Author Archives: Ben Wielstra
Ribs ‘n’ genes: Triturus hybrid zones
Hybrid zones are the regions where different species meet, mate and produce offspring. In a study just published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society we explore nine Triturus hybrid zones (all but one existing in nature), using a … Continue reading
The final nail in the coffin of Triturus arntzeni
During my work on the crested newt traditionally referred to as Triturus karelinii it soon became clear that more than one species is involved (although sorting out the details took a bit of time and is still not quite finished). … Continue reading
Triturus goes genomics, kind of
You can only learn so much about a study system if you have few genetic markers available. Particularly if that study system has an extensive history of hybridization, as is the case for Triturus. Because salamanders have massive and complex … Continue reading
Mitochondrial mess-up
The different crested newt species typically have very distinct mitochondrial DNA. However, as these guys hybridize like rabbits, often the mitochondrial DNA of one species has locally been transferred (introgressed) into the wrong species. ‘Locally’ can refer to quite an … Continue reading
Climate and phylogenetic signal
In a paper published in Annales Zoologici Fennici we tested the influence of shared ancestry and climate on the variation in life history traits in Triturus newts. Some variation can be explained by climate, some by shared ancestry and some … Continue reading
Newton International Fellowship
My application for a Newton International Fellowship has been succesful! I will conduct this two-year postdoctoral fellowship, using the Ion Torrent protocol I designed during my postdoc at Naturalis to study hybridzones in Triturus, in the lab of Professor Terry Burke … Continue reading
Cryptic crested newt species
The crested newt traditionally referred to as ‘Triturus karelinii’ comprises three distinct mitochondrial DNA clades. These clades are found in the east, the centre and the west of the range. The difference between mitochondrial DNA clades is comparable to the … Continue reading
Mitochondrial DNA capture in smooth newts
Hybridizing species sometimes exchange genes in nature (a phenomenon called introgression). Introgression has particularly been documented for mitochondrial DNA. This might mean mitochondrial DNA is more susceptible to introgression, but it is also the case that researchers have simply studied … Continue reading
Crested newt skulls
The Triturus karelinii-group of crested newts comprises three mitochondrial DNA lineages, but no morphological differences are known. In a paper published in Zoologischer Anzeiger we analyse skull shape to see if there are differences between lineages. While we do not … Continue reading
Tracing glacial refugia of crested newts
The Quaternary Ice Age heavily influenced the distribution of species. During the colder glacial periods, species went extinct in part of their range, while during warmer interglacial periods, they could recolonize these regions again. This contraction-expansion pattern left its mark … Continue reading
