Dr. Katharina Weiss
Postdoc/Drittmittel
Verhaltensbiologie
Address
Office
Contact
Research interests
I am an evolutionary biologist, mainly working in the field of chemical ecology. My main interests lie in the evolution and maintenance of within- and between-species diversity and plasticity in sexually selected chemical signals in arthropods. Moreover, I want to integrate an organism`s ecology, its phylogenetic history, and environmental factors in investigating the evolution of these signals. Combining analytical methods like gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry with behavioral assays, I currently investigate the condition dependence of chemical signals of females of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi and the evolution of adaptive mating decisions of males based on these signals.
Publications
Weiss K, Schneider JM 2022. Female sex pheromone emission is affected by body condition but not immune system function in the orb-web spider Argiope bruennichi. Ethology 00, 1–11. http://doi.org/10.1111/eth.13280
Gebraulet M, Möllerke A, Weiss K, Chinta S,. Schneider JM, Schulz S. (2022). Identification of the cuticular and web lipids of the spider Argiope bruennichi. Journal of Chemical Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-021-01338-y
Weiss K., Schneider J.M. (2022). Strategic pheromone signalling by mate searching females of the sexually cannibalistic spider Argiope bruennichi. Royal Society Open Science 8: 211806. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211806
Weiss K., Schneider J.M. (2021). Family-specific chemical profiles provide potential kin recognition cues in the sexually cannibalistic spider Argiope bruennichi. Biology Letters 17: 1720210260, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0260
Weiss K, Ruch J., Zimmer S.M. & Schneider J.M. (2020). Does sexual cannibalism secure genetic benefits of polyandry in a size-dimorphic spider? Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology, 74: 110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02890-5
Weiss K, Herzner G, Strohm E (2017). Sexual selection and the evolution of male pheromone glands in philanthine wasps (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae). BMC evolutionary biology 17(1), 128.
Weiss K, Strohm E, Kaltenpoth M, Herzner G (2015). Comparative morphology of the postpharyngeal gland in the Philanthinae (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) and the evolution of an antimicrobial brood protection mechanism. BMC evolutionary biology 15(1), 291.
Weiss K, Parzefall C, Herzner G (2014). Multifaceted defense against antagonistic microbes in developing offspring of the parasitoid wasp Ampulex compressa (Hymenoptera, Ampulicidae). Plos one 9(6), e98784.
Herzner G, Kaltenpoth M, Poettinger T, Weiss K, Koedam D, Kroiss J, Strohm E (2013). Morphology, chemistry and function of the postpharyngeal gland in the South American digger wasps Trachypus boharti and Trachypus elongatus. Plos one 8(12), e82780.
Academic CV
since 2019 | Postdoc (DFG), Behavioural Ecology, Universität Hamburg (Prof. Jutta Schneider) |
2018-2019 | Lecturer, Organismic Biologiy, University of Regensburg, Germany |
2013-2017 | PhD, Evolutionary Ecology, University of Regensburg (Prof. Erhard Strohm) |
2011-2013 | Master of Science, Biology, University of Regensburg |