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 - Collaborative Research Centre | Project Number: TRR 212/1
- Queen pheromones in bumblebees and honeybees ()
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 5), № 37 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.
- Rose, Trappes, Bezad, Nematipour, I., Kaiser Marie, Ulrich, Krohs, J., van Benthem Koen, R., Ernst Ulrich, Jürgen, Gadau, Peter, Korsten, Joachim, Kurtz, Holger, Schielzeth, Tim, Schmoll, and Elina, Takola. . “How Individualized Niches Arise: Defining Mechanisms of Niche Construction, Niche Choice and Niche Conformance.” BioScience 6), № 72 : 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 1), № 11 jkaa019. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkaa019.
- Ernst, U. . “Für den Nach(t)tisch.” Laborjournal online
- Ernst, U, and Preuss, A. . “Kostenlose Behandlung?” Deutsches Bienenjournal 3), № 28 : 54–55.
- Ernst, UR. . “Digest: Evolution of eusociality favored by split sex ratios under worker-control.” Evolution 1), № 74 : 201–202. doi: 10.1111/evo.13890.
- Ernst, U. . “Siegeszug der Krabbeltiere.” Biologie in unserer Zeit 5), № 50 : 284–285.
- Ernst, U. . “Honigbienen – geheimnisvolle Waldbewohner.” Deutsches Bienenjournal 8), № 28 : 61.
- Ernst, URDetienne, and G, Cardoen D. . “Beekeepers and Scientists, or Beekeepers vs. Scientists?” Bee World 3), № 97 : 75–77. doi: 10.1080/0005772X.2020.1775540.
- Ernst, UR. . “Life, Universe, and All the Rest.” Trends in Ecology and Evolution 12), № 34 : 1065–1066. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.10.002.
- Ernst, UR, and Pohl, M. . “Ameisen auf Kätzchen.” Deutsches Bienen-Journal 6), № 27 : 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 1905), № 286 : 20190517. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0517.
- Ernst, U. . “Digest: Ant workers might use ancient regulatory pathways to divide labor*.” Evolution 1), № 71 : 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 17), № 26 : 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, U, Van Hiel, M, Depuydt, G, Boerjan, B, De Loof, A, and Schoofs, L. . “Epigenetics and locust life phase transitions.” Journal of Experimental Biology 1), № 218 : 88–99. doi: 10.1242/jeb.107078.
- Ernst, U, De Haes, W, Cardoen, D, and Schoofs, L. . “Life-prolonging measures for a dead theory?” Age 2), № 36 : 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 5), № 11 : 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 1), № 188 : 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 1), № 173 : 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 19), № 20 : 4070–4084. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05254.x.
Dr. Ulrich Ernst
Join the group
Interested in what we are doing? Keen to learn? Having an idea for a research project?
I welcome inquiries for internships, research modules ('Forschungsmodule'), student jobs, Bachelor's thesis, Master's thesis, PhD thesis, Postdoctoral research, Sabbaticals, cooperation, ... Please get in touch (e.g. drop by, call me, send a letter or an email, ...)!
I will be very happy to explore opportunities with you and discuss several options for working together. We also work closely together within the Gadau lab (e.g. chemical ecology, bioinformatics), within the IEB (Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity), the University of Münster, and with many more international colleagues.
Your topic was not mentioned in my research interests? No worries, I am broadly interested, chances are we will find a topic that is of interest to both of us. I am doing more stuff than is mentioned on the website...(While we are an international group and our working language is (broken) English, I am happy to communicate in German.)