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Dipl Biol Benjamin Barth
Dipl Biol Benjamin Barth has left our group in 2014.
Research Interests
I am interested in the evolution of multiple mating (polyandry) and its consequences in social Hymenoptera. I therefore use army ants as a model system, since they comprise a broad spectrum of species, all of which exhibit an extraordinary mating biology and colonies headed by a highly polyandrous queen. Using molecular tools, I analyze the genetic population structure of several army ant species, including the well known model Eciton burchellii, but also presently poorly studied species, such as E. mexicanum and Labidus praedator, in comparison. My work aims to answer the following questions:
- Does polyandry lead to genetic caste determination dependent on paternity?
- How do male dispersal and sexual selection affect the relatedness within colonies?
- Do high mating frequencies provide advantages through increased genetic variability?
- Is the evolution of high mating frequencies driven by sperm limitation?
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Informations
- Birth: 12.10.1980 in Leipzig
- Languages: German, English, Spanish (Basics)
- Citizenship: German
Education
- Since Oct. 2008: PhD in the Molecular Ecology Research Group at the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Financed by a Postgraduate scholarship of Saxony-Anhalt. Dissertation topic: “Polyandry in Army Ants.” (supervised by Prof. Dr. R.F.A. Moritz)
- 2008: Research assistant at the Department of Evolution, Behavior and Genetics of the University of Regensburg, Germany. Topic: “DNA-Barcoding of aquatic insects.” (supervised by PD Dr. C.D. Schubart)
- 2000 – 2008: Study of biology (zoology major) at the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Diploma thesis executed at the Department of Evolution, Behavior and Genetics of the University of Regensburg , Germany. Title: “Platythyrea punctata – a thelytokous ant society and its conflicts.” (supervised by Prof. Dr. J. Heinze and Prof. Dr. R.F.A. Moritz)
- 1999: Abitur at the Wilhelm-Ostwald-Gymnasium in Leipzig, Germany.
Internships and research traveling
- 2008: Fieldwork for PhD in cooperation with El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) , Tapachula, Mexico.
- 2007: Fieldwork for Diploma at Barbados and Grenada, Lesser Antilles.
- 2006: Botanical expedition to Karelia, Russia. (supervised by Prof. Dr. H. Bruelheide)
- 2006: Internship at the Lajuma Research Centre , Luis Trichard, South Africa. Topic: “Distribution of local antelope species” (supervised by Dr. I.G. Gaigher)
- 2005: Internship at the Department of Zoology and Entomology of the Rhodes University, Grahamstown , South Africa.Topic: “Application of Bacillus thuringiensis as an alternative control of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)” (supervised by Dr. P. Neumann)
Scientific courses
- 2008: “DNA-Barcoding” seminar at the University of Regensburg. (PD Dr. C.D. Schubart)
- 2008: “Scientific writing” seminar at the University of Regensburg. (Dr. S. Cremer)
- 2007: Courses “Statistics for ecologists” and “Statistical methods in phylogeny” at the University of Regensburg. (Prof. Dr. P. Poschlod and Prof. Dr. C. Oberprieler)
Publications
- Barth MB, Kellner K, Heinze J (2010) The police are not the army: context-dependent aggressiveness in a clonal ant. Biol Letters. 6: 329-332.
- Kellner K, Barth MB, Heinze J (2010) Colony fusion causes within-colony variation in a parthenogenetic ant. Behav Ecol Sociobiol. 64: 737-746.
Oral Contributions
- Barth MB, Kraus FB, Moritz RFA (2009) Polyandry and Sexual Selection in Army Ants. 1st Central European IUSSI Meeting, Fraueninsel at the Lake Chiemsee, Bavaria, Germany, 2009.
- Barth MB, Pützschler JA, Heinze J, Schubart CD (2009) Barcoding central European aquatic insect larvae. 102. Annual DZG Meeting, Regensburg, Germany, 2009.
- Barth MB, Kellner K, Heinze J (2008) Genetic population structure and colony fusion in the parthenogenetic ant Platythyrea punctata Smith (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). 4th IUSSI European Meeting, La Roche en Ardenne, Belgium, 2008.
Poster Presentations
- Barth MB, Kraus FB, Moritz RFA (2009) Sexual selection at the colony level in army ants. ESEB 12th Congress, Turin, Italy, 2009.
- Barth MB, Kellner K, Heinze J (2007) Colony fusion in the thelytokous ant Platythyrea punctata. 20th IUSSI German Section Meeting, Schwerte an der Ruhr, 2007.
- Barth MB, Buchholz S, Pirk CWW, Neumann P (2005) Application of Bacillus thuringiensis as an alternative control of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). 52th Meeting of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Bieneninstitute, Halle (Saale), 2005.
Awards and Grants
- 2008: Postgraduate scholarship of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
- 2007: Heinrich-Kutter-Award for student poster contributions. 20th IUSSI German Section Meeting, Schwerte an der Ruhr, 2007.
Memberships
- German Zoological Society (DZG)
- European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB)
- International Union for the Study of Social (IUSSI)