Ancient lakes

Ancient or long-lived lakes have long been recognized as evolutionary theatres and hot spots of biodiversity and endemism. As ancient lake faunas may live in the cradle in which they originated, these lakes provide prime models for studying in situ biological and geological evolution as they allow for quasi-experimental approaches. Long-lived lakes accumulate thick sedimentary layers which provide excellent climate archives (SIAL).
We use extensive phylogenetic data for invertebrates from almost all major ancient lake systems to unravel the impact of extrinsic (abiotic) and intrinsic factors (biological traits) on the extent and timing of biotic diversification in a time-frame spanning from Late Miocene to Pleistocene times. Additionally we are interested in a global synthesis of particularly extrinsic factors shaping biodiversity patterns in these lakes. Another relatively new direction in ancient lake biodiversity studies relates to (quantitative) habitat analyses on small spatial (intralacustrine) scales. Insights into the role of e.g. bathymetric gradients and hybrid zones are expected. For other fascinating issues such as ecological and sympatric speciation, we deploy population genetic tools in combination with sophisticated molecular clock approaches for unraveling otherwise enigmatic pathways of character evolution. The most active projects are currently carried out on the Balkan Peninsula, at Africa lakes, the lakes on Sulawesi, Lake Titicaca, and Lake Baikal. Currently, the Ponto-Caspian region is focused on (see Projects).