Opportunities

For successful biodiversity conservation it is important to clearly recognize current diversity
and understand how new biodiversity generates. A key process that ultimately generates the
diversity of life is known as speciation. Today our comprehension of this phenomenon is
based mainly on the studies of well-known multi-cellular model systems. Little is known
about speciation in unicellular eukaryotes (protists), one of the most diverse groups of
organisms on Earth. We intend to study a flock of closely related protists initially described
from the Baltic Sea, which are important primary producers in coastal waters. Prorocentrum
micans-like dinoflagellates thrive in different marine and brackish habitats. Preliminary data
suggest that respective populations are currently undergoing speciation. For some lineages
the main driver could be local adaptation to salinity variation. We hypothesize that divergent
adaptation of the P. micans like populations are explained by this process rather than by
phenotypic plasticity.
The aims of this project are to determine the phylogenetic structure of this group of closely
related taxa, to evaluate current species boundaries, and to assess specific physiological
adaptations (in particular to salinity) on the transcriptome level of these closely related
protists in the context of their evolution. The overall goal is to obtain a comprehensive data
set for the widespread dinoflagellate P. micans complex that ultimately will provide a better
understanding of dinoflagellate diversification and speciation.
The project will involve 1) RNA sequencing and transcriptome analyses of multiple strains
from different habitats, 2) description and comparison of their morphological features, 3)
experimental studies to characterize adaptations to different salinities and 4) determination
of their ecological niches in the field

More information in the document.

Position described in German:

• Bestimmung benthischer Diatomeen aus Fließ- und Standgewässern am
  Lichtmikroskop (Raster-Elektronenmikroskop steht zur Verfügung)
• Organisation und Durchführung der Diatomeenbearbeitung vom Proben-
  eingang über die Präparation bis zur Archivierung inklusive
• Datenerfassung und -pflege
• Aufarbeitung von Diatomeenproben im Labor, Durchführung von Säure-
  Aufschlüssen
• Mitwirkung bei der Probenahme benthischer Algen
• ggf. Einarbeitung in die Durchführung molekularbiologischer Diatomeen-
  analysen (Barcoding)
• Durchführung der Qualitätssicherung