Population Genetics meets Landscape ecology in the Biodiversity Exploratories:

Figure: The photo shows a black ground beetle on a tree stump

Hypotheses

H1: Landscape settings (e.g., historical & contemporary connectivity, land use intensity) have an influence on the genetic differentiation.

H2: These relationships are more pronounced in short-winged than in long-winged populations and species.

H3: Positive relationship between genetic variation
and species diversity (community level)

Methods

Population genetics: Microsatellites, Allozymes, Hind-wing development
Landscape genetics: Tests (Hardy-Weinberg-equilibrium, linkage disequilibrium, …), Genetic differentiation patterns (FST-values, AMOVA, assignment tests), Genetic diversity (allelic richness), Spatial genetic patterns
Landscape ecology: Historical and contemporary maps, Landscape settings, GIS data

Publications

Testing paradigms in conservation biology: spatio-temporal dimensions of habitat fragmentation in a stenotopic woodland ground beetle

Testparadigmen in der Erhaltungsbiologie: räumlich-zeitliche Dimensionen der Lebensraumfragmentierung in einem stenotopischen Waldbodenkäfer

Marcus T. (2017): Testing paradigms in conservation biology: spatio-temporal dimensions of habitat fragmentation in a stenotopic woodland ground beetle. Dissertation, Leuphana University Lüneburg

Living in heterogeneous woodlands – are habitat continuity or quality drivers of genetic variability in a flightless ground beetle?

Das Leben in reichstrukturierten Wäldern – Welchen Einfluss haben Habitatgröße und -qualität auf die genetische Diversität des flugunfähigen Laufkäfers Abax parallelepipedus?

Marcus T., Boch S., Durka W., Fischer M., Gossner M. M., Müller J., Schöning I., Weisser W. W., Drees K., Assmann T. (2015): Living in heterogeneous woodlands – are habitat continuity or quality drivers of genetic variability in a flightless ground beetle? PLoS ONE 10(12): e0144217. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144217

A suite of multiplexed microsatellite loci for the ground beetle Abax parallelepipedus (Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783) (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Marcus, T., Assmann, T., Durka, W., Drees, C. (2013): A suite of multiplexed microsatellite loci for the ground beetle Abax parallelepipedus (Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783) (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Conservation Genetics Resources 5, 1151-1156. doi: 10.1007/s12686-013-9985-6

Effects of climate on diversity patterns in ground beetles: case studies in macroecology, phylogeography and global change biology

Einfluss des Klimas auf Diversitätsmuster von Laufkäfern : Studien aus Makroökologie, Phylogeographie und Global Change Biology

Homburg K. (2013): Effects of climate on diversity patterns in ground beetles: case studies in macroecology, phylogeography and global change biology. Dissertation, Leuphana University Lueneburg

Scientific assistants

Alumni

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Aßmann