Research Foci
Animal Behaviour; Behavioural Ecology; Social Evolution; Sociobiology; Epigenetics; Physiology; Social Insects
Animal Behaviour; Behavioural Ecology; Social Evolution; Sociobiology; Epigenetics; Physiology; Peptidomics; Proteomics; Social Insects; Ants; Bumblebees; Honeybees; Blochmannia
Chemical Ecology; Proteomics; Peptidomics; Population Genomics
Ants; Bumblebees; Honeybees
CV
Academic Education
- Postdoc (University of Münster): Proximate and ultimate mechanisms of social niche choice and construction during colony founding in the ant Pogonomyrmex californicus
- Postdoc (IOCB Prague, CZ): The role of exocrine peptides in insect societies
- PhD student (KU Leuven, BE): The Honeybee as a model to study Worker policing, Epigenetics, and Ageing
- studies: Biology, Chemistry, German Literature and Linguistics, Pedagogics (University Konstanz, University Tübingen, Queen's University Belfast)
Honors
- Postdoctoral scholarship – IOCB, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Science (CAS)
- PhD scholarship – IWT (Flemish agency for Innovation by Science and Technology)
External Functions
- Equal Opportunities Commission, Department Biology (deputy)
- Senate’s commission for equal opportunities
- Rectorate’s commission for evaluation (deputy)
Projects
In Process
- Queen pheromones in bumblebees and honeybees ()
Own Resources Project - Worker policing in Camponotus maculatus ()
Own Resources Project
Finished
- CRC TRR 212 - C04: Proximate and ultimate mechanisms of social niche choice and construction during colony founding in the ant Pogonomyrmex californicus ()
Subproject in DFG-Joint Project Hosted outside the University of Münster: DFG - Sonderforschungsbereich | Project Number: TRR 212/1
Articles in Scientific Journals, Newspapers or Magazines
- Errbii, M, Ernst, U, Lajmi, A, Gadau, J, and Schrader, L. . “Evolutionary genomics of socially polymorphic populations of <i>Pogonomyrmex californicus</i>.” BMC Biology 22. doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-01907-z.
- Büllesbach, Jan, Rinke, Janina, Reuter, Leonie, Thomas, Jurian M. M., Hartmann, Vivien, Pohl, Marius, Gadau, Jürgen, and Ernst, Ulrich R. R. . “Conserved worker policing in African carpenter ants with drastically different egg chemotypes.” Evolutionary Ecology 37 (5). doi: 10.1007/s10682-023-10245-5.
- Preuss, A., Czuppon, P., Ernst, U.R., and Gadau, J. . “Harbouring Blochmannia incurs costs: a trade-off between the necessity of the obligate primary endosymbiont for brood development and its costs for adult carpenter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).” Myrmecological news 33. doi: 10.25849/myrmecol.news_033:211.
- Trappes, Rose, Nematipour, Bezad, Kaiser, Marie I., Krohs, Ulrich, van, Benthem Koen J., Ernst, Ulrich R., Gadau, Jürgen, Korsten, Peter, Kurtz, Joachim, Schielzeth, Holger, Schmoll, Tim, and Takola, Elina. . “How Individualized Niches Arise: Defining Mechanisms of Niche Construction, Niche Choice and Niche Conformance.” BioScience 72 (6): 538–548. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biac023.
- Bohn, J, Halabian, R, Schrader, L, Shabardina, V, Steffen, R, Suzuki, Y, Ernst, U, Gadau, J, and Makałowski, W. . “High-Quality Genome Assembly and Annotation of the California Harvester Ant Pogonomyrmex californicus (Buckley, 1867).” G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 11 (1) jkaa019. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkaa019.
- Ernst, U. . “Für den Nach(t)tisch.” Laborjournal online.
- Ernst, U, and Preuss, A. . “Kostenlose Behandlung?” Deutsches Bienenjournal 28 (3): 54–55.
- Ernst, UR. . “Digest: Evolution of eusociality favored by split sex ratios under worker-control.” Evolution 74 (1): 201–202. doi: 10.1111/evo.13890.
- Ernst, U. . “Siegeszug der Krabbeltiere.” Biologie in unserer Zeit 50 (5): 284–285.
- Ernst, U. . “Honigbienen – geheimnisvolle Waldbewohner.” Deutsches Bienenjournal 28 (8): 61..
- Ernst, URDetienne, and G, Cardoen D. . “Beekeepers and Scientists, or Beekeepers vs. Scientists?” Bee World 97 (3): 75–77. doi: 10.1080/0005772X.2020.1775540.
- Ernst, UR. . “Life, Universe, and All the Rest.” Trends in Ecology and Evolution 34 (12): 1065–1066. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.10.002.
- Ernst, UR, and Pohl, M. . “Ameisen auf Kätzchen.” Deutsches Bienen-Journal 27 (6): 56..
- Princen, SA, Oliveira, RC, Ernst, UR, Millar, JG, Zweden, JSv, and Wenseleers, T. . “Honeybees possess a structurally diverse and functionally redundant set of queen pheromones.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286 (1905): 20190517.. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0517.
- Ernst, U. . “Digest: Ant workers might use ancient regulatory pathways to divide labor*.” Evolution 71 (1): 193–194. doi: 10.1111/evo.13124.
- Ernst, U, Cardoen, D, Cornette, V, Ratnieks, F, Graaf, D, Schoofs, L, Verleyen, P, and Wenseleers, T. . “Individual and genetic task specialization in policing behaviour in the European honeybee.” Animal Behaviour 128: 95–102. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.04.005.
- Kasper, C, Vierbuchen, M, Ernst, U, Fischer, S, Radersma, R, Raulo, A, Cunha-Saraiva, F, Wu, M, Mobley, K, and Taborsky, B. . “Genetics and developmental biology of cooperation.” Molecular Ecology 26 (17): 4364–4377. doi: 10.1111/mec.14208.
- Jedlicka P, Ernst U, Votavová, A, and Hanus R, Valterová I. . “Gene expression dynamics in major endocrine regulatory pathways along the transition from solitary to social life in a bumblebee, Bombus terrestris.” Frontiers in Physiology 7. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00574.
- Ernst, UVan Hiel M, Depuydt, GBoerjan B, and De Loof A, Schoofs L. . “Epigenetics and locust life phase transitions.” Journal of Experimental Biology 218 (1): 88–99. doi: 10.1242/jeb.107078.
- Ernst, UDe Haes W, and Cardoen, DSchoofs L. . “Life-prolonging measures for a dead theory?” Age 36 (2): 533–534. doi: 10.1007/s11357-013-9581-4.
- Formesyn, E, Cardoen, D, Ernst, U, Danneels, E, Van, Vaerenbergh M, De, Koker D, Verleyen, P, Wenseleers, T, Schoofs, L, and Graaf, D. . “Reproduction of honeybee workers is regulated by epidermal growth factor receptor signaling.” General and Comparative Endocrinology 197: 1–4. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.12.001.
- Detienne, G, De, Haes W, Ernst, U, Schoofs, L, and Temmerman, L. . “Royalactin extends lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans through epidermal growth factor signaling.” Experimental Gerontology 60: 129–135. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2014.09.021.
- Cardoen, D, Ernst, U, Boerjan, B, Bogaerts, A, Formesyn, E, De, Graaf D, Wenseleers, T, Schoofs, L, and Verleyen, P. . “Worker honeybee sterility: A proteomic analysis of suppressed ovary activation.” Journal of Proteome Research 11 (5): 2838–2850. doi: 10.1021/pr201222s.
- De, Loof A, Boerjan, B, Ernst, U, and Schoofs, L. . “The mode of action of juvenile hormone and ecdysone: Towards an epi-endocrinological paradigm?” General and Comparative Endocrinology 188 (1): 35–45. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.02.004.
- Boerjan, B, Sas, F, Ernst, U, Tobback, J, Lemière, F, Vandegehuchte, M, Janssen, C, Badisco, L, Marchal, E, Verlinden, H, Schoofs, L, and De, Loof A. . “Locust phase polyphenism: Does epigenetic precede endocrine regulation?” General and Comparative Endocrinology 173 (1): 120–128. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.05.003.
- Cardoen, D, Ernst, U, Vaerenbergh, M, Boerjan, B, Graaf, D, Wenseleers, T, Schoofs, L, and Verleyen, P. . “Differential proteomics in dequeened honeybee colonies reveals lower viral load in hemolymph of fertile worker bees.” PloS one 6 (6). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020043.
- Cardoen, D, Wenseleers, T, Ernst, U, Danneels, E, Laget, D, De, Graaf D, Schoofs, L, and Verleyen, P. . “Genome-wide analysis of alternative reproductive phenotypes in honeybee workers.” Molecular Ecology 20 (19): 4070–4084. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05254.x.
Supervised Doctoral Studies
- R, Reshma: The role of evolutionary capacitance for adaptability in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum
- Supervisors
- Kurtz, Joachim
- Müller, Caroline
- Gadau, Jürgen
- Müller, Caroline
- Reviewers
- Kurtz, Joachim
- Müller, Caroline
- Gadau, Jürgen
- Müller, Caroline
- Sahin, Özge: A Bulk Segregation Analysis for an HSP90-released reduced eye phenotype in Tribolium castaneum
- Supervisors
- Kurtz, Joachim
- Gadau, Jürgen
- Flatt, Thomas
- Gadau, Jürgen
- Reviewers
- Kurtz, Joachim
- Gadau, Jürgen
- Flatt, Thomas
- Gadau, Jürgen
- Heames, Brennen (): Reconstructing de novo gene emergence
- Supervisors
- Bornberg-Bauer, Erich
- Soumillion, Patrice
- Gadau, Jürgen
- Soumillion, Patrice
- Dowling, Daniel (): Benefits and hazards of novel protein coding genes
- Supervisors
- Bornberg-Bauer, Erich
- Kemena, Carsten
- Stoll, Monika
- Gadau, Jürgen Rudolf
- Kemena, Carsten
- Reviewers
- Bornberg-Bauer, Erich
- Stoll, Monika
- Gadau, Jürgen
- Kemena, Carsten
- Stoll, Monika