Walter Salzburger

Academic interests

I am interested in the evolution of animals, the adaptation of animals to their environments, and the generation of ecological, morphological, behavioral and genetic diversity. In particular, I am interested in the molecular basis of evolution, the processes that underlie adaptation, innovation, and speciation, and the evolution of genes and genomes during adaptive radiation and speciation.

Cichlid fishes are the most fascinating model organisms to me. These tropical freshwater-fishes show a Gondwanian distribution, with extant representatives in India, Madagascar, South- and Central America, and Africa. With more than 2'000 species that evolved in the last few million years only the species flocks of cichlids in the East African Great Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria represent the most astounding examples of adaptive radiation and explosive speciation. I am interested in the evolution of the cichlids' unique biodiversity, in the intrinsic factors that underlie the cichlids' propensity for explosive speciation, and in the external (environmental) events that trigger their radiations. In particular, I am interested in the molecular genetic and genomic bases of the evolutionary success of cichlids.

A second line of my research focuses on the biology of European taxa, with special emphasis to Alpine animals. The Alps are the main mountain range in Central Europe and, as such, of great significance to the fauna and flora. I am interested in the bio-geographic history of several vertebrate groups in the Alps and surrounding regions and in the adaptation of these species to the Alpine environment.

Publications

  • Haefeli, Anja; Schedel, Frederic D.B.; Ronco, Fabrizia; Indermaur, Adrian & Salzburger, Walter (2024). Revision of the cichlid fish genus Gnathochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika with the description of a new genus Jabarichromis gen. nov. Zootaxa. ISSN 1175-5326. 5410(3), p. 434–450. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5410.3.10.
  • Muschick, Moritz; Jemmi, Eliane; Lengacher, Nicholas; Hänsch, Stephanie; Wales, Nathan & Kishe, Mary A. [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2023). Ancient DNA is preserved in fish fossils from tropical lake sediments. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. 32(22), p. 5913–5931. doi: 10.1111/mec.17159.
  • Ricci, Virginie; Ronco, Fabrizia; Boileau, Nicolas & Salzburger, Walter (2023). Visual opsin gene expression evolution in the adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes of Lake Tanganyika. Science Advances. ISSN 2375-2548. 9(36). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adg6568.
  • Bista, Iliana; Wood, Jonathan M. D.; Desvignes, Thomas; McCarthy, Shane A.; Matschiner, Michael & Ning, Zemin [Show all 21 contributors for this article] (2023). Genomics of cold adaptations in the Antarctic notothenioid fish radiation. Nature Communications. ISSN 2041-1723. 14(1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38567-6.
  • Barth, Julia Maria Isis; Handley, Scott A.; Kintzl, Daniel; Leonard, Guy; Malinsky, Milan & Matschiner, Michael [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). The history and organization of the Workshop on Population and Speciation Genomics. Evolution: Education and Outreach. ISSN 1936-6426. 16(1). doi: 10.1186/s12052-023-00182-w.
  • Ronco, Fabrizia; Matschiner, Michael; Böhne, Astrid; Boila, Anna; Büscher, Heinz H & El Taher, Athimed [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2020). Drivers and dynamics of a massive adaptive radiation in cichlid fishes. Nature. ISSN 0028-0836. 589, p. 76–81. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2930-4.
  • Matschiner, Michael; Böhne, Astrid; Ronco, Fabrizia & Salzburger, Walter (2020). The genomic timeline of cichlid fish diversification across continents. Nature Communications. ISSN 2041-1723. 11(1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17827-9. Full text in Research Archive
  • Musilova, Zuzana; Cortesi, Fabio; Matschiner, Michael; Davies, Wayne I. L.; Patel, Jagdish Suresh & Stieb, Sara M. [Show all 18 contributors for this article] (2019). Vision using multiple distinct rod opsins in deep-sea fishes. Science. ISSN 0036-8075. 364(6440), p. 588–592. doi: 10.1126/science.aav4632.
  • Malmstrøm, Martin; Britz, Ralf; Matschiner, Michael; Tørresen, Ole K.; Hadiaty, Renny Kurnia & Yaakob, Norsham [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2018). The Most Developmentally Truncated Fishes Show Extensive Hox Gene Loss and Miniaturized Genomes. Genome Biology and Evolution (GBE). ISSN 1759-6653. 10(4), p. 1088–1103. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evy058. Full text in Research Archive
  • Meyer, Britta S.; Hablützel, Pascal I.; Roose, Anna K.; Hofmann, Melinda J; Salzburger, Walter & Raeymaekers, Joost A. M. (2018). An exploration of the links between parasites, trophic ecology, morphology, and immunogenetics in the Lake Tanganyika cichlid radiation. Hydrobiologia. ISSN 0018-8158. p. 1–19. doi: 10.1007/s10750-018-3798-2. Full text in Research Archive
  • Stange, Madlen; Sanchez-Villagra, Marcelo R; Salzburger, Walter & Matschiner, Michael (2018). Bayesian divergence-time estimation with genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism data of sea catfishes (Ariidae) supports miocene closure of the Panamanian Isthmus. Systematic Biology. ISSN 1063-5157. 67(4), p. 681–699. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syy006.
  • Baalsrud, Helle Tessand; Tørresen, Ole Kristian; Solbakken, Monica Hongrø; Salzburger, Walter; Hanel, Reinhold & Jakobsen, Kjetill Sigurd [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2017). De Novo Gene Evolution of Antifreeze Glycoproteins in Codfishes Revealed by Whole Genome Sequence Data. Molecular Biology and Evolution (MBE). ISSN 0737-4038. 35(3), p. 593–606. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msx311. Full text in Research Archive
  • Baalsrud, Helle Tessand; Voje, Kjetil L.; Tørresen, Ole Kristian; Solbakken, Monica Hongrø; Matschiner, Michael & Malmstrøm, Martin [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2017). Evolution of Hemoglobin Genes in Codfishes Influenced by Ocean Depth. Scientific Reports. ISSN 2045-2322. 7, p. 1–10. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-08286-2. Full text in Research Archive
  • Matschiner, Michael; Musilová, Zuzana; Barth, Julia Maria Isis; Starostová, Zuzana; Salzburger, Walter & Steel, Mike [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2017). Bayesian phylogenetic estimation of clade ages supports trans-Atlantic dispersal of cichlid fishes. Systematic Biology. ISSN 1063-5157. 66(1), p. 3–22. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syw076. Full text in Research Archive
  • Cortesi, Fabio; Musilová, Zuzana; Stieb, Sara M.; Hart, Nathan S.; Siebeck, Ulrike E. & Cheney, Karen L. [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2016). From crypsis to mimicry: Changes in colour and the configuration of the visual system during ontogenetic habitat transitions in a coral reef fish. Journal of Experimental Biology. ISSN 0022-0949. 219(16), p. 2545–2558. doi: 10.1242/jeb.139501.
  • Malmstrøm, Martin; Matschiner, Michael; Tørresen, Ole Kristian; Star, Bastiaan; Snipen, Lars-Gustav & Hansen, Thomas F [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2016). Evolution of the immune system influences speciation rates in teleost fishes. Nature Genetics. ISSN 1061-4036. 48(10), p. 1204–1210. doi: 10.1038/ng.3645. Full text in Research Archive
  • Gante, Hugo F; Matschiner, Michael; Malmstrøm, Martin; Jakobsen, Kjetill Sigurd; Jentoft, Sissel & Salzburger, Walter (2016). Genomics of speciation and introgression in Princess cichlid fishes from Lake Tanganyika. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. 25(24), p. 6143–6161. doi: 10.1111/mec.13767.
  • Meyer, Britta S.; Matschiner, Michael & Salzburger, Walter (2016). Disentangling Incomplete Lineage Sorting and Introgression to Refine Species-Tree Estimates for Lake Tanganyika Cichlid Fishes. Systematic Biology. ISSN 1063-5157. 66(4), p. 531–550. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syw069.
  • Baldo, Laura; Riera, Joan Lluis; Tooming-Klunderud, Ave; Alba, M. Mar & Salzburger, Walter (2015). Gut microbiota dynamics during dietary shift in eastern African cichlid fishes. PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. 10(5). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127462. Full text in Research Archive
  • Colombo, Marco; Damerau, Malte; Hanel, Reinhold; Salzburger, Walter & Matschiner, Michael (2015). Diversity and disparity through time in the adaptive radiation of Antarctic notothenioid fishes. Evolutionary Biology. ISSN 0071-3260. 28, p. 376–394. doi: 10.1111/jeb.12570.
  • Matschiner, Michael; Colombo, Marco; Damerau, Malte; Ceballos, Santiago; Hanel, Reinhold & Salzburger, Walter (2015). The Adaptive Radiation of Notothenioid Fishes in the Waters of Antarctica. In Riesch, Rüdiger; Tobler, Michael & Plath, Martin (Ed.), Extremophile Fishes. Springer. ISSN 978-3-319-13362-1. p. 35–57. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-13362-1_3.
  • Meyer, Britta S.; Matschiner, Michael & Salzburger, Walter (2015). A tribal level phylogeny of Lake Tanganyika cichlid fishes based on a genomic multi-marker approach. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. ISSN 1055-7903. 83, p. 56–71. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.10.009.
  • Cortesi, Fabio; Musilováa, Zuzana; Stieb, Sara M.; Hart, Nathan S.; Siebeck, Ulrike E. & Malmstrøm, Martin [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2015). Ancestral duplications and highly dynamic opsin gene evolution in percomorph fishes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. ISSN 0027-8424. 112(5), p. 1493–1498. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1417803112.

View all works in Cristin

  • Matschiner, Michael & Salzburger, Walter (2019). Evolution: Genomic Signatures of Mimicry and Mimicry of Genomic Signatures. Current Biology. ISSN 0960-9822. 29, p. R363–R365. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.04.015.
  • Baalsrud, Helle Tessand; Tørresen, Ole Kristian; Malmstrøm, Martin; Salzburger, Walter; Jakobsen, Kjetill Sigurd & Jentoft, Sissel (2015). The hemoglobin repertoire in the order of Gadiformes linked to depth adaptation.

View all works in Cristin

Published Sep. 9, 2014 1:10 PM - Last modified Mar. 9, 2023 1:24 PM

Projects

No ongoing projects