---

Dr Dieter Behrens

Dr. Behrens has left our group in 2014.

Research Interests

I am working on the identification of disease resistance genes in honeybees (Apis mellifera). Taking advantage of the available genome sequence data and male haploidy we aim to identify major resistance loci with a high precision by comparing haploid drones of a common genetic origin but of different resistance phenotypes in a QTL-mapping approach (= Quantitative Trait Loci).
Individual larval resistances against three pathogens / parasites are investigated: i) against American Foulbrood (AFB), a severe brood disease that is caused by the spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae; ii) against the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, which as a vector for many viruses is a great threat to apiculture worldwide; iii) and against the microsporidian midgut parasite Nosema ceranae.
The candidate genes identified by QTL-mapping will be compared to those genes which are found to be differentially expressed after exposure to the pathogen / parasite in a genome wide microarray approach.
By identification of resistance genes and resistance alleles of these genes it will be possible to screen populations for their resistance potential and use this information in selective breeding programmes to obtain disease resistant honeybee strains, and avoid chemical treatment of honeybee colonies.

Curriculum vitae

Personal Information

• birth: 04.10.1980 in Hamburg, Germany
  

Education

• since 2010: PhD-position in the 7th framework EU-research network BEE DOC   
• 2006-2009: PhD-position in the 6th framework EU-research network BEE SHOP
• 04/2006: Diploma thesis “Measuring mortality of drone larvae of two honey bee lines (Apis mellifera) after infection with American Foulbrood“
• 07-11/2004 DAAD scholarship at TUKS University of Pretoria, South Africa
• 2003-2006: Study of Zoology at the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
• 2000-2003: Study of Biology at the Universität Hamburg
• 1999: Abitur at the Gymnasium Athenaeum Stade

Research visits

• 12/2006: Université Paris Sud CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France (supervisor M. Solignac)
• 07/2005: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden (supervisor I. Fries)
• 07-11/2004: University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa (supervisors U. Kryger and C.H. Scholtz)

Publications

• Behrens D. & Moritz R.F.A. (submitted) QTL-mapping of individual resistance against American Foulbrood in haploid honeybee drone larvae (Apis mellifera).
• Behrens D., Huang Q., Geßner C., Rosenkranz P., Frey E., Locke B., Moritz R.F.A., Kraus F.B. (2011) Three QTL in the honeybee Apis mellifera L. suppress reproduction of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Ecology and Evolution 1 (4)   : 451-458.
• Behrens D. & Moritz R.F.A. (Ed.) (2011) Bees in Europe and Sustainable Honey Production (BEE SHOP): Results of a pan-European research network, Hauppauge NY, Nova Science Publishers   .
• Behrens D., Forsgren E., Fries I., Moritz R.F.A. (2010): Lethal infection thresholds of Paenibacillus larvae for honeybee drone and worker larvae (Apis mellifera), Environmental Microbiology 12 (10), 2838–2845.
• Behrens D., Forsgren E., Fries I., Moritz R.F.A. (2007): Infection of drone larvae (Apis mellifera) with American Foulbrood, Apidologie, Volume 38 No. 3, 281-288.

Conference contributions

• Eurbee, 4th European Conference of Apidology, Ankara, Turkey (09/2010): "QTL-Mapping of larval Varroa resistance in honeybee drones (Apis mellifera)"
• 57. AG Tagung, Bochum, Germany (03/2010): "QTL - Mapping of larval Varroa resistance"
• 41st Apimondia Congress, Montpellier, France (11/2009): "Mapping genes for honeybee disease resistance: American foulbrood and Varroa destructor"
• New Molecular Tools Workshop, Bern, Switzerland (05/2009): "Lethal infection thresholds of Paenibacillus larvae for honeybee drone and worker larvae (Apis mellifera)"
• 56. AG Tagung, Schwerin, Germany (03/2009): "Survival thresholds of honey bee drone and worker larvae (Apis mellifera) infected with Paenibacillus larvae"
• Eurbee3, European Conference of Apidology, Belfast, Northern Ireland (11/2008): "Mapping resistance genes in Apis mellifera against American foulbrood"
• 54. AG Tagung, Veitshöchheim, Germany (03/2007): "Mapping resistance genes against American Foulbrood in honeybees"
• Eurbee, European Conference of Apidology, Prague, Czech Republic (11/2006): "Genetic variance in honeybee larval resistance to American Foulbrood"
• 53. AG Tagung, Hohenheim, Germany (03/2006): "Impact of American Foulbrood on drones of different bee lines"
• Annual General Meeting, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa (11/2004): "Phylogeography and conservation of Circellium bacchus"

Posters

ESEB, XI. Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala, Sweden (08/2007): "Using haploid drones for mapping studies in honeybees (Apis mellifera)"
dieter-b_poster ESEB07.jpg (1.1 MB)  vom 21.04.2008

Workshop on Honey bee Genomics & Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA (05/2007): "Mapping Resistance Genes of Honeybees against American Foulbrood"
dieter-b_poster CSHL07.jpg (1.2 MB)  vom 21.04.2008

Other activities

I am a member of the Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg    and the Robert-Franz-Singakademie Halle   .

Up