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Gert Wörheide

@gwoerhe.eurosky.social
1.2K followers 558 following 34 posts

Professor (Chair) of Paleontology & Geobiology @ LMU Munich. Evolution, genomics and biomineralization of spineless organisms. 🪸 Coral reef & Stoner/Doom aficionado. 🤘 Views are my own. www.geobiology.eu

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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
Alexis Stamatakis @stamatak.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The RAxML-NG v2.0 preprint is out: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... v2.0 features integrated model testing, fast branch support metrics, automatic parallelization, phylogenetic difficulty prediction, genotype evolution models, to name but the most important features. And it is A LOT FASTER of course
biorxiv.org
RAxML-NG 2: Automatic model selection, novel tree search heuristics, and fast branch support metrics
RAxML-NG is a widely used tool for maximum likelihood based phylogenetic inference. In the seven years since the last RAxML-NG publication, we have continuously improved and extended the code. Here, w...
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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
LMU München @lmu.de · 17/04/2026
🌊🔍 Wie steht es um Bayerns Seen? Forschende von #LMU und @tum.de entwickeln im Projekt #ecoBay ein autonomes System mit #Robotik, genetischem Monitoring & #KI, um #Biodiversität und #Gewässerzustand schneller & präziser zu erfassen. #ecoBay #LMUMuenchen #Klimawandel
lmu.de
Biodiversität: Ein Frühwarnsystem für die Gesundheit bayerischer Seen
Im Rahmen des neuen Projekts „ecoBay“ wird untersucht, wie sich der Zustand bayerischer Seen mithilfe von Robotik, genetischem Monitoring und Künstlicher Intelligenz besser erfassen lässt.
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 16/03/2026
🧽 New LMU research shows the Indo-Pacific is a hotspot of sponge endemism. Large-scale DNA barcoding reveals that many “cosmopolitan” sponge species are actually regionally restricted lineages—uncovering hidden marine biodiversity. 🧪 @lmu.de @lmugeoumwelt.bsky.social #molpalmuc
lmu.de
Sponges in the Indo-Pacific: a hotspot of endemism
Using genetic analyses, LMU geobiologists have shown that many sponge species in the Indo-Pacific are regionally unique.
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 10/03/2026
🧪 Species-specific community structure in the microbiomes and eukaryotic communities associated with Mediterranean golf ball sponges peerj.com/articles/204... @peerj.bsky.social @lmu.de @lmugeoumwelt.bsky.social #molpalmuc
peerj.com
Species-specific community structure in the microbiomes and eukaryotic communities associated with Mediterranean golf ball sponges
Background Sponges harbor complex and diverse microbiomes that contribute to the host’s fitness and, ultimately, the health of the ecosystems sponges inhabit. Methods Using high-throughput 16S and 18S...
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 13/02/2026
🧪 New preprint alert: "Ecological Filtering is a Better Predictor of Microbiome Assembly than Coevolution in marine sponges" @lmu.de @lmugeoumwelt.bsky.social #molpalmuc #geobiomuc www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Ute Hentschel @utehentschel.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
ASG Sponges genome note #17. This little glass sponge, Bolosoma cyanae, traveled a long way from the deep South Pacific Ocean to Hinxton/Cambridge, where its genome was sequenced. wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/11-24 Learn more about the absorbing world of sponges: lnkd.in/ehRap3CW
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🧬Jacob L Steenwyk @jlsteenwyk.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
NEW pub in @science.org 🥳 Is it sponges (panels A & B) or comb jellies (C & D) that root the animal tree of life? For over 15 years, #phylogenomic studies have been divided. We provide new evidence suggesting that... 🔗: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Maren Ziegler @marenziegler.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Excited to share our work using #aDNA to reconstruct #Symbiodiniaceae dynamics from #coral cores. Led by José Grillo, @jessireichert.bsky.social, @nessatir.bsky.social part of #TaraPacific expedition & supported by #SPP2299 @climatereefs.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/gcb....
doi.org
Coral Skeletal Cores as Windows Into Past Symbiodiniaceae Community Dynamics
Stony corals rely on their association with symbiotic algae for their growth and health. However, corals can lose these symbionts in response to heat stress and bleach, but they can also recover from...
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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
Alessio Capobianco @acapomorphic.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Out now in Biology Letters, my latest paper tackles an apparently simple question: how many characters are needed to reconstruct a phylogeny? TL;DR: in most cases between 100 and 500, more than a substantial portion of morphological datasets, but the story is more complex... doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
Arnau Sebé-Pedrós @arnausebe.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
We are happy to share our latest work in @nature.com . We study the genomic and cellular basis of facultative symbiosis in Oculina patagonica - a Mediterranean coral remarkable for its ability to survive long periods without algal symbionts. Led by Shani Levy and @xgrau.bsky.social rdcu.be/eLbaZ
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 09/09/2025
🧪Discovery of calcarins in @elife.bsky.social, a protein family in the sponge Sycon ciliatum, clarifies spicule formation and suggests parallel evolution of carbonate biomineralization in sponges & corals—key for animals as ecosystem engineers of reefs. @lmumuenchen.bsky.social #molpalmuc
elifesciences.org
Genetic parallels in biomineralization of the calcareous sponge Sycon ciliatum and stony corals
Discovery of calcarins in calcareous sponges highlights gene duplication and neofunctionalization as drivers of parallel biomineralization, offering insight into the independent evolution of calcifica...
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 29/08/2025
🧪 Unravelling sponge evolution: we used Clade-Specific Elements to probe 199 Haplosclerida specimens (22/28 genera, 105 types, 42 holotypes) spanning 200+ years of collections — incl. treasures from the legendary HMS Challenger Expedition. @lmumuenchen.bsky.social #molpalmuc out of @SPP_TaxonOmics
doi.org
Moving Beyond Morphology: Genomic Insights Into Evolutionary Histories of Haplosclerid Sponges
Accurate taxonomic identification is essential for defining species boundaries and understanding biodiversity. However, this remains challenging for groups where morphological character evolution is ...
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 22/05/2025
We just published our first paper in the Peer Community Journal - diamond open access, no APCs! Awesome experience, with less than a week from submission after receommendation by #pcigenomics. Highly recommended! #molpalmuc @lmumuenchen.bsky.social @peercommunityin.bsky.social
peercommunityjournal.org
Genomic changes are varied across congeneric species pairs of animals
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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
PCI Genomics @genomics.peercommunityin.org · 15/05/2025
A recommendation of the preprint "Genomic changes are varied across congeneric species pairs of animals" by Warren Francis, Sergio Vargas, and Gert Wörheide: tinyurl.com/y82japny
tinyurl.com
Genomic changes are varied across congeneric species pairs of animals
Synteny, the shared arrangement of genes on chromosomes between related species, is a marker of shared ancestry, and synteny-breaking events can result in genomic incompatibilities between…
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 10/05/2025
New contribution in @elife.bsky.social: Genetic parallels in biomineralization of the calcareous sponge Sycon ciliatum and stony corals doi.org/10.7554/eLif... @lmumuenchen.bsky.social #molpalmuc
doi.org
Genetic parallels in biomineralization of the calcareous sponge Sycon ciliatum and stony corals
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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
Thorsten Reusch @thorstenreusch.bsky.social · 26/04/2025
Junior faculty job alert in Germany - Marine Evolutionary Genomics @geomarkiel.bsky.social / University of Kiel www.geomar.de/en/karriere/... Marine study system of your choice (no microbes, sorry…), excellent infrastructure and ship access, moderate teaching requirements, closing date 6 June
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 06/03/2025
New preprint version of "rRNA depletion for holobiont metatranscriptome profiling across demosponges" Project lead and pushed through by Sergio #molpalmuc @lmumuenchen.bsky.social
biorxiv.org
rRNA depletion for holobiont metatranscriptome profiling across demosponges
Despite the extensive knowledge of sponge microbiome diversity, a critical knowledge gap persists concerning the molecular mechanisms that govern host-symbiont interactions. Deciphering these mechanis...
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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
Astrid Schuster @paleobiodiv.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
in case you are into sponge research and paleobiodiversity, checkout our latest preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Decoding Demosponge Diversity: Bayesian Analysis of Biodiversity, Extinction Events and Environmental Influences throughout the Phanerozoic
Sponges (phylum Porifera) have been essential to marine ecosystems for over 600 million years, contributing to nutrient cycling, reef building, and ecological stability. Despite their evolutionary imp...
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 12/01/2025
🧪 🧬 New preprint alert: The largest molecular biodiversity study of sponges to date across the Indo-Pacific (>1900 samples) reveals high levels of regional demosponge endemism. A long time in the making, w/ many lovely international collaborators 😀 doi.org/10.1101/2024... @lmumuenchen.bsky.social
Jaccard dissimilarities between the samples of the twelve Indo-Pacific marine provinces, including singletons. Tropical and subtropical marine province areas and boundaries are shaded in white, temperate in light blue. Colour and thickness of the connecting lines between tropical and subtropical marine provinces indicate their dissimilarity levels.
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 27/12/2024
Revised version of our preprint «Genomic changes are varied across congeneric species pairs» published - enjoy 😀 🧪 #molpalmuc @lmumuenchen.bsky.social
biorxiv.org
Genomic changes are varied across congeneric species pairs
Synteny, the shared arrangement of genes on chromosomes between related species, is a marker of shared ancestry, and synteny-breaking events can result in genomic incompatibilities between populations...
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 09/12/2024
the foundation of biodiversity research - natural history collections #biodiversity
a natural history collection with rows of cupboards and specimen jars
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 10/11/2024
Open position in my lab at LMU München – please distribute widely to potential applicants. Application deadline 30 November 2024. #molpalmuc #lmumunich
job-portal.lmu.de
Scientific Assistant (Wissenschaftlicher Assistent/Akademischer Rat auf Zeit) (m/f/x)
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 06/09/2024
Genomic changes are varied across congeneric species pairs biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... great collab with Warren Francis and @sevragorgia.bsky.social #molpalmuc
biorxiv.org
Genomic changes are varied across congeneric species pairs
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
Dr Verena Schoepf (she/her) @verenaschoepf.bsky.social · 31/05/2024
📣 Excited to share our new Editorial led by James Reimer and @reefgenomics.bsky.social! "The Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event: Where do we go from here?" Open access: shorturl.at/BCYU9 @icrs.bsky.social @daviesswphd.bsky.social @markeakin.bsky.social @gwoerhe.bsky.social and many others 🦑🧪
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 11/04/2024
Beauty in the beast – Placozoan biodiversity explored through molluscan predator genomics new paper onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... associated press release www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Beauty in the beast – Placozoan biodiversity explored through molluscan predator genomics
Ecology & Evolution is a broad open access journal welcoming research in ecology, evolution, and conservation science, and providing a forum for evidence-based views.
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 14/02/2024
Molecular and mineral responses of corals grown under artificial Calcite Sea conditions New paper out in Geobiology doi.org/10.1111/gbi....
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Reposted by Gert Wörheide
Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 05/01/2024
Did neurons evolve twice? Our work on the ctenophore syncytial nerve net & the beautiful work from Darrin Schultz, Sebas Najle, Arnau Sebe-Pedros & many others covered in Scientific American. With comments from Detlev Arendt, Max Telford & Leslie Babonis. www.scientificamerican.com/article/did-...
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Gert Wörheide @gwoerhe.eurosky.social · 14/12/2023
Just out (Open access), comprehensive review on CoTS: "The crown-of-thorns seastar species complex: knowledge on the biology and ecology of five corallivorous Acanthaster species", great collaboration, spearheaded by Sven Uthicke.
link.springer.com
The crown-of-thorns seastar species complex: knowledge on the biology and ecology of five corallivor...
Coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars (CoTS, Acanthaster spp.) are major contributors to the coral reef crises across the Indo-Pacific region. Until recently, CoTS throughout the Indo-Pacific were reg...
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