origin larval case making, remain unanswered owing to lack well-resolved phylogeny. Here, we...
Male F(2) hybrids of the wasps Nasonia giraulti and vitripennis suffer increased mortality during development. Previous studies suggested that mitochondria may play an important role in this pattern hybrid breakdown. The mitochondrial genome encodes 13 polypeptides, which are integral subunits oxidative phosphorylation enzyme complexes I, III, IV V. We show ATP production rate efficacy III IV, but not completely nuclear-encoded complex II, reduced males N. vitripennis. hypothesize...
The haplodiploid wasp genus Nasonia is a promising model for studying the evolution of genic incompatibilities due to existence interfertile species and haploid males. latter allows significantly reducing sample size required detect map recessive dysfunctional interactions. We exploited these features study genetics intrinsic hybrid inviability in male F2 hybrids giraulti N. vitripennis. Analyzing marker segregation 225 embryos, we inferred linkage with 38 framework markers. markers were...