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Dipl. Biol. Benjamin Barth

Research Interests

My research interests cover evolutionary, ecological and population genetic aspects of multiple mating (polyandry) in social hymenoptera. I use army ants as a model system, since they offer a broad spectrum of ecological traits among diverse species, many of which exhibit high queen mating frequencies. Analyzing populations of several army ant species (e.g. Eciton mexicanum, Labidus coecus etc.), in comparison with the well studied species Eciton burchellii, my work aims to answer the following questions:

• Is the evolution of high mating frequency driven by sperm limitation?
• Does polyandry lead to genetic caste determination dependent on paternity?
• Do high mating frequencies provide advantages through increased genetic variability?

Curriculum Vitae

Personal Informations

• Birth: 12.10.1980 in Leipzig
• Languages: German, English
• Citizenship: German

Education

• Since Oct. 2008: PhD position in the Molecular Ecology Research Group at the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Dissertation topic: “Polyandry in Army Ants” (supervised by Prof. Dr. R.F.A. Moritz)
• 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. (supervised by Prof. Dr. J. Heinze and Prof. Dr. R.F.A. Moritz)
• 1999: Abitur at the Wilhelm-Ostwald-Gymnasium in Leipzig

Internships

• 2006: Internship in the Lajuma Research Centre, Luis Trichard, South Africa. Topic: “Distribution of local antelope species” (supervised by Dr. I.G. Gaigher)
• 2005: Internship at 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)

Oral Contributions

• Barth B, 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 B, Kellner K, Heinze J (2007) Colony fusion in the thelytokous ant Platythyrea punctata. 20th IUSSI German Section Meeting, Schwerte an der Ruhr, 2007.
• Barth B, 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.
• 2007: Heinrich-Kutter-Award for student poster contributions. 20th IUSSI German Section Meeting, Schwerte an der Ruhr, 2007.

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