Helge von Saltzwedel

In my dissertation I analyze possible postglacial routes of colonization and refuges of Collembola since February 2011. The project is funded by the DFG project “Genetic diversity of sexual and parthenogenetic soil living arthropods (Oribatida and Collembola): the importance of cryptic refugia”. Furthermore, I investigate whether there are differences of recolonization patterns between sexual and parthenogenetic reproducing species. Therefore, the intraspecific genetic variance of the mitochondrial gene COI (cytochrome oxidase subunit I) will be utilized to ascertain these patterns of two sexual (Folsomia quadrioculata and Ceratophysella denticulata) and two parthenogenetic (Parisotoma notabilis and Isotomiella minor) species.

I have studied biology until 2010 at the Technical University of Darmstadt with the specialization on ecology, plant physiology and zoology. The topic of my diploma thesis was „Niche differentiation of the parthenogenetic oribatid mite Oppiella nova (Acari, Oribatida) investigated by molecular markers“.