2023- Ass. Prof and FWF START Fellow, Research Department for Limnology, Mondsee, Univ. Innsbruck, Austria 2016-2022: Senior Postdoc/ Research Assistant, Molecular Ecology Group, Univ. of Innsbruck 2014-2016: Postdoc (FWF, SNF), Butterfly Genetics Group, Univ. of Cambridge, UK 2009-2014: PhD Thesis, Aquatic Ecology, Eawag and ETH Zurich, Switzerland 2009: Lab and Field Assistant, Limnology, Uppsala University, Sweden 2008: master’s Thesis in Zoology, Univ. of Innsbruck, Austria
I am broadly interested in various aspects of biology with a strong emphasis on the interplay of evolutionary and ecological processes. Most of my past research has focussed on how populations and species adapt to their biotic and abiotic environments, in particular under scenarios involving gene flow and changing environmental conditions. Using the tropical radiation of Heliconius butterflies and species complexes in the water flea genus Daphnia as study systems, I am trying to understand the processes of ecological adaptation and speciation in the face of gene flow.
My current research is now investigating the consequences of admixture, for example, in the aquatic keystone grazer Daphnia, on eco-evolutionary dynamics in the context of global change on the population, species, community and ecosystem level. To achieve this goal, I am employing a variety of interdisciplinary approaches, ranging from classical limnological field work and sedimentology, over lab and mesocosm experiments to whole-genome sequencing and population genomics. For further details on my research, please follow the link to my publications below or just contact me directly.
My research topics are:
Admixture
Eco-evolutionary dynamics
Anthropogenic change
Speciation and gene flow
Ecological speciation
Adaptation
We are supporting Bachlor‘s and master‘s thesis projects – if you are interested in our research, just contact me directly.
2022 – 2028: FWF START Prize (Y 1442) ‘Eco-evolutionary dynamics - admixture and global change’, 3+3 years, FWF Austrian Science Fund, Austria
2022 – 2023: EU Interreg Project ‘SeeWandel-Covid’ (ABH109), EU Interreg Alpenrhein Bodensee Hochrhein
2018 – 2023: EU Interreg Project ‘SeeWandel: Life in Lake Constance - the past, present and future’ (ABH060), EU Interreg Alpenrhein Bodensee Hochrhein
2017 – 2022: FWF stand-alone project (P 29667) ‘Genome-wide gene flow in the Daphnia longispina complex’, FWF Austrian Science Fund, Austria
2015-2017: FWF Erwin Schrödinger fellow "Genomic pattern of wing pattern introgression in Heliconius", Univ. of Cambridge, UK
2014-2015: SNF Early PostDoc.Mobility fellow "Genomic pattern of adaptive introgression of wing pattern elements in Heliconius butterflies", Univ. of Cambridge, UK
Rossi M., Hausmann A.E., Alcami P., Moest M., Shane Wright D., Kuo C.-Y., Lozano D., Maulana A., Melo-Flórez L., Rueda-Munoz G., McMahon S., Linares M., McMillan W.O., Pardo-Diaz C., Salazar C., Merrill R.M. (2024). Adaptive introgression of a visual preference gene. Science 383(6689): 1368-1373. doi: 10.1126/science.adj9201
2023
Ålund M., Cenzer M., Bierne N., Boughman J.W., Cerca J., Comerford M.S., Culicchi A.,Langerhans B., McFarlane S.E.,Möst M.H., North H., Qvarnström A., Ravinet M., Svanbäck R., Taylor S.A. (2023).Anthropogenic change and the process of speciation. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, a041455.https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a041455
Govaert L., Hendry A.P., Fattahi F.,Möst, M.(2023), Quantifying interspecific and intraspecific diversity effects on ecosystem functioning.Ecology e4199.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4199
Haider M.*,Schilling M. P*.,Moest M. H.*,Steiner F. M.,Schlick-Steiner B. C., Arthofer W.(2023).Evolutionary history of an Alpine Archaeognath (Machilis pallida): Insights from different variant types.Ecology and Evolution,13, e10227.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10227. (* shared first author)
