 |
Marianne Espeland Postdoctoral fellow Tel +1 857 277 8424 |
Marianne Espeland
Research Interests
The evolution of phyto-predation in butterflies
More than 99% of the estimated 18,000 species of butterflies are herbivorous. In the family Lycaenidae around 75% of the species are associated with ants in some way, and it has been proposed that ant association has lead to the diversification of the family. Most lycaenid-ant relationships appear to be mutualistic, where the ants provide protection for caterpillars and, in return, the ants are rewarded with attractive secretions from specialised glands on the cuticle of the caterpillar. But a small fraction of lycaenids are aphytophagous with caterpillars that are predators of homopterans tended by ants, and/or parasites of ant brood.
Aphytophagy has evolved independently from mutualistic associations with ants in multiple lineages throughout the family. With the exception of modest radiations of about 120 species each in the subfamily Miletinae and the genus Lepidochrysops (Lycaeninae: Polyommatini), aphytophagy appears to be an "extinction-prone dead end," as it is only found as single species or small clades scattered throughout the Lycaenidae.
I am investigating the evolution of phyto-predation in a phylogenetic framework by inferring the evolutionary history of all the main lineages of Lepidochrysops using molecular characters, and then applying comparative methods and stable isotope analysis to assess diversification patterns and life history evolution in the group.
Other projects and collaborators
Factors affecting diversification of Nymphalid butterflies. Collaborating with Carlos Peña and Niklas Wahlberg (University of Turku, Finland)
Phylogenetics and biogeography of caddisflies (Trichoptera). Collaborating with Kjell Arne Johanson (Swedish Museum of Natural History)
Education
| Oct 2010 | Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in systematic zoology. Stockholm University / Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden. Thesis title: "Diversification on an ancient Darwinian island: Evolutionary history of caddisflies and other organisms on New Caledonia". |
| Dec 2004 | Candidatus scientarium (M.Sc) in systematic biology. Norwegian University of Technology and Science (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. Thesis title: "The systematics of the lowland and mountain forms of the green-veined white butterfly Pieris napi L. (Lepidoptera)". |
| May 2003 | Candidatus magisterii (B.Sc) in biology. Norwegian University of Technology and Science (NTNU). |
Research and Work Experience
Employment
| 2011-present | Postdoctoral researcher, Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University. Lab of Prof. Naomi Pierce. Funded by the Research Council of Norway. |
| 2007-2008 | Research assistant at the Molecular Systematics Lab, Swedish Museum of Natural History. |
| 2006-2011 | PhD fellow, Department of Zoology, Stockholm University / Entomology Department, Swedish Museum of Natural History. |
| 2005-2006 | Curatorial assistant at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Entomology Department. |
| 2005 | Research technician at the Norwegian Crop Research Institute, Særheim, Norway. |
| 2005 | Research assistant at the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, Department of Natural History, Trondheim, Norway. |
| 2002 | Research technician at the Norwegian Crop Research Institute, Særheim, Norway. |
Teaching
Undergraduate level:
| 2009-2010 | Zoophysiology (histology part), Stockholm University |
| 2008-2010 | Organism diversity and phylogeny (dissections and microscope preps), Stockholm University |
Graduate level:
| 2006-2008 | Systematic Zoology (Entomology part), Swedish Museum of Natural History |
Field work
| 2012 | Collection of Lepidoptera and Trichoptera in Kenya and Malawi |
| 2011 | Collection of Lepidoptera and Trichoptera in South Africa and Zambia |
| 2010 | Collection of Trichoptera in Rio Negro and Nequén, Argentina |
| 2008 | Collection of Trichoptera in Western Norway |
| 2007-2008 | Collection of Trichoptera etc. on Tasmania (Australia), Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands |
| 2006 | Collection of Trichoptera etc. on New Caledonia |
| 2006 | Collection of Trichoptera etc. in Vera Cruz, Mexico |
| 2006 | Collection of Trichoptera etc. in Brunei Darussalam |
| 2004 | Collection of Lepidoptera in Central, Eastern and Western Norway |
| 2003 | Collection and rearing of Lepidoptera at Kongsvoll Biological Station, Dovre-Sunndal |
Grants, Awards and Scholarships
| 2011-2014 | Post doctoral fellowship, Research Council of Norway |
| 2011 | 12th R.J.H. Hintelmann Scientific Award for Zoological Systematics, Friends of the Zoological State Collection, Münich |
| 2010 | Y. Sjöstedt travel fund and Hierta-Retzius foundation, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Travel grant |
| 2010 | C.E. Boheman's foundation, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Travel grant |
| 2009 | Maria and Thure Palm's foundation. Travel grant |
| 2009 | Friends of the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Molecular labwork |
| 2007 | Ebba and Rene Malaise Foundation. Fieldwork |
| 2006 | Friends of the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Fieldwork |
| 2006 | Överbys foundation. Fieldwork |
| 2005 | 50% tuition scholarship for PhD studies, University of Nottingham, School of Genetics (Declined) |
| 2003 | Dept. of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Fieldwork |
Publications
Grandcolas P, Balke M, Bauer A, Cruaud A, Deharveng L, Espeland M, Gaudeul M, Giribet G, Guilbert E, Hollingsworth P, Jackman T, Jourdan H, Johanson KA, Keith, Legendre F, Lowry II PP, Munzinger J, Nattier R, Pellens R, Pelletier B, Rasplus J-Y, Robillard T, Sadlier R, Sharma P, Swenson U & Trewick SA. Accepted. Biogeography and evolution of New Caledonia's biota: awaking a Sleeping Beauty by gently distinguishing among competing models. Journal of Biogeography
Hawlitschek O, Heinrich L, Espeland M & Balke M. 2012. Pleistocene climate change promoted rapid diversification of aquatic invertebrates in South-East Australia. BMC Evolutionary Biology 12: 142 [Link]
Johanson KA, Malm T, Espeland M & Weingartner E. 2012. Phylogeny of the Polycentropodidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) based on protein-coding genes reveal non-monophyletic genera. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 65: 126-135 [Link]
Espeland M & Murienne J. 2011. Diversity dynamics in New Caledonia: towards the end of the museum model? BMC Evolutionary Biology 11: 254 [PDF]
Johanson KA, Malm T, Wells A & Espeland M. The Trichoptera of Vanuatu. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 58: 279-320 [PDF]
Espeland M & Johanson KA. 2011. A new species of Goera Stephens, 1829 (Goeridae: Trichoptera) from the Solomon Islands. Aquatic Insects 33: 185-189 [PDF]
Espeland M. 2010. Diversification on an ancient Darwinian island: Evolutionary history of caddisflies (Trichoptera) and other organisms on New Caledonia. Doctoral thesis, Stockholm University.
Espeland M & Johanson KA. 2010. The diversity and radiation of the largest monophyletic animal group on New Caledonia (Trichoptera: Ecnomidae: Agmina). Journal of Evolutionary Biology 23: 2112-2122 [doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02072.x] [PDF]
Johanson KA & Espeland M. 2010. Description of new Chimarra (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae) species from the Solomon Islands. Zootaxa 2638: 25-43 [PDF]
Espeland M, Irestedt M, Johanson KA, Åkerlund M, Berg J-E & Källersjö M. 2010. Dichlorvos exposure impedes extraction and amplification of DNA from insects in museum collections. Frontiers in Zoology 7: 2 [PDF]
Espeland M & Johanson KA. 2010. The effect of environmental diversification on species diversification in New Caledonian caddisflies (Hydropsychidae: Trichoptera: Insecta). Journal of Biogeography 37: 879-890 [doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02263.x] [PDF]
Johanson KA & Espeland M. 2010. Phylogeny of the Ecnomidae (Trichoptera). Cladistics 26: 36-48 [doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2009.00276.x] [PDF]
Espeland M, Johanson KA & Hovmöller R. 2008. Early Xanthochorema (Trichoptera, Insecta) radiations in New Caledonia originated on ultrabasic rocks. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48: 904-917 [doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.06.006] [PDF]
Espeland M & Johanson KA. 2008. New species and descriptions of females of the New Caledonian endemic genus Xanthochorema (Trichoptera, Hydrobiosidae). In: Grandcolas P. (Ed.). Zoologia Neocaledonica 6. Biodiversity studies in New Caledonia. Mém. Mus. Nat. Hist. 197: 79-97 [PDF]
Espeland M & Johanson KA. 2007. Revision of the New Caledonian Hydrobiosella (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae) with description of five new species. In: Bueno-Soria J, Barba Álvarez R, Armitage B (eds.): Proceedings of the XIIth International Symposium on Trichoptera June 18-22, 2006, pp. 91-102 [PDF]
Espeland M, Aagaard K, Balstad T & Hindar K. 2007. Ecomorphological and genetic divergence between lowland and montane forms of the Pieris napi species complex. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 92: 727-745 [PDF]
Media
Insektene førte henne til Harvard (in Norwegian)
