Category Archives: Uncategorized
Quick guide on hybrid zones
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
Evolution of immune genes in salamanders
A banded newt to brighten your day (Michael Fahrbach) Gemma Palomar and Wieław Babik lead a study, just out in Genome Biology and Evolution, that focuses on the evolution of the immune system in salamanders. Antigen processing genes and major … Continue reading
Genetic similarity across a newt’s fragmented range
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
Movement of the marbled newt hybrid zone
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
Refining the range dynamics of the Italian crested newt
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
A solid salamander tree
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
NWO Promotiebeurs voor leraren for the Wielstra lab
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
Quick guide on balanced lethal systems
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
Misleading mitochondrial DNA in a Balkan crested newt
Male T. macedonicus. Picture by Michael Fahrbach. Historical biogeographical scenarios based on DNA data have in the past mostly relied on a single genetic marker: mitochondrial DNA. As it became easier and cheaper to consult more and more nuclear DNA … Continue reading
First PhD graduated from my lab
My first PhD student, Isolde van Riemsdijk, graduated on 11 September 2019. Two of Isolde’s chapters focused on banded newts (see posts here and here). Two other chapters dealt with toads and were rightfully excluded from this website (but see … Continue reading
Wielstra Lab 