Centre for Social Evolution

Proud of my MSc student, Emil Andersson, who defended his thesis today and got top marks.

Master project Formica polyctena orientation Explore this photo album by lego_insurrection on Flickr!

Latest publication from CSE and collaborators on the neuroanatomical and brain transcriptomic dynamics during the reproductive role transition in ant queens!

The gene expression network regulating queen brain remodeling after insemination and its parallel use in ants with reproductive workers Caste differentiation happens early in development to produce gynes as future colony germlines and workers as present colony soma. However, gynes need insemination to become functional queens, a transition that initiates reproductive role differentiation relative to unmated gynes. Here, we analyze t...

Latest paper from the centre and Hungarian colleges on Pehngaris/Maculinea

Host Ant Change of a Socially Parasitic Butterfly (Phengaris alcon) through Host Nest Take-Over The socially parasitic Alcon blue butterfly (Phengaris alcon) starts its larval stage by feeding on the seeds of gentians, after which it completes development in the nests of suitable Myrmica ant species. The host plant and host ant species can differ at the population level within a region, and lo...

The almost-final version of our little animated film about fungus-growing ants, made in collaboration with Christian Peeters, is now available on YouTube.

The fungus-growing ants: from simple gardening to industrial farming This animated film compares three genera of fungus-farmers to explain the remarkable series of adaptations in both fungi and ants, leading to an awesome symb...

Congratulations to Doctor Bìtao Qiu - who received his doctorate on Friday, thanks to the supervision of Professors Koos Boomsma and Guoijie Zhang, and the PhD committee of Tom Gilbert, Sara Kocher and Ehab Abouheif.

https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationInit.aspx/?cid=1307&departmentId=18965&ProjectId=150713

Postdoc for comparative genomics analyses of 100 ant species, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen A three-year postdoc position is available at the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen. We are looking for a highly motivated researcher for a three-

Deadline for EuroANTS2019

A quick reminder that tomorrow is the official deadline for registration for the PhD Course "Taxonomy, Identification and Ecology of European Ants 2019" (otherwise known as EuroANTS2019), which will be held at the University of Copenhagen from 19-24 August 2019.

The course is designed to give an introduction to the diversity of the European Ant fauna, and to give hands-on experience of methods for collecting, preserving, mounting and identifying ant specimens. During the course, we will have a series of short lectures on diversity and ecology from two guest lecturers, one an expert on the Southern European ant fauna, and the other an expert on Northern European ants. These will be supplemented by lectures by experts from Copenhagen on general topics of European ant ecology, including invasive species and social parasites. The main body of the course will then provide a practical introduction to the taxonomy and morphology-based identification of ant specimens, using specimens from the Natural History Museum of Denmark. A mid-week field excursion to several sites with different habitats will then allow students to collect their own ants, which they will subsequently mount and identify. We will finish the course with discussions on tips and tricks to use in the identification of "difficult" groups, and alternatives to morphology-based taxonomy and identification.

The course is free to attend, but participants are responsible for organizing their own travel and accommodation for the course. Seats are limited to 25 students, and priority will be given to PhD students, but other students and postdocs can also participate if space allows. For informal inquiries, please contact David Nash ([email protected]). So far we have had 15 applicants, so theer are still a few seats left.

For further details, and to apply, visit: https://phdcourses.ku.dk/DetailKursus.aspx?id=105903

Suzanne Greby Hougaard Schmidt has joined the group as a PhD student to work on improving our understanding of evolutionary histories, sequence evolution and mode of action of fungal and bacterial antimicrobials in fungus-farming termites.
Big welcome Suzanne!

Congratulations to Dr. Jack Howe - latest CSE graduate.

Latest publication on large blue butterfly - ant interactions from the CSE (plus many collaborators!)

Patterns of host use by brood parasitic Maculinea butterflies across Europe | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences You have accessMoreSectionsView Full TextView PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InGoogle+ ShareRedditEmail Cite this article András Tartally, Jeremy A. Thomas, Christian Anton, Emilio Balletto, Francesca Barbero, Simona Bonelli, Markus Br....

Postdoc opportunity at CSE:

Jonathan on Twitter “Excited to advertise a new ERC-funded postdoc in insect-microbe eco-physiology! Opportunities for neotropical fieldwork. Come join my lab in Copenhagen. Visit my website (https://t.co/U7dpIxhGyE ) for application details. Apply by March 15.”