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Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology

Molecular Biodiversity (moved to LMU)

Please note that our group has moved to the LMU in München - this page will not be updated anymore. 

Until we have a new homepage there, please check the lab website here: https://www.molecular.eco

Research

Our research projects focus on a combination of field ecology with bioinformatics and new sequencing technologies. Conceptually, we are interested in patterns and structuring forces of communities, where organisms are not easily identifiable or distinguishable from each other. This interest applies to various levels, starting with abundance and diversity of taxa, over phylogenetic reconstructions, towards environmental and spatial influences and lastly regarding organisms' molecular interactions with each other on a genomic level. Methodologically, the workgroup is developing computational workflows and databases as well as laboratory protocols to analyse ecological samples with next-generation sequencing technologies. 

Biologically, the focus of current projects is the dynamics of bacteria-host associations in changing environments. Regarding this, we currently consider changes in microbiota induced by 

  • symbiotic host-host interactions,
  • the host's development,
  • geographic intra-specific variability,
  • climatic changes,
  • prey capturing,
  • as well as general variation between tissues and species of hosts. 

To answer these questions, we conduct field work, analyse samples in our molecular laboratory and apply computational approaches. We have successfully developed methods to simultaneously assess biodiversity of bacteria and plants (here: mixed pollen samples) through next-generation sequencing allowing a very fine scaled interpretation of plant-bee-microbe interactions. Usually we start with descriptive studies, investigating the status-quo, which are followed by experimental designs manipulating the associations by (e.g. antibiotic) exclusion and bioassays. Lastly, for prospective bacteria with interesting distributions and activity, we are also engaged into genomics, studying the genetic possibilities that bacteria bring into the associations with their respective hosts.

Projects

  • The Plant-Pollinator-Microbe Triangle

    Despite the major ecological and agricultural importance of plant-pollinator associations, the microbiota of the anthosphere and of wild pollinators are not well understood. I started to work on this line of research during the final phase of my doctoral studies with first floral microbiome assessments, and now supplement this as a young investigator groupleader with the bee-microbiota association perspective. I adress fundamental questions about diversity and community structure, but also aim to understand the ecological functions and the molecular mechanisms.

  • Carnivorous Plants: Co-Evolution of Traps and Microbiota

    Carnivorous plants are marvelous research objects and have been studied for over a century. In most cases they grow in nutrient-depleted, acidic soils with centres of diversity in the tropics. They derive nutrients usually from arthropod prey, which they catch and digest with adapted morphological capturing-structures, and likely with microbial help. Surprisingly little is however known about such associations with microorganisms.

  • Eco-Evo Molecular Tool Development

    Biodiversity research on a molecular level has reached a new height with the advent of affordable sequencing methods, especially with next-generation devices. Sequencing data provides information about the evolutionary history, allows identification of all organisms within a community through meta-barcoding and uncovers not only species but also genetic diversity through genomics. Furthermore, such data is of high taxonomic resolution, independent of previous knowledge of taxa, well-comparable between workgroups, long-term achievable and re-usable in meta-analyses. Yet, currently molecular and bioinformatic tools are missing to generate and process such data in the ecological context. We thus engage into the method development of tool in this area.

Publications

2024[ to top ]
  • Semi-automated sequence curation for reliable reference datasets in ITS2 vascular plant DNA (meta-)barcoding. Quaresma, Andreia; Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Garcia, Carlos Ariel Yadró; Rufino, José; Honrado, Mónica; Amaral, Joana; Brodschneider, Robert; Brusbardis, Valters; Gratzer, Kristina; Hatjina, Fani; Kilpinen, Ole; Pietropaoli, Marco; Roessink, Ivo; van der Steen, Jozef; Vejsnae}s, Flemming; Pinto, M. Alice; Keller, Alexander. In Scientific Data, 11(1), p. 129. 2024.
2023[ to top ]
  • Opportunistic Bacteria of Grapevine Crown Galls Are Equipped with the Genomic Repertoire for Opine Utilization. Faist, Hanna; Ankenbrand, Markus J; Sickel, Wiebke; Hentschel, Ute; Keller, Alexander; Deeken, Rosalia. In Genome Biology and Evolution, 15(12), p. evad228. 2023.
  • Ten (mostly) simple rules to future-proof trait data in ecological and evolutionary sciences. Keller, Alexander; Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Bruelheide, Helge; Dekeyzer, Stefanie; Enquist, Brian J.; Erfanian, Mohammad Bagher; Falster, Daniel S.; Gallagher, Rachael V.; Hammock, Jennifer; Kattge, Jens; Leonhardt, Sara D.; Madin, Joshua S.; Maitner, Brian; Neyret, Margot; Onstein, Renske E.; Pearse, William D.; Poelen, Jorrit H.; Salguero-Gomez, Roberto; Schneider, Florian D.; Tóth, Anikó B.; Penone, Caterina. In Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14(2), K. Bacon (ed.), pp. 444–458. 2023.
  • Inter- and intraspecific phytochemical variation correlate with epiphytic flower and leaf bacterial communities. Gaube, Paul; Marchenko, Polina; Müller, Caroline; Schweiger, Rabea; Tenhaken, Raimund; Keller, Alexander; Junker, Robert R. In Environmental Microbiology. Wiley, 2023.
2022[ to top ]
  • Decreased efficiency of pollen collection due to Sulfoxaflor exposure leads to a reduction in the size of bumble bee workers in late European summer. Boff, Samuel; Keller, Alexander; Raizer, Josué; Lupi, Daniela. In Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10. 2022.
  • Critical links between biodiversity, nutrition and health in wild bee conservation. Parreno, M.A.; Alaux, C.; Brunet, J.-L.; Butschkau, S.; Buydens, L.; Filipiak, M.; Henry, M.; Keller, Alexander; Klein, A.-M.; Kuhlmann, M; Leroy, C.; Meeus, I; Palmer-Young, E; Piot, N.; Requier, F.; Ruedenauer, F.; Smagghe, G.; Stevenson, P.C; Leonhardt, S.D. In Trends in Ecology and Evolution, p. in press. 2022.
  • Plants, pollinators and their interactions under global ecological change: The role of pollen DNA metabarcoding. Bell, Karen L.; Turo, Katherine J.; Lowe, Abigail; Nota, Kevin; Keller, Alexander; Encinas-Viso, Francisco; Parducci, Laura; Richardson, Rodney T.; Leggett, Richard M.; Brosi, Berry J.; Burgess, Kevin S.; Suyama, Yoshihisa; de Vere, Natasha. In Molecular Ecology, n/a(n/a). 2022.
  • Do amino and fatty acid profiles of pollen provisions correlate with bacterial microbiomes in the mason bee Osmia bicornis?. Leonhardt, Sara D.; Peters, Birte; Keller, Alexander. In Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, p. in press. 2022.
  • Phylogenetic relatedness of food plants reveals highest insect herbivore specialisation at intermediate temperatures along a broad climatic gradient. König, Sebastian; Krauss, Jochen; Keller, Alexander; Bofinger, Lukas; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In Global Change Biology, p. in press. 2022.
  • Wild bee larval food composition in five European cities. Casanelles Abella, Joan; Keller, Alexander; Müller, Stefanie; Aleixo, Cristiana; Alós Orti, Marta; Chiron, François andand Laanisto; Pinho, Pedro; Samson, Roeland; Tryjanowski, Piotr; Van Mensel, Anskje; Villarroya-Villalba, Lucia; Pellissier, Loic; Moretti, Marco. In Ecology, p. in press. 2022.
  • Forest landscapes increase diversity of honeybee diets in the tropics. Cannizzaro, Chris; Keller, Alexander; Wilson, Rachele S.; Elliott, Brittany; Newis, Ryan; Ovah, Raywin; Inae, Kelly; Kerlin, Douglas H.; Bar, Ido; Kämper, Wiebke; Shapcott, Alison; Wallace, Helen M. In Forest Ecology and Management, p. in press. 2022.
  • Pollinator-flower interactions in gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020. Ollerton, Jeff; Trunschke, Judith; Havens, Kayri; Landaverde-González, Patricia; Keller, Alexander; Gilpin, Amy-Marie; Rech, André Rodrigo; Baronio, Gudryan J.; Phillips, Ben; Mackin, Chris; Stanley, Dara A.; Treanore, Erin; Baker, Ellen; Rotheray, Ellen L.; Erickson, Emily; Fornoff, Felix; Brearley, Francis Q.; Ballantyne, Gavin; Iossa, Graziella; Stone, Graham N.; Bartomeus, Ignasi; Stockan, Jenni A.; Leguizamón, Johana; Prendergast, Kit; Rowley, Lisa; Giovanetti, Manuela; de Oliveira Bueno, Raquel; Wesselingh, Renate A.; Mallinger, Rachel; Edmondson, Sally; Howard, Scarlett R.; Leonhardt, Sara D.; Rojas-Nossa, Sandra V.; Brett, Maisie; Joaqui, Tatiana; Antoniazzi, Reuber; Burton, Victoria J.; Feng, Hui-Hui; Tian, Zhi-Xi; Xu, Qi; Zhang, Chuan; Shi, Chang-Li; Huang, Shuang-Quan; Cole, Lorna J.; Bendifallah, Leila; Ellis, Emilie E.; Hegland, Stein Joar; Díaz, Sara Straffon; Lander, Tonya; Mayr, Antonia V.; Katzer, Sophie; Dawson, Richard; Eeraerts, Maxime; Armbruster, W. Scott; Walton, Becky; Adjlane, Noureddine; Falk, Steven; Mata, Luis; Geiger, Anya Goncalves; Carvell, Claire; Wallace, Claire; Ratto, Fabrizia; Barberis, Marta; Kahane, Fay; Connop, Stuart; Stip, Anthonie; Sigrist, Maria Rosangela; Vereecken, Nicolas J.; Klein, Alexandra-Maria; Baldock, Katherine C.R.; Arnold, Sarah E. J. In Journal of Pollination Ecology, p. in press. 2022.
  • Diets maintained in a changing world: Does land-use intensification alter wild bee communities by selecting for flexible generalists?. Peters, Birte; Keller, Alexander; Leonhardt, Sara D. In Ecology and Evolution, p. in press. 2022.
2021[ to top ]
  • Osmotic adaptation and compatible solute biosynthesis of phototrophic bacteria as revealed from genome analyses. Imhoff, Johannes F.; Rahn, Tanja; Künzel, Sven; Keller, Alexander; Neulinger, Sven C. In Microorganisms, 9(1), p. 46. 2021.
  • Open Science principles for accelerating trait-based science across the Tree of Life. Gallagher, Rachael; Falster, Daniel S.; Maitner, Brian; Enquist, Brian; Ankenbrand, Markus; Balk, Meghan; Bland, Lucie; Boyle, Brad; Bravo, Catherine; Cavazos, Brittany; Fadrique, Belen; Feng, Xiao; Halbritter, Aud; Hammock, Jennifer; Hogan, James Aaron; Iversen, Colleen; Jochum, Malte; Kattge, Jens; Keller, Alexander; Madin, Joshua; Manning, Peter; McCormack, Luke; Michaletz, Sean; Park, Daniel; Pearse, William; Penone, Caterina; Perez, Timothy; Pineda-Munoz, Silvia; Poelen, Joritt; Ray, Courtenay; Salguero-Gomez, Roberto; Sauquet, Herve; Schneider, Florian; Spasojevic, Marko J.; Vandvik, Vigdis; Violle, Cyrille; Weiss, Katherine. In Nature Ecology & Evolution, pp. 294–303. Nature Publishing Group, 2021.
  • Many small rather than few large sources identified in long-term bee pollen diets in agroecosystems. Wilson, Rachele; Keller, Alexander; Shapcott, Alison; Leonhardt, Sara D.; Sickel, Wiebke; Hardwick, J. L.; Heard, Tim; Kaluza, Benjamin F; and Wallace, Helen. In Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 2021.
  • Effects of three flower field types on bumblebees and their pollen diets. Piko, Julia; Keller, Alexander; Geppert, Costanza; Batáry, Péter; Tscharntke, Teja; Westphal, Catrin; Hass, Annika L. In Basic and Applied Ecology, 52, pp. 95–108. 2021.
  • Pollen diets and niche overlap of honey bees and native bees in protected areas. Elliott, Brittany; Wilson, Rachele; Shapcott, Alison; Keller, Alexander; Newis, Ryan; Cannizzaro, Chris; Burwell, Chris; Smith, Tobias; Leonhardt, Sara D.; Kämper, Wiebke; Wallace, Helen. In Basic and Applied Ecology, Special issue: Sequence based molecular ecology. 2021.
  • Functional resin use in solitary bees. Chui, Shao Xiong; Keller, Alexander; Leonhardt, Sara. In Ecological Entomology, p. in press. 2021.
  • How bees find a way in European cities: pollen metabarcoding unravels multiple feeding strategies and their effects on distribution patterns in four wild bee species. Casanelles Abella, Joan; Müller, Stefanie; Keller, Alexander; Aleixo, Cristiana; Alós Orti, Marta; Chiron, François; Deguines, Nicolas; Hallikma, Tiit; Laanisto, Lauri; Pinho, Pedro; Samson, Roeland; Tryjanowski, Piotr; Van Mensel, Anskje; Pellissier, Loïc; Moretti, Marco. In Journal of Applied Ecology, p. in press. 2021.
  • Inferring core genome phylogenies for bacteria. Keller, Alexander; Ankenbrand, Markus J. In Bacterial Pangenomics (in press), A. Mengoni, M. Fondi, G. Bacci (eds.). Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany, 2021.
  • DNA sequence-based biodiversity and interaction ecology. Tiede, Julia; Keller, Alexander; Eitzinger, Bernhard. In Basic and Applied Ecology. 2021.
  • Preservation methods of honey-bee collected pollen are not a source of bias in ITS2 metabarcoding. Quaresma, Andreia; Brodschneider, Robert; Gratzer, Kristina; Gray, Alison; Keller, Alexander; Kilpinen, Ole; Rufino, Jose; van der Steen, Jozef; Vejsnaes, Flemming; Pinto, Maria Alice. In Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, p. in press. 2021.
  • Cryptic species and hidden ecological interactions of halictine bees along an elevational gradient. Mayr, Antonia V.; Keller, Alexander; Peters, Marcell K.; Grimmer, Gudrun; Krischke, Beate; Geyer, Mareen; Schmitt, Thomas; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In Ecology and Evolution. 2021.
  • Species richness is more important for ecosystem functioning than species turnover along an elevational gradient. Albrecht, Joerg; Peters, Marcell K.; Classen, Alice; Becker, Joscha N.; Behler, Christina; Ensslin, Andreas; Ferger, Stefan W.; Gebert, Friederike; Helbig-Bonitz, Maria; Kindeketa, William J.; Mayr, Antonia V.; Njovu, Henry K. Pabst; Pommer, Ulf; Röder, Juliane; Rutten, Gemma; Schellenberger Costa, David; Sierra-Cornejo, Natalia; Vogeler, Anna; Vollstädt, Maximilian G. R.; Dulle, Hamadi I.; Eardley, Connal D.; Howell, Kim M.; Keller, Alexander; Peters, Ralph S.; Kakengi, Victor; Hemp, Claudia; Zhang, Jie; Manning, Peter; Müller, Thomas; Böhning-Gaese, Katrin; Brandl, Roland; Hertel, Dietrich; Kiese, Ralf; Kleyer, Michael; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Nauss, Thomas; Tschapka, Marco; Fischer, Markus; Hemp, Andreas; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Schleuning, Matthias. In Nature Ecology and Evolution, p. in press. 2021.
  • Standard methods for pollen research. Campos, Maria G.; Anjos, Ofélia; Chica, Manuel; Campoy, Pascual; Nozkova, Janka; Almaraz-Abarca, Norma; Barreto, Lidia M. R. C.; Nordi, João Carlos; Estevinho, Leticia M.; Pascoal, Ananias; Paula, Vanessa Branco; Chopina, Altino; Dias, Luis G.; j. Tešić, Živoslav L.; Mosić, Mirjana D.; Kostić, Aleksandar Ž.; Pešić, Mirjana B.; Milojković-Opsenica, Dušanka M.; Sickel, Wiebke; Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Grimmer, Gudrun; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Keller, Alexander; Förster, Frank; Tananaki, Chrysoula H.; Liolios, Vasilios; Kanelis, Dimitrios; Rodopoulou, Maria-Anna; Thrasyvoulou, Andreas; Paulo, Luísa; Kast, Christina; Lucchetti, Matteo A.; Glauser, Gaëtan; Lokutova, Olena; de Almeida-Muradian, Ligia Bicudo; Szczęsna, Teresa; Carreck, Norman L. In Journal of Apicultural Research, 60(4), pp. 1–109. Taylor & Francis, 2021.
  • Putative roles of bacteria in the carbon and nitrogen cycles in a tropical peat swamp forest. Too, Chin Chin; Ong, Kuan Shion; Lee, Sui Mae; Yule, Catherine M.; Keller, Alexander. In Basic and Applied Ecology, Special issue: Predictors of microbiomes. 2021.
  • Changes amid constancy: flower and leaf microbiomes along land use gradients and between bioregions. Gaube, Paul; Junker, Robert R.; Keller, Alexander. In Basic and Applied Ecology, 50, pp. 1–15. Elsevier BV, 2021.
  • Transmission of Bacterial Symbionts With and Without Genome Erosion Between a Beetle Host and the Plant Environment. Wierz, Jürgen C.; Gaube, Paul; Klebsch, Dagmar; Kaltenpoth, Martin; Flórez, Laura V. In Frontiers in Microbiology, 12. Frontiers Media SA, 2021.
2020[ to top ]
  • Tracking beekeepers in floristic regions of Iran: employing DNA metabarcoding to determine the geographical origin of honey. Khansaritoreh, Elmira; Salamaki, Y; Ramezani, E; Akbari-Azirani, T; Keller, Alexander; Neumann, Katrin; Alizadeh, K; Zarre, S; Beckh, G; Behling, H. In Heliyon. 2020.
  • The genus Micromonospora as a model microorganism for bioactive natural product discovery. Hifnawy, Mohamed S.; Fouda, Mohamed M.; Sayed, Ahmed M.; Mohammed, Rabab; Hassan, Hossam M.; AbouZid, Sameh F.; Rateb, Mostafa E.; Keller, Alexander; Adamek, Martina; Ziemert, Nadine; Abdelmohsen, Usama Ramadan. In Royal Society of Chemistry Advances, 10(35), pp. 20939–20959. The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020.
  • BCdatabaser: on-the-fly reference database creation for DNA (meta-)barcoding. Keller, Alexander; Hohlfeld, Sonja; Kolter, Andreas; Schultz, Jörg; Gemeinholzer, Birgit; Ankenbrand, Markus J. In Bioinformatics, p. in press. 2020.
  • Floral Species Richness Correlates with Changes in the Nutritional Quality of Larval Diets in a Stingless Bee. Trinkl, Moritz; Kaluza, Benjamin F.; Wallace, Helen; Heard, Tim A.; Keller, A.; Leonhardt, Sara D. In Insects, 11(2). 2020.
  • Introduced bees (Osmia cornifrons) collect pollen from both coevolved and novel host-plant species within their family-level phylogenetic preferences. Vaudo, Anthony D.; Biddinger, David J.; Sickel, Wiebke; Keller, Alexander; López-Uribe, Margarita M. In Royal Society Open Science, p. in press. 2020.
  • Susceptibility of red mason bee larvae to bacterial threats due to microbiome exchange with imported pollen provisions. Voulgari-Kokota, Anna; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Keller, Alexander. In Insects, 11(6). 2020.
  • Strong phylogenetic constraint on transition metal incorporation in the mandibles of the hyper-diverse Hymenoptera (Insecta). Polidori, Carlo; Jorge, Alberto; Keller, Alexander; Ornosa, Concepcion; Tormos, Jose; Asis, Josep Daniel; Nieves-Aldrey, Jose Luis. In Organisms, Diversity and Evolution, p. in press. 2020.
  • CRISPR/Cas 9 mediated mutations as a new tool for studying taste in honeybees. Degirmenci, Laura; Geiger, Dietmar; Rogé Ferreira, Fábio Luiz; Keller, Alexander; Krischke, Beate; Beye, Martin; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Scheiner, Ricarda. In Chemical Senses, p. bjaa063. 2020.
2019[ to top ]
  • Honey bee waggle dance communication increases diversity of pollen diets in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. Nürnberger, Fabian; Keller, Alexander; Härtel, Stephan; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In Molecular Ecology, p. in press. 2019.
  • Venus flytrap microbiota withstand harsh conditions during prey digestion. Sickel, Wiebke; Van der Weyer, Anna-Lena; Bemm, Felix; Schultz, Jörg; Keller, Alexander. In FEMS Microbiology Ecology, p. fiz010. 2019.
  • Bacterial community structure and succession in nests of two megachilid bee genera. Voulgari-Kokota, Anna; Grimmer, Gudrun; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Keller, Alexander. In FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 95(1), p. fiy218. 2019.
  • Linking the foraging patterns of megachilid bee species to nest bacteria. Voulgari-Kokota, Anna; Ankenbrand, Markus; Grimmer, Gudrun; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Keller, Alexander. In Ecology and Evolution, p. in press. 2019.
  • Drivers, diversity and functions of solitary bee microbiota. Voulgari-Kokota, Anna; McFrederick, Quinn; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Keller, Alexander. In Trends in Microbiology, p. in press. 2019.
  • Climate–land-use interactions shape tropical mountain biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Peters, Marcell K.; Hemp, Andreas; Appelhans, Tim; Becker, Joscha N.; Behler, Christina; Classen, Alice; Detsch, Florian; Ensslin, Andreas; Ferger, Stefan W.; Frederiksen, Sara B.; Gebert, Friederike; Gerschlauer, Friederike; Gütlein, Adrian; Helbig-Bonitz, Maria; Hemp, Claudia; Kindeketa, William J.; Kühnel, Anna; Mayr, Antonia V.; Mwangomo, Ephraim; Ngereza, Christine; Njovu, Henry K.; Otte, Insa; Pabst, Holger; Renner, Marion; Röder, Juliane; Rutten, Gemma; Schellenberger Costa, David; Sierra-Cornejo, Natalia; Vollstädt, Maximilian G. R.; Dulle, Hamadi I.; Eardley, Connal D.; Howell, Kim M.; Keller, Alexander; Peters, Ralph S.; Ssymank, Axel; Kakengi, Victor; Zhang, Jie; Bogner, Christina; Böhning-Gaese, Katrin; Brandl, Roland; Hertel, Dietrich; Huwe, Bernd; Kiese, Ralf; Kleyer, Michael; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Nauss, Thomas; Schleuning, Matthias; Tschapka, Marco; Fischer, Markus; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In Nature. 2019.
  • Cold-adaptation of Subtercola vilae DB165T, an isolate from a high-altitude cold volcano lake, as revealed by its genome analysis. Villalobos, Alvaro S; Wiese, Jutta; Imhoff, Johannes F; Dorador, Cristina; Keller, Alexander; Hentschel, Ute. 2019.
2018[ to top ]
  • FENNEC - Functional Exploration of Natural Networks and Ecological Communities. Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Hohlfeld, Sonja C. Y.; Foerster, Frank; Keller, Alexander. In Methods in Ecology and Evolution, pp. 2028–2033. 2018.
  • Draft Genome Sequence of Klebsiella sp. Strain C31 Isolated from a Malaysian Tropical Peat Swamp Forest. Too, Chin Chin; Ong, Kuan Shion; Ankenbrand, Markus J; Lee, Sui Mae; Yule, Catherine M; Keller, Alexander. In Genome announcements, 6(25), pp. e00560–18. Am Soc Microbiol, 2018.
  • Draft Genome Sequence of Dyella sp. Strain C9, Isolated from a Malaysian Tropical Peat Swamp Forest. Too, Chin Chin; Ong, Kuan Shion; Lee, Sui Mae; Yule, Catherine M; Keller, Alexander. In Microbiol Res Announc, 7(12), pp. e01083–18. Am Soc Microbiol, 2018.
  • Draft Genome Sequence of Dyella sp. Strain C11, Isolated from a Malaysian Tropical Peat Swamp Forest. Too, Chin Chin; Ong, Kuan Shion; Lee, Sui Mae; Yule, Catherine M; Keller, Alexander. In Genome announcements, 6(25), pp. e00459–18. Am Soc Microbiol, 2018.
  • Draft Genome Sequence of Paraburkholderia sp. Strain C35, Isolated from a Malaysian Tropical Peat Swamp Forest. Too, Chin Chin; Ong, Kuan Shion; Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Lee, Sui Mae; Yule, Catherine M.; Keller, Alexander. In Genome Announcements, 6(25). American Society for Microbiology Journals, 2018.
  • Wild bees and their nests host Paenibacillus bacteria with functional potential of avail. Keller, Alexander; Brandel, Annette; Becker, Mira C.; Balles, Rebecca; Abdelmohlsen, Usama R.; Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Sickel, Wiebke. In Microbiome, (6), p. 229. 2018.
  • Physical contact between mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial precursors induces distinct signatures with relevance to the very early phase of regeneration. Hafen, Bettina; Wiesner, Susanne; Schlegelmilch, Katrin; Keller, Alexander; Seefried, Lothar; Ebert, Regina; Walles, Heike; Jakob, Franz; Schütze, Norbert. In Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 2018.
  • Microbial community structure in a Malaysian tropical peat swamp forest: the influence of tree species and depth. Too, Chin Chin; Keller, Alexander; Sickel, Wiebke; Lee, Sui Mae; Yule, Catherine M. In Frontiers in Microbiology, 9, p. 2859. 2018.
  • The characterization of the circadian clock in the olive fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) reveals a Drosophila-like organization. Bertolini, Enrico; Kistenpfennig, Christa; Menegazzi, Pamela; Keller, Alexander; Koukidou, Martha; Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte. In Scientific Reports, 8(1), p. 816. 2018.
2017[ to top ]
  • Honey bee foraging ecology: Season but not landscape diversity shapes the amount and diversity of collected pollen. Danner, Nadja; Keller, Alexander; Härtel, Stephan; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In PloS one, 12(8), p. e0183716. Public Library of Science, 2017.
  • Honey bee foraging ecology: Season but not landscape diversity shapes the amount and diversity of collected pollen. Danner, Nadja; Keller, Alexander; Härtel, Stephan; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In PLoS one, in press. 2017.
  • Generalist social bees maximize diversity intake in plant species-rich and resource-abundant environments. Kaluza, Benjamin F.; Wallace, Helen; Keller, Alexander; Heard, Tim A.; Jeffers, Bradley; Drescher, Nora; Blüthgen, Nico; Leonhardt, Sara D. In Ecosphere, 8(3), p. e01758-n/a. 2017.
  • Release from prey preservation behavior via prey switch allowed diversification of cuticular hydrocarbon profiles in digger wasps. Wurdack, Mareike; Polidori, Carlo; Keller, Alexander; Feldhaar, Heike; Schmitt, Thomas. In Evolution, in press. 2017.
2016[ to top ]
  • Crown galls of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) host distinct microbiota. Faist, Hanna; Keller, Alexander; Hentschel, Ute; Deeken, Rosalia. In Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82, pp. 5542–5552. 2016.
  • Pollen DNA barcoding: current applications and future prospects. Bell, Karen; De Vere, Natasha; Keller, Alexander; Richardson, Rodney; Gous, Annemarie; Burgess, Kevin; Brosi, Berry. In Genome, 59, pp. 629–640. 2016.
  • Laboratory rearing of solitary bees and wasps. Becker, Mira; Keller, Alexander. In Insect Science, 23, p. 918. 2016.
  • DNA-Metabarcoding – ein neuer Blick auf organismische Diversität. Keller, Alexander; Grimmer, Gudrun; Sickel, Wiebke; Ankenbrand, Markus J. In BioSpektrum, 22, pp. 147–150. 2016.
  • Silent listeners: Can preferences of eavesdropping midges predict the parasitism risk of their host?. Meuche, Ivonne; Keller, Alexander; Ahmadsah, Hanyrol; Ahmad, Norhayati; Grafe, T Ulmar. In Behavioral Ecology, 27, pp. 995–1003. 2016.
  • Draft genome of the Arabidopsis thaliana phyllosphere bacterium, Williamsia sp. ARP1. Horn, Hannes; Keller, Alexander; Hildebrandt, Ulrich; Kämpfer, Peter; Riederer, Markus; Hentschel, Ute. In Standards in Genomic Sciences. 2016.
  • TBro: visualization and management of de novo transcriptomes. Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Weber, Lorenz; Becker, Dirk; Förster, Frank; Bemm, Felix. In Database, 2016. 2016.
  • biojs-io-biom, a BioJS component for handling data in Biological Observation Matrix ({BIOM}) format. Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Terhoeven, Niklas; Hohlfeld, Sonja; Förster, Frank; Keller, Alexander. In F1000Research, 5, p. 2348. F1000 Research, Ltd., 2016.
  • bcgTree: automatized phylogenetic tree building from bacterial core genomes. Ankenbrand, Markus J; Keller, Alexander. In Genome, 59, pp. 783–791. 2016.
  • Bacterial Diversity and Community Structure in Two Bornean Nepenthes Species with Differences in Nitrogen Acquisition Strategies. Sickel, Wiebke; Grafe, T. Ulmar; Meuche, Ivonne; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Keller, Alexander. In Microbial Ecology, 71, pp. 938–953. 2016.
  • Contact of myeloma cells induces a characteristic transcriptome signature in skeletal precursor cells--Implications for myeloma bone disease. Dotterweich, Julia; Schlegelmilch, Katrin; Keller, Alexander; Geyer, Beate; Schneider, Doris; Zeck, Sabine; Tower, Robert JJ; Ebert, Regina; Jakob, Franz; Schütze, Norbert. In Bone, 93, pp. 155–166. Elsevier, 2016.
2015[ to top ]
  • Reptiles as reservoirs of bacterial infections: real threat or methodological bias?. Zancolli, Giulia; Mahsberg, Dieter; Sickel, Wiebke; Keller, Alexander. In Microbial Ecology, 70(3), pp. 579–84. 2015.
  • DNA-analyses of Venerupis philippinarum (Adams and Reeve, 1850) with a new and constant shell-pattern from Italy, Emilia Romagna. Wölfling, Mirko; Rohrhirsch, Manuela; Uhl, Britta; Keller, Alexander. In Malacologia, 86(1), pp. 30–32. 2015.
  • Increased efficiency in identifying mixed pollen samples by meta-barcoding with a dual-indexing approach. Sickel, Wiebke; Ankenbrand, Markus; Grimmer, Gudrun; Holzschuh, Andrea; Härtel, Stephan; Lanzen, Jonathan; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Keller, Alexander. In BMC Ecology, 15, p. 20. 2015.
  • ITS2 Database V: Twice as Much. Ankenbrand, Markus J.; Keller, Alexander; Wolf, Matthias; Schultz, Jörg; Förster, Frank. In Molecular Biology and Evolution, 32(11), pp. 3030–3032. 2015.
  • Evaluating multiplexed next-generation sequencing as a method in palynology for mixed pollen samples. Keller, Alexander; Danner, Nadja; Grimmer, Gudrun; Ankenbrand, Markus; von der Ohe, Katharina; von der Ohe, Werner; Rost, Simone; Härtel, Stephan; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In Plant Biology, 17, pp. 558–566. 2015.
  • Monophyletic clades of Macaranga pollinating thrips with high specificity to host plant taxonomic sections. Fiala, Brigitte; Wells, Konstans; Haubenreisser, Julia; Pittroff, Andreas; Kaya-Zeeb, Sinan; Chung, Arthur Y.C.; bin Hashim, Rosli; Keller, Alexander. In Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 116(3), pp. 558–570. 2015.
  • Functional and phylogenetic diversities of plant communities differently affect the structure of flower-visitor interactions and reveal convergences in floral traits. Junker, Robert R.; Blüthgen, Nico; Keller, Alexander. In Evolutionary Ecology, 29, pp. 437–450. 2015.
  • Microhabitat heterogeneity across leaves and flower organs promotes bacterial diversity. Junker, Robert R; Keller, Alexander. In FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 91(1), p. fiv09. 2015.
2014[ to top ]
  • Confirmation of warfarin resistance of naturally occurring VKORC1 variants by coexpression with coagulation factor IX and in silico protein modelling. Müller, Elisabeth; Keller, Alexander; Fregin, Andreas; Müller, Clemens R; Rost, Simone. In BMC Genetics, 15, p. 17. 2014.
  • Novel form of X-linked nonsyndromic hearing loss with cochlear malformation caused by a mutation in the type IV collagen gene COL4A6. Rost, Simone; Bach, Elisa; Neuner, Cordula; Nanda, Indrajit; Dysek, Sandra; Bittner, Reginald E; Keller, Alexander; Bartsch, Oliver; Mlynski, Robert; Haaf, Thomas. In European Journal of Human Genetics, (22), pp. 208–215. Nature Publishing Group, 2014.
  • Identification of WISP1 as an important survival factor in human mesenchymal stem cells. Schlegelmilch, Katrin; Keller, Alexander; Zehe, Viola; Hondke, Silvia; Klein-Hitpass, Ludger; Schütze, Norbert. In Gene, 551(2), pp. 243–54. 2014.
  • Density-dependent responses by bumblebees to flower dwelling bacteria. Junker, Robert R; Romeike, Tanja; Keller, Alexander; Langen, Daniela. In Apidologie, 45, pp. 467–477. 2014.
  • Pollen DNA barcoding using next-generation sequencing. Keller, Alexander; Härtel, Stephan; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In Barcode Bulletin, 5(3), p. 8. 2014.
2013[ to top ]
  • Diverse microbiota identified in whole intact nest chambers of the red mason bee Osmia bicornis (Linnaeus 1758). Keller, Alexander; Grimmer, Gudrun; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. In PloS one, 8(10), p. e78296. Public Library of Science, 2013.
  • Only distance matters--non-choosy females in a poison frog population. Meuche, Ivonne; Brusa, Oscar; Linsenmair, K Eduard; Keller, Alexander; Pröhl, Heike. In Frontiers in Zoology, 10(1), p. 29. BioMed Central Ltd, 2013.
2012[ to top ]
  • Common ancestry or environmental trait filters: cross-continental comparisons of trait--habitat relationships in tropical anuran amphibian assemblages. Ernst, Raffael; Keller, Alexander; Landburg, Gwendolyn; Grafe, T Ulmar; Linsenmair, K Eduard; Rödel, Mark-Oliver; Dziock, Frank. In Global Ecology and Biogeography, 21(7), pp. 704–715. Wiley Online Library, 2012.
2011[ to top ]
  • Hawaiian ant-flower networks: nectar-thieving ants prefer undefended native over introduced plants with floral defenses. Junker, Robert R; Daehler, Curtis C; Dötterl, Stefan; Keller, Alexander; Blüthgen, Nico. In Ecological Monographs, 81(2), pp. 295–311. Eco Soc America, 2011.
  • Composition of epiphytic bacterial communities differs on petals and leaves. Junker, Robert R; Loewel, Christina; Gross, Roy; Dötterl, Stefan; Keller, Alexander; Blüthgen, Nico. In Plant Biology, 13(6), pp. 918–924. Wiley Online Library, 2011.
  • Internal transcribed spacer 2 (nu ITS2 rRNA) sequence-structure phylogenetics: towards an automated reconstruction of the green algal tree of life. Buchheim, Mark A; Keller, Alexander; Koetschan, Christian; Förster, Frank; Merget, Benjamin; Wolf, Matthias. In PLoS One, 6(2), p. e16931. Public Library of Science, 2011.
2010[ to top ]
  • Ribosomal RNA phylogenetics: the third dimension. Keller, Alexander; Wolf, Matthias; Dandekar, Thomas. In Biologia, 65(3), pp. 388–391. Springer, 2010.
  • ITS2 sequence-structure phylogeny in the Scenedesmaceae with special reference to em Coelastrum em (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae), including the new genera em Comasiella em and em Pectinodesmusem. Hegewald, Eberhard; Wolf, Matthias; Keller, Alexander; Friedl, Thomas; Krienitz, Lothar. In Phycologia, 49(4), pp. 325–335. The International Phycological Society Phycologia Business Office, Allen Press, 810 East 10th Street, PO Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044-8897, 2010.
  • Including RNA secondary structures improves accuracy and robustness in reconstruction of phylogenetic trees. Keller, Alexander; Förster, Frank; Müller, Tobias; Dandekar, Thomas; Schultz, Jörg; Wolf, Matthias; others. In Biology Direct, 5, p. 4. BioMed Central Ltd, 2010.
  • The ITS2 Database III—sequences and structures for phylogeny. Koetschan, Christian; Förster, Frank; Keller, Alexander; Schleicher, Tina; Ruderisch, Benjamin; Schwarz, Roland; Müller, Tobias; Wolf, Matthias; Schultz, Jörg. In Nucleic Acids Research, 38(Suppl 1), pp. D275-D279. Oxford Univ Press, 2010.
2009[ to top ]
  • ITS2 secondary structure improves phylogeny estimation in a radiation of blue butterflies of the subgenus em Agrodiaetus em (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: \em Polyommatus\em ). Wiemers, Martin; Keller, Alexander; Wolf, Matthias. In BMC Evolutionary Biology, 9(1), p. 300. BioMed Central Ltd, 2009.
  • Die Artenvielfalt der Amphibien in einem Tieflandregenwald auf Borneo. Keller, Alexander. pp. 80–83. 2009.
  • The importance of environmental heterogeneity for species diversity and assemblage structure in Bornean stream frogs. Keller, Alexander; Rödel, Mark-Oliver; Linsenmair, K Eduard; Grafe, T Ulmar. In Journal of Animal Ecology, 78(2), pp. 305–314. 2009.
2008[ to top ]
  • ITS2 data corroborate a monophyletic chlorophycean DO-group (Sphaeropleales). Keller, Alexander; Schleicher, Tina; Förster, Frank; Ruderisch, Benjamin; Dandekar, Thomas; Müller, Tobias; Wolf, Matthias. In BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8(1), p. 218. 2008.
  • Geographic distribution: Parias sumatranus (Short Note). Keller, Alexander; Siegle, Matthias; Grafe, T Ulmar. In Herpetological Review, 39, p. 373. 2008.
  • Geographic distribution: Xenodermus javanicus (Short Note). Keller, Alexander; Siegle, Matthias; Grafe, T Ulmar. In Herpetological Review, 39, p. 373. 2008.