Dr. Nina Hafer-Hahmann
|
|
How does all the diversity we observe in nature come about? Parasites may play an important role in creating and maintaining this diversity. I have previously studied the role of host-parasite-symbiont interactions in maintain diversity using aphids and parasitoid wasps. Even without parasites, individuals of the same species can differ strongly from each other. This is at least partly due to the environment that they experience, which can result in phenotypic plasticity whereby the phenotype of an individual is partly the result of environmental influences. I am interested in the role of such phenotypic plasticity in evolution using the adaptive radiations of cichlids fishes as a model.
Parasites can cause very extreme changes in their hosts and modify their behaviour and appearance. Such changes can be adaptive for the parasite. Through host manipulation parasites can cause changes in their host that enhances their own fitness beyond benefits gained from normal exploitation. Such changes for example enhance the transmission of complex life cycle parasites or increase the survival of parasitoids. I am interested in in better understanding the evolution and underlying mechanisms of this host manipulation. Mostly, I am using the complex life cycle cestode Schistocephalus solidus and its first intermediate copepod host as a model system.
Research Experience and Education:
2023-present: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University Konstanz, Germany
2020-2023: Maternity leave
2018-2021: Postdoc, Department of Aquatic Ecology, EAWAG, Dübendorf, Switzerland
2015-2018: Postdoc, Department of Evolutionary Ecology, MPI for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
2011-2015: Ph.D., Department of Evolutionary Ecology, MPI for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany/ Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany
2009-2010: MSc. Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
2006-2008: BSc. Biology, Faculty for Biology and Psychology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
Publications:
Hafer-Hahmann, N. & C. Vorburger. 2024. Parasitoid species diversity has no effect on protective symbiont diversity in experimental host-parasitoid populations. Ecology and Evolution 14: e11090. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11090
Narayan, K.S., C. Vorburger & N. Hafer-Hahmann. 2022. Bottom-up effect of host protective symbionts on parasitoid diversity:Limited evidence from two field experiments. Journal of Animal Ecology 91: 643-654. 10.1111/1365-2656.13650
Hafer-Hahmann, N. & C. Vorburger. 2021. Positive association between the diversity of symbionts and parasitoids of aphids in field populations. Escosphere 12:e03355. 10.1002/ecs2.3355
Hafer-Hahmann, N. & C. Vorburger. 2020. Parasitoids as drivers of symbiont diversity in an insect host. Ecology Letters 23: 1232-1241. 10.1111/ele.13526
Hafer-Hahmann, N. 2019. Experimental evolution of parasitic host manipulation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286: 20182413. 10.1098/rspb.2018.2413
Hafer-Hahmann, N. 2019. Behavior out of control: Experimental evolution of resistance to host manipulation. Ecology and Evolution 9: 7237– 7245. 10.1002/ece3.5294
Näpflin, K., E. A. O’Connor, L. Becks, S. Bensch, V. A. Ellis, N. Hafer-Hahmann, K. C. Harding, S. K. Lindén, M. T. Olsen, J. Roved, T. B. Sackton, A. J. Shultz, V. Venkatakrishnan, E. Videvall, H. Westerdahl, J. C. Winternitz & S. V. Edwards. 2019. Genomics of host-pathogen interactions: challenges and opportunities across ecological and spatiotemporal scales. PeerJ 7:e8013. 10.7717/peerj.8013
Hafer, N. & C. Vorburger. 2019. Diversity begets diversity: do parasites promote variation in protective symbionts? Current Opinion in Insect Science 32:8–14. 10.1016/j.cois.2018.08.008
Lenz, T. L., N. Hafer, I. E. Samonte, S. E. Yeates & M. Milinski. 2018. Cryptic haplotype-specific gamete selection yields offspring with optimal MHC immune genes. Evolution 72:2478–2490. 10.1111/evo.13591
Hafer, N. 2018. Differences between populations in host manipulation by the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus - is there local adaptation? Parasitology 145:762–769. 10.1017/S0031182017001792
Hafer, N. & M. Milinski. 2016. Inter- and intraspecific conflicts between parasites over host manipulation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 283:20152870. 10.1098/rspb.2015.2870
Hafer, N. 2016. Conflicts over host manipulation between different parasites and pathogens: Investigating the ecological and medical consequences. BioEssays 38:1027–1037. 10.1002/bies.201600060
Hafer, N. & M. Milinski. 2015. When parasites disagree: Evidence for parasite-induced sabotage of host manipulation. Evolution 69:611–620. 10.1111/evo.12612
Hafer, N. & M. Milinski. 2015. An experimental conflict of interest between parasites reveals the mechanism of host manipulation. Behavioral Ecology 27:617–627. 10.1093/beheco/arv200
Hafer, N. & D. P. Benesh. 2015.Does resource availability affect host manipulation? - An experimental test with Schistocephalus solidus. Parasitology open 1:e3. 10.1017/pao.2015.3
Henrich, T., N. Hafer & K. B. Mobley. 2014. Effects of VIE tagging and partial tissue sampling on the immune response of three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. Journal of Fish Biology 85: 965–971. 10.1111/jfb.12471
Benesh, D. P., & N. Hafer. 2012. Growth and ontogeny of the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus in its copepod first host affects performance in its stickleback second intermediate host. Parasites & Vectors 5:90. 10.1186/1756-3305-5-90
Hafer, N., S. Ebil, T. Uller & N. Pike. 2011. Transgenerational effects of food availability on age at maturity and reproductive output in an asexual collembolan species. Biology Letters 7:755–758. 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0139
Hafer, N., & N. Pike. 2010. Shape change in viable eggs of the collembolan Folsomia candida provides insight into the role of Wolbachia endosymbionts. Zoological Research 6:623–626. 10.3724/SP.J.1141.2010.06623
Parasites can cause very extreme changes in their hosts and modify their behaviour and appearance. Such changes can be adaptive for the parasite. Through host manipulation parasites can cause changes in their host that enhances their own fitness beyond benefits gained from normal exploitation. Such changes for example enhance the transmission of complex life cycle parasites or increase the survival of parasitoids. I am interested in in better understanding the evolution and underlying mechanisms of this host manipulation. Mostly, I am using the complex life cycle cestode Schistocephalus solidus and its first intermediate copepod host as a model system.
Research Experience and Education:
2023-present: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University Konstanz, Germany
2020-2023: Maternity leave
2018-2021: Postdoc, Department of Aquatic Ecology, EAWAG, Dübendorf, Switzerland
2015-2018: Postdoc, Department of Evolutionary Ecology, MPI for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
2011-2015: Ph.D., Department of Evolutionary Ecology, MPI for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany/ Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany
2009-2010: MSc. Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
2006-2008: BSc. Biology, Faculty for Biology and Psychology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
Publications:
Hafer-Hahmann, N. & C. Vorburger. 2024. Parasitoid species diversity has no effect on protective symbiont diversity in experimental host-parasitoid populations. Ecology and Evolution 14: e11090. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11090
Narayan, K.S., C. Vorburger & N. Hafer-Hahmann. 2022. Bottom-up effect of host protective symbionts on parasitoid diversity:Limited evidence from two field experiments. Journal of Animal Ecology 91: 643-654. 10.1111/1365-2656.13650
Hafer-Hahmann, N. & C. Vorburger. 2021. Positive association between the diversity of symbionts and parasitoids of aphids in field populations. Escosphere 12:e03355. 10.1002/ecs2.3355
Hafer-Hahmann, N. & C. Vorburger. 2020. Parasitoids as drivers of symbiont diversity in an insect host. Ecology Letters 23: 1232-1241. 10.1111/ele.13526
Hafer-Hahmann, N. 2019. Experimental evolution of parasitic host manipulation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286: 20182413. 10.1098/rspb.2018.2413
Hafer-Hahmann, N. 2019. Behavior out of control: Experimental evolution of resistance to host manipulation. Ecology and Evolution 9: 7237– 7245. 10.1002/ece3.5294
Näpflin, K., E. A. O’Connor, L. Becks, S. Bensch, V. A. Ellis, N. Hafer-Hahmann, K. C. Harding, S. K. Lindén, M. T. Olsen, J. Roved, T. B. Sackton, A. J. Shultz, V. Venkatakrishnan, E. Videvall, H. Westerdahl, J. C. Winternitz & S. V. Edwards. 2019. Genomics of host-pathogen interactions: challenges and opportunities across ecological and spatiotemporal scales. PeerJ 7:e8013. 10.7717/peerj.8013
Hafer, N. & C. Vorburger. 2019. Diversity begets diversity: do parasites promote variation in protective symbionts? Current Opinion in Insect Science 32:8–14. 10.1016/j.cois.2018.08.008
Lenz, T. L., N. Hafer, I. E. Samonte, S. E. Yeates & M. Milinski. 2018. Cryptic haplotype-specific gamete selection yields offspring with optimal MHC immune genes. Evolution 72:2478–2490. 10.1111/evo.13591
Hafer, N. 2018. Differences between populations in host manipulation by the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus - is there local adaptation? Parasitology 145:762–769. 10.1017/S0031182017001792
Hafer, N. & M. Milinski. 2016. Inter- and intraspecific conflicts between parasites over host manipulation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 283:20152870. 10.1098/rspb.2015.2870
Hafer, N. 2016. Conflicts over host manipulation between different parasites and pathogens: Investigating the ecological and medical consequences. BioEssays 38:1027–1037. 10.1002/bies.201600060
Hafer, N. & M. Milinski. 2015. When parasites disagree: Evidence for parasite-induced sabotage of host manipulation. Evolution 69:611–620. 10.1111/evo.12612
Hafer, N. & M. Milinski. 2015. An experimental conflict of interest between parasites reveals the mechanism of host manipulation. Behavioral Ecology 27:617–627. 10.1093/beheco/arv200
Hafer, N. & D. P. Benesh. 2015.Does resource availability affect host manipulation? - An experimental test with Schistocephalus solidus. Parasitology open 1:e3. 10.1017/pao.2015.3
Henrich, T., N. Hafer & K. B. Mobley. 2014. Effects of VIE tagging and partial tissue sampling on the immune response of three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. Journal of Fish Biology 85: 965–971. 10.1111/jfb.12471
Benesh, D. P., & N. Hafer. 2012. Growth and ontogeny of the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus in its copepod first host affects performance in its stickleback second intermediate host. Parasites & Vectors 5:90. 10.1186/1756-3305-5-90
Hafer, N., S. Ebil, T. Uller & N. Pike. 2011. Transgenerational effects of food availability on age at maturity and reproductive output in an asexual collembolan species. Biology Letters 7:755–758. 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0139
Hafer, N., & N. Pike. 2010. Shape change in viable eggs of the collembolan Folsomia candida provides insight into the role of Wolbachia endosymbionts. Zoological Research 6:623–626. 10.3724/SP.J.1141.2010.06623