Dr. Karen MeusemannTel.: +49 (0)228 9122 351
Fax: +49 (0)228 9122 295
E-Mail: mail@karen-meusemann.de
Current projects
"1KITE - 1000 Insect Transcriptome Evolution"
Insects are one of the most species-rich groups of metazoan organisms. They play a pivotal role in most non-marine ecosystems and many insect species are of enormous economical and medical importance. Unraveling the evolution of insects is essential for understanding how life in terrestrial and limnic environments evolved. The 1KITE (1K Insect Transcriptome Evolution) project aims to study the transcriptomes (that is the entirety of expressed genes) of 1,000 insect species encompassing all recognized insect orders. For each species, so-called ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) will be produced using next generation sequencing techniques (NGS). Sequencing will be completed by the end of 2012. The expected data will allow inferring for the first time a robust phylogenetic backbone tree of insects. Furthermore, the project includes the development of new software for data quality assessment and analysis.
1KITE has brought together internationally recognized experts in molecular biology, morphology, paleontology, embryology, bioinformatics, and scientific computing in a yet unparalleled way. Overall, scientists from eight nations (Australia, Austria, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and the US) are tightly collaborating in the 1KITE project.
1KITE has brought together internationally recognized experts in molecular biology, morphology, paleontology, embryology, bioinformatics, and scientific computing in a yet unparalleled way. Overall, scientists from eight nations (Australia, Austria, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and the US) are tightly collaborating in the 1KITE project.
More information:
The evolution of Endopterygota - reconstructing the phylogeny of the most successful lineage of organisms with phylogenomic and morphological data
Endopterygota (= Holometabola) is the most successful lineage of living organisms in terms of species number (ca. 800,000). Strong efforts have been made recently to reconstruct its phylogeny. However, different molecular data sets and morphological characters still yield conflicting phylogenetic reconstructions and apparently the evolution of the group is far from being understood. Extensive sequence data will be compiled (EST data) and analysed separately and in combination with morphological data sets. The obtained branching pattern will enable us to reconstruct the evolution of different character complexes, such as for instance larval head structures associated with feeding, or the thoracic locomotor apparatus. Main issues of the project are 1) to resolve the interrelationships of the holometabolan orders 2) to comprehend the evolution of different character complexes in and 3) to assess data quality and information content of molecular and morphological data.
Fig. 1: Chrysopidae, Neuropterida
(Photo: J. Dambach)
This is a project of the workgroup Misof (Bernhard Misof, Zentrum für Molekulare Biodiversitätsforschung, ZFMK Bonn) & Ralph Peters (ZFMK Bonn).
Cooperation partners
• AG Beutel, Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Universität Jena
• A. Blanke, ZFMK Bonn, Germany
• Dr. A. Braband, formerly University of Berlin, Germany
• AG Burmester, Biozentrum Grindel & Zoologisches Museum, Hamburg (SPP 1174)
• J. Dambach, ZFMK Bonn, Germany
• AG Hadrys, ITZ Hannover, Germany (SPP 1174)
• K. Kjer, Rutgers SEBS University, New Yersey, USA
• P. Kück & S. Meid, ZFMK, Bonn, Germany (SPP 1174)
• H. Letsch, Department of Animal Biodiversity, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
• AG Beutel, Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Universität Jena
• A. Blanke, ZFMK Bonn, Germany
• Dr. A. Braband, formerly University of Berlin, Germany
• AG Burmester, Biozentrum Grindel & Zoologisches Museum, Hamburg (SPP 1174)
• J. Dambach, ZFMK Bonn, Germany
• AG Hadrys, ITZ Hannover, Germany (SPP 1174)
• K. Kjer, Rutgers SEBS University, New Yersey, USA
• P. Kück & S. Meid, ZFMK, Bonn, Germany (SPP 1174)
• H. Letsch, Department of Animal Biodiversity, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
• B. Meyer, Institut für Systemische Neurowissenschaften, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
• O. Niehuis, Zentrum für Molekulare Biodiversitätsforschung am ZFMK, Bonn, Germany
• G. Pass, E. Dell'Ampio, D. Bartel, M. Walzl, Department für Evolutionsbiologie, University of Vienna, Austria
• L. Podsiadlowski, Institut für Evolutionsbiologie & Ökologie, University of Bonn, Germany (SPP 1174)
• K. Schütte, Biozentrum Grindel und Zoologisches Museum, Hamburg, Germany
• AG Stadler, Institut für Informatik, University of Leipzig, Germany (SPP 1174)
• AG R. Machida, University of Tsukuba, Sugadaira Mountain Research Center, Japan
• O. Niehuis, Zentrum für Molekulare Biodiversitätsforschung am ZFMK, Bonn, Germany
• G. Pass, E. Dell'Ampio, D. Bartel, M. Walzl, Department für Evolutionsbiologie, University of Vienna, Austria
• L. Podsiadlowski, Institut für Evolutionsbiologie & Ökologie, University of Bonn, Germany (SPP 1174)
• K. Schütte, Biozentrum Grindel und Zoologisches Museum, Hamburg, Germany
• AG Stadler, Institut für Informatik, University of Leipzig, Germany (SPP 1174)
• AG R. Machida, University of Tsukuba, Sugadaira Mountain Research Center, Japan
• A. Stamatakis, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg, Germany
• J. W. Wägele & B. v. Reumont, ZFMK, Bonn, Germany (SPP 1174)
• J. W. Wägele & B. v. Reumont, ZFMK, Bonn, Germany (SPP 1174)
PhD thesis within the DGF-project (SSP 1174) "Deep Metazoan Phylogeny"
My PhD thesis "The Atelocerata: A vanishing hypothesis?" provides new insights into molecular phylogenetics and evolution of primary wingless hexapods (Protura, Diplura, Collembola, Archaeognatha, Zygentoma) and myriapods. An important issue is the development of tools for data quality assessment and improvement of data quality in the age of phylogenomics.
Within the SPP 1174 "Deep Metazoan Phylogeny" (
http://www.deep-phylogeny.org), deep relationships within metazoans are investigated in more than 30 projects. Morphological research, molecular analyses, and bioinformatics are combined for phylogenetic reconstructions. Focus of our project is a robust inference of phylogenetic relationships of apterygote hexapods and myriapods which is crucial for unterstanding arthropod evolution. This is done in cooperation with partners from the SPP 1174.
Fig. 2:
Acerentomon franzi, Protura
(Photo: J. Dambach)
Fig. 3: Symphypleona, Collembola
(Photo: K. Meusemann)
Fig. 4: Berlese-pitfalls to collect small soil arthropods
(Photo: K. Meusemann)
finished EST projects:
Campodea cf. fragilis (Diplura)
Anurida maritima (Collembola)
Lepismachilis y-signata (Archaeognatha)
MARE (MAtrix REduction): Tool to select taxa and genes for optimized data subsets out of supermatrices considering information content. Meyer, B. and Misof, B (2010). Zentrum für Molekulare Biodiversitätsforschung (ZMB) am ZFMK, Bonn. Version 0.1.2-rc. http://mare.zfmk.de
Mitochondrial genome of
Acerentomon sp. (Protura)
Mitochondrial genomes are published for all apterygote hexapod orders except proturans. We work on sequencing the full mitochondrial genome of
Acerentomon (Protura) with the AG Pass, Vienna Austria.
Completed projects
PhD thesis: The Atelocerata: A vanishing hypothesis? Molecular phylogeny of arthropods with focus on primary wingless hexapods. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. B. Misof, the project is part of the DFG priority programme "SPP 1174 Deep Metazoan Phylogeny"
Diploma thesis: Study of chromosomes on the subgenus Agrodiaetus of the genus Polyommatus Latreille, 1804 (Lycaenidae, Lepidoptera, Insecta): Can the number of chromosomes be used to distinguish species? Can different numbers of chromosomes leas to speciation? Supervisors: Prof. Dr. C Naumann and PD Dr. B. Misof
The subgenus
Agrodiaetus is a species complex. Species and subspecies occur in palaeartic regions. Morphologically, they are very similar, but show a huge variation in their chromosome numbers (n = 10 - 125).
Fig. 5:
Agrodiaetus turcicola
(Photo: M. Wiemers)
For a large number of specimens, chromosome numbers were determined (eupyrene spermatozoans of adult males, squash-technique) for different taxa from Turkey, Iran, Italy and Spain. For the first time, the caryotype of seven species could be determined and a new caryo-species was described from Turkey (see Lukhtanov VA, Wiemers M & Meusemann K 2003). However, the number of chromosomes must be considered with caution due to methodological problems. Furthermore, differences in the numbers of chromosomes between specimens do not automatically allow to classify them in different species.
Fig. 6: Chromosome prepatration of an eupyren sperm cell of
Agrodiaetus klausschuriani: metaphase
(Photo: K. Meusemann)
