Author Archives: Ben Wielstra

A beautiful banded newt because why not (Michael Fahrbach) A follow-up study on the evolution of the immune system in salamanders, again led by Gemma Palomar and Wiesław Babik, is just out in Molecular Biology and Evolution. We conduct an … Continue reading →

In an article in Dutch for the journal RAVON we discuss chromosome 1 syndrome – the balanced lethal system ravaging Triturus eggs. You can read it here. Reference: de Visser, M., France, J., Meilink, W., Wielstra, B. (2021). Een evolutionair … Continue reading →

Hybrid zones are a main focal point of my work on newts. The genomes of distinct populations are brought together in the genetically admixed offspring that are produced in a hybrid zone. This means that any evolved incompatibility between the … Continue reading →

Male T. karelinii. Picture by Michael Fahrbach. The southern crested newt (Triturus karelinii) has a striking distribution pattern. It is endemic to the Pontocaspian region and its range comprises three disconnected sections: a Crimean, a Caucasian and a Caspian one. … Continue reading →

A male pygmy marbled newt (the bold one on the left) and a male marbled newt (looking rather submissive). Pictures by Michael Fahrbach. The hybrid zone between the marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus) and the pygmy marbled newt (T. pygmaeus) is … Continue reading →

The ranges of crested newts were heavily affected by the cold-warm cycles of the Pleistocene ice age. The Italian crested newt (Triturus carnifex) is particularly interesting in this regards: it occurs in both the Balkan and Italian Peninsulas: two of … Continue reading →

Loïs Rancilhac heads a nice salamander study that is just out in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Lots of collaborators contributed a ton of genetic data for almost all the genera that make up Salamandridae – the salamander family that includes … Continue reading →

My first MSc student Willem Meilink has been awarded an NWO Promotiebeurs voor leraren. This will allow him to pursue his PhD in my lab, while continuing his job as a high school teacher. We know that in the balanced … Continue reading →

Balanced lethal systems pose an evolutionary paradox: they should not evolve because they cut reproductive output in half, yet they have done so time and again. The aim of my ERC Starting Grant project is to solve this evolutionary mystery. … Continue reading →