Ecology - Evolution - Biological Clocks
Max Planck Research Group “Biological Clocks”
Nature is structured in time by the seasons, night and day, lunar phases and the tides. Most organisms use endogenous biological clocks to anticipate these regular changes in their environment. While in 2017 the Nobel Prize was awarded for “discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm”, the molecular clockworks underlying seasonal, lunar and tidal rhythms are still largely enigmatic.
Our research
We investigate the interplay of biological clocks, evolution and ecology from molecular to macro-evolutionary scale. We also aim to identify the molecular basis of circalunar clocks, which are particularly important in marine and intertidal habitats. Our main model organisms are marine midges of the genus Clunio (Diptera: Chironomidae).
Find out more about our work on our research page!
Get involved!
We are building a global network to study marine midges and their fascinating rhythms.
If you are a naturalist or citizen scientist, you are invited to join our Moonstruck Midges project. In case of questions send us a mail.
If you are an interested researcher in marine ecology, entomology, chronobiology or any other discipline, feel free to contact us!
Our networks
We are part of the Marine Chronobiology network (MACHRO).
We are also member of several networks which leverage genomic data in biodiversity research and monitoring, as well as ecological and evolutionary studies. These include the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA), the International Barcode of Life consortium (iBOL Europe) and the ESEB Special Topic Network on the evolutionary role of structural genomic variation (STRiVE).
We are also a member of the Kiel Evolution Center (KEC).