Functional ecology and molecular evolution of anhydrobiotic species in extreme desert environments (B08)

• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 268236062

For the 3rd funding period, we will investigate the interface of nematode ecology, evolution, and development (EcoEvoDevo) in a comparative approach between Atacama (old Earth surfaces) and Namib (younger/more dynamic surfaces) desert. B08 aims to address questions such as life-cycle desiccation frequency of different species, how the soil ecology is defined by nematode community composition (defined by functional groups), how the dispersal of anhydrobiotic nematodes through (geological) space and time is controlled by nematode physiology and abiotic factors in deserts, and how anhydrobiosis influences mutational evolution as well as population genetic inferences.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1211: Earth - Evolution at the Dry Limit
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Project Heads: Dr. Philipp Schiffer; Professorin Dr. Ann-Marie Waldvogel