The common starfish Asterias rubens
climbing a seagrass leave in the Baltic Sea in search of recently settled blue mussels as prey. By courtesy of Thorsten Reusch.
climbing a seagrass leave in the Baltic Sea in search of recently settled blue mussels as prey. By courtesy of Thorsten Reusch.
is commonly used to stain the DNA in the nuclei of Caenorhabditis elegans body cells, thus visualizing the nematode’s anatomy. By courtesy of Hinrich Schulenburg
marked by Red Fluorescent Protein, have infected and overgrown the body of a Caenorhabditis elegans nematode. By courtesy of Andrei Papkou, Schulenburg group.
is a model organism for biological clock research. By courtesy of Tobias Kaiser.
of the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici during the infection of a wheat leaf. The hyphae of Z. tritici is penetrating an open stoma on the leaf surface. of the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici (in green) during the infection of a wheat leaf. The hyphae of Z. tritici is visible in green. The tip of the hyphae (in the back) is penetrating an open stoma on the leaf surface. By courtesy of Janine Haueisen, Stukenbrock group.
of the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici (in green) during the infection of a wheat leaf. The hyphae of Z. tritici is visible in green. The tip of the hyphae (in the back) is penetrating an open stoma on the leaf surface. By courtesy of Janine Haueisen, Stukenbrock group.
bearing a germ-cell tumor. It represents the first reported and thoroughly described malignant cancer in a pre-bilaterian animal. By courtesy of Thomas Bosch.
is endemic to the Greater Cape Floristic Region. With the elongated forelegs it collects floral oil from the spurs of its host plants of the genus Diascia. By courtesy of Michael Kuhlmann.
expressing GFP in the head. The Hydra Transgenic Facility allows us to explore the function of different genes and proteins in vivo in a traditional developmental model. By courtesy of Thomas Bosch.
has long twin spurs that coevolved with the front legs of their oil-collecting bee pollinators. By courtesy of Michael Kuhlmann.
of a Caenorhabditis elegans nematode. By courtesy of Antje Thomas, Schulenburg group.
of the sex-role reversed pipefish Syngnathus typhle. By courtesy of Olivia Roth.
Symbiontic algae are responsible for the purple colour of the tips of the tentacles. By courtesy of Thorsten Reusch.
covered with anemones of the genus Parazoanthus. Individuals form colonies connected by stolons. By courtesy of Thorsten Reusch..
Our focal study species to study the genetic architecture of migratory traits. By courtesy of Miriam Liedvogel.
of the species Syngnathus typhle swimming in the experimental aquaria at the GEOMAR. By courtesy of Olivia Roth.
fitted with a light level geolocation - a method using measured ambient light level to establish geographical location during bird migration. By courtesy of Miriam Liedvogel.
Mice have 19 Autosome pairs and two sex chromosomes. The DNA is stained using DAPI in blue. Synaptonemal Complex Protein syp3 is stained in green using syp3 primary and Alexa-Flour-488 secondary antobodies. By courtesy of Alina Jeschke, Odenthal-Hesse group.
is commonly used to stain the DNA in the nuclei of Caenorhabditis elegans body cells, thus visualizing the nematode’s anatomy. By courtesy of Hinrich Schulenburg
of a pregnant pipefish male (Syngnathus typhle) filled with embryos that are connected to a placenta-like structure. By courtesy of Olivia Roth.
Evolution is the central theory of the life sciences. The core idea of the proposed RTG is to study and promote its key relevance to applied problems of societal concern. Unintended outcomes of human intervention often result from actions that influence natural selection. For example, the usage of antibiotics or anti-cancer drugs in medicine, of pesticides in agriculture, or human perturbation of the earth's ecosystems directly change natural selection and thereby affect the evolution of organisms. Therefore, the development of sustainable solutions to such emerging challenges can only be achieved by explicit consideration of the influenced evolutionary processes. Yet, to date, the translation of evolutionary concepts to applied problems is only rarely attempted. In turn, the required experimental tests in these areas have the potential to further advance evolutionary theory – to the mutual benefit of translational and basic research. Thus, the overarching aim of the proposed RTG TransEvo is to train two main competences among the doctoral candidates: On the one hand, the use of knowledge and concepts from fundamental research in evolutionary biology in order to enhance our understanding of current challenges in applied fields and, on the other hand, the use of the novel insights obtained in order to enrich our understanding of evolution. The RTG TransEvo will promote the translation of evolutionary thinking into three applied fields: (i) medicine, (ii) food production, and (iii) wildlife conservation. Although evolutionary theory is occasionally considered for applied problems, this is usually done independently in the distinct applied fields, often using different approaches and concepts – in spite of similar underlying selection processes. The RTG TransEvo specifically brings together these common concepts, in order to achieve added insights into the applied challenges. The proposed training of doctoral candidates is explicitly interdisciplinary and organized in tandem projects. Each of these consists of two sub-projects that address a related problem, yet use distinct albeit complementary research approaches, directly generating potential for synergistic interactions. The different tandem projects are interconnected at various levels, which will aid the
establishment of a stimulating, interdisciplinary research network for the doctoral candidates. The doctoral training further includes a structured programme with several complementary elements, such as initial rotations, a monthly TransEvo Core Seminar, various science and soft skill courses, yearly retreats and workshops. The RTG TransEvo also provides specific training for young postdocs, directly after their doctorate, representing a career group that is commonly neglected by the available educational programmes. The offered training will help them acquire the necessary leadership and management skills on their path to scientific independence. In consideration of the numerous applied problems with an evolutionary basis, we foresee an increasing need of scientists with an interdisciplinary skill set, capable of translating insights from fundamental research into distinct applied fields. The RTG TransEvo is set up to promote the young scientists with the necessary skills, competence, and experience.
- Description of tandems and doctoral projects -