Markus Möst

I am broadly interested in various aspects of biology with a strong emphasis on the interplay of evolutionary and ecological processes. Most of my past research has focussed on how populations and species adapt to their biotic and abiotic environments, in particular under scenarios involving gene flow and changing environmental conditions. Using the tropical radiation of Heliconius butterflies and species complexes in the water flea genus Daphnia as study systems, I am trying to understand the processes of ecological adaptation and speciation in the face of gene flow.

My current research is now investigating the consequences of admixture, for example, in the aquatic keystone grazer Daphnia, on eco-evolutionary dynamics in the context of global change on the population, species, community and ecosystem level. To achieve this goal, I am employing a variety of interdisciplinary approaches, ranging from classical limnological field work and sedimentology, over lab and mesocosm experiments to whole-genome sequencing and population genomics. For further details on my research, please follow the link to my publications below or just contact me directly.

My research topics are:

• Admixture
• Eco-evolutionary dynamics
• Anthropogenic change
• Speciation and gene flow
• Ecological speciation
• Adaptation

We are supporting Bachlor‘s and Master‘s thesis projects – if you are interested in our research, just contact me directly.

2023 - 2027: SeeWandel-Climate - Modelling the consequences of climate change and neobiota for Lake Constance: SP 4: Water flea community in climate change – eco-evolutionary effects and consequences, Interreg Alpenrhein-Bodensee-Hochrhein, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), project managment with EAWAG, in cooperation with T. Maes

2022 – 2028: FWF START Prize (Y 1442) ‘Eco-evolutionary dynamics - admixture and global change’, 3+3 years, FWF Austrian Science Fund, Austria

2022 – 2023: EU Interreg Project ‘SeeWandel-Covid’ (ABH109), EU Interreg Alpenrhein Bodensee Hochrhein

2018 – 2023: EU Interreg Project ‘SeeWandel: Life in Lake Constance - the past, present and future’ (ABH060), EU Interreg Alpenrhein Bodensee Hochrhein

2017 – 2022: FWF stand-alone project (P 29667) ‘Genome-wide gene flow in the Daphnia longispina complex’, FWF Austrian Science Fund, Austria

2015-2017: FWF Erwin Schrödinger fellow "Genomic pattern of wing pattern introgression in Heliconius", Univ. of Cambridge, UK

2014-2015: SNF Early PostDoc.Mobility fellow "Genomic pattern of adaptive introgression of wing pattern elements in Heliconius butterflies", Univ. of Cambridge, UK

2024

• Rossi M., Hausmann A.E., Alcami P., Moest M., Shane Wright D., Kuo C.-Y., Lozano D., Maulana A., Melo-Flórez L., Rueda-Munoz G., McMahon S., Linares M., McMillan W.O., Pardo-Diaz C., Salazar C., Merrill R.M. (2024). Adaptive introgression of a visual preference gene. Science 383(6689): 1368-1373. doi: 10.1126/science.adj9201

2023

• Ålund M., Cenzer M., Bierne N., Boughman J.W., Cerca J., Comerford M.S., Culicchi A.,Langerhans B., McFarlane S.E.,Möst M.H., North H., Qvarnström A., Ravinet M., Svanbäck R., Taylor S.A. (2023).Anthropogenic change and the process of speciation. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, a041455.https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a041455
  
• Govaert L., Hendry A.P., Fattahi F.,Möst, M.(2023), Quantifying interspecific and intraspecific diversity effects on ecosystem functioning.Ecology e4199.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4199
• Haider M.*,Schilling M. P*.,Moest M. H.*,Steiner F. M.,Schlick-Steiner B. C., Arthofer W.(2023).Evolutionary history of an Alpine Archaeognath (Machilis pallida): Insights from different variant types.Ecology and Evolution,13, e10227.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10227. (* shared first author)

Further List of Publications