The Meyer Lab
We study several fundamental issues in evolutionary biology. In particular, the evolution of biodiversity, and specifically the genesis of genomic, developmental and morphological diversity as well as their evolutionary interconnections, are of interest to us. To this end we study: morphological differentiation and its developmental basis within a phylogenetic framework, genetic differentiation among populations and species, and the evolution of genes and genomes, and the evolution of novel gene functions. In an effort to better understand the origin and maintenance of diversity we mostly use molecular and bioinformatic approaches, to ask how many and what kind of genetic changes accompany morphological differentiation among populations and species.

News

  • Hybrids spawned Lake Victorias rich fish diversity. Canada Live News Link
  • "Anchored phylogenomics uncovers early hybridization and adaptive loci shaping radiation of Lake Tanganyika cichlid fishes" featured on Nature Research Link
  • Professor Meyer talks about the discovery of the coelacanth on BBC Radio Link
  • "Evolutionary outcomes can be predicted" coverage of Kautt et al.'s Evolution Letters paper in Science News Link
  • "Kann Evolution vorhergesagt werden?" coverage of Härer et al.'s Evolution Letters paper at the University of Konstanz Link and on IDW Link​
  • 5-year Research Fellowships and 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowships of the Zukunftskolleg Job opportunities​

Our latest publications

  • Irissari, I., Singh, P., Koblmüller, S., Torres-Dowdall, J. Henning, F., Franchini, P., Fischer, C., Lemmon, A.R., Lemmon, E.M., Thallinger, G.G., Sturmbauer, C. and A. Meyer. 2018. Phylogenomics uncovers hybridization and adaptive loci shaping the radiation of Lake Tanganyika cichlid fishes. Nature Communications. 9: 3159.
  • Kautt, A.F., Machado-Schiaffino, G., and A. Meyer. 2018. Lessons from a natural experiment: Allopatric morphological divergence and sympatric diversification in the Midas cichlid species complex are largely influenced by ecology in a deterministic way. evl3.64.
  • Härer, A., Meyer, A., and J. Torres-Dowdall. 2018. Convergent phenotypic evolution of the visual system via different molecular routes: How Neotropical cichlid fishes adapt to novel light environments. Evolution Letters. evl3.71.
  • ​all Meyer lab publications