Speciation and hybridization in Orthoptera and Hymenoptera
The barcoding projects of Bavaria (BFB) and Germany (GBOL) found that most species could be reliably identified through DNA barcodes. However, some species groups especially of insects could not, despite clear morphological distinctiveness, be distinguished by barcodes. I study this grasshoppers (Caelifera: Acrididae) of Germany using data generated by ddRAD sequencing and hybridization capture, which represents the entire genome in a reduced form. HyRAD sequencing, which has lower requirements to DNA quality than ddRAD, allows us the inclusion of historical museum specimens in our studies. Our goal is to detect whether gene flow between the different species of a group continues despite efficient isolation mechanisms (e.g., grasshopper songs) or the genetic similarity is due to the recent evolutionary origin of the species alone.
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Reptiles of the Comoros and of other islands of the Western Indian Ocean region
Just like the well-known Galápagos and Canaries, the Comoros are an archipelago of volcanic islands that have never been connected with any other landmass and consequently are home to a unique and highly endemic fauna. Unlike other volcanic archipelagoes, the Comoros have attracted the attention of only few researchers, and this 'Forgotten Hot-Spot' is the subject of my ongoing studies. So far, these studies showed that the Comoros were colonized at least 17 times by terrestrial reptiles that must have reached these islands via transoceanic drifting. Phylogenetic and biogeographic analysis are revealing a complex history involving multiple colonization, extinction, re-colonization, and possibly the colonization of other islands from the Comoros. Furthermore, I have described six new species and one subspecies of reptiles, and the descriptions of more new species are upcoming.
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Conservation genomics of the Pyrenean desman
The Iberian Peninsula is home to one of Europe's arguably weirdest mammals, the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus). A member of the mole family (Talpidae), it spends its life swimming in mountain streams and feeding on aquatic insects. It is also one of Europe's rarest mammals, listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and as Critically Endangered in parts of its range. Working in the Castresana lab at the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva in Barcelona I use landscape genomics based on ddRAD sequencing data to study the impact of landscape and riverscape features on the gene flow and therefore also the dispersal of the Pyrenean desman. Furthermore, we apply genomic sequencing of fecal samples to study the diet of the species over large parts of its range. These studies will help projects on the conservation of the Pyrenean desman and promote this species as 'flagship' for the conservation of its threatened habitat.
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DNA Barcoding Fauna Bavarica
Biodiversity research faces the problem of 'taxonomic impediment': More than 1.5 million species are known, many more millions are yet to be discovered, but the worldwide number of experts able to identify known species and detect new ones is very low. To tackle this problem, modern genetic applications must complement expert knowledge. DNA barcoding uses a short standardized DNA fragment for fast species identification, but requires a database of reliably identified reference sequences. The project 'Barcoding Fauna Bavarica' (BFB) is one of the most successful barcoding campaigns worldwide. More than 15,000 of the ca. 34,000 Bavarian animal species have been added to the reference database since 2009. Applications include the detection of cryptic species, the identification of exotic invasive pest and health-relevant species, the identification of egg and larval stages, food safety, etc.
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Waterbeetles of Australia
Australia is home to over 300 known species of diving beetles, 90% of which belong to endemic radiations. Through DNA barcoding and use of cybertaxonomy, we promote novel methods allowing the rapid detection even of morphologically cryptic new species and open-access propagation of their descriptions. We employ molecular phylogenies and ecological niche modelling to delimit these species and research into speciation and radiation events.
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