Invasive Cottus have been repeatedly found to show indications of disease in nature. This suggests that pathogens may represent a strong selective pressure that affects the evolutionary trajectory of invasive Cottus. Genetic factors that affect the host’s interaction with parasites and microbiota are subject to adaptive evolutionary processes. We plan to assess to what extent host pathogen or host microbiota interactions represent an evolutionary determinant that drives adaptation of genetically admixed lineages to new habitats and thus affects the outcome of natural hybridization in Cottus. In collaboration with Jun Wang and Prof. Dr. John Baines (both MPI Plön, Germany) we have initiated analyses of skin microbiota in Cottus by next generation sequencing approaches. We seek to identify genetic factors affecting skin microbiota and to evaluate the role that such factors play in evolutionary processes in nature.
