Evolution and Biodiversity Working Group

Mr Prof. Dr. Gregor Christa

AG-Leitung

Mr Prof. Dr. Gregor Christa

Contact

V.12.085

0202 439 2814

christa[at]uni-wuppertal.de

Position Description

Office hours

Tuesdays, 10-11 a.m.

Contact person for the following courses

Lectures

  • Marine Biology - Marine Habitats
  • Structures and functions of animals
  • Ecology and Evolution

Seminars/ Courses

  • Molecular diversity of eukaryotes
  • Seminar Photosymbiosis in the animal kingdom
  • Seminar Special Marine Biology
  • Marine biology excursion to Helgoland

Main research interests

I am interested in the evolution of mutualistic symbioses in the animal kingdom. In my research I use two systems of marine nudibranchs that are unique in the animal kingdom. The Sacoglossa and the Nudibranchia.

Sacoglossa "steal" the chloroplasts of their food algae (mainly Ulvophyceae) and store them functionally in their own cells. This is known as functional kleptoplasty.

Nudibranchia can take up their symbiotic algae either from the water column(Melibe) or by feeding on corals.

In both systems, little is understood about (molecular) evolution and how symbiosis occurs at the cellular level. My work is currently focussing on the following questions.

  • Evolution and biodiversity of functional kleptoplasty in marine nudibranchs of Sacoglossa
  • Population genetics of different Sacoglossa
  • Photophysiology of the Ulvophyceae (Chlorophyta)
  • Comparative genomics of Nudibranchia and Sacoglossa

Supervision of bachelor and master theses for the following study programmes/with the following focus areas

I am always happy to receive enquiries for theses. Please drop by if you are interested.

Scientific work in the laboratory (B.A./B.Ed. Biology; M.Ed. Biology):
  • Topic "Photosymbiosis in animals"
 

Biography

  • 09/2016 - 01/2019: Postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Dr João Serôdio, Centre for Marine and Environmental Sciences (CESAM), Faculty of Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal
  • 09/2014 - 08/2016: Postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Dr William Martin, Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 06/2014: PhD, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University, Bonn, Germany
  • 07/2011 - 08/2014: Research assistant with Prof'in'. Heike Wägele at the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
  • 5/2010 - 06/2011: Research assistant to Prof. Dr William Martin, Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 10/2004 - 04/2009: Study of Biology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University, Bonn, Germany

Other activities

  • Deputy speaker of the Young Systematists (JuSys) of the Society for Biological Systematics (GfBS)
  • Co-editor of the scientific journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution | Coevolution

Memberships

  • Alexander Koenig Society (AKG)
  • German University Association (DHV)
  • European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB)
  • Society for Biological Systematics (GfBS)
  • The Malacological Society of London
  • Unitas Malacologia
  • Association of Biology, Biosciences and Biomedicine (VBIO)

Publications of

  • Melo Clavijo, J., Sickinger, C., Bleidißel, S., Gasparoni, G., Tierling, S., Preisfeld, A., Christa, G. (2022). The nudibranch Berghia stephanieae (Valdés, 2005) is not able to initiate a functional symbiosome-like environment to maintain Breviolum minutum (J.E.Parkinson & LaJeunesse 2018). Front. Mar. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.934307.
  • Medina, M., Baker, D. M., Baltrus, D. A., Bennett, G. M., Cardini, U., Correa, A. M. S., Christa, G., et al. (2022). Grand Challenges in Coevolution. Front. Ecol. Evol. 9, 618251. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2021.618251.
  • Rola, M., Frankenbach, S., Bleidissel, S., Sickinger, C., Donath, A., Frommlet, J. C., Greve, C., Serôdio, J., Preisfeld, A, Melo Clavijo, J., Christa, G. (2022). Cladobranchia (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) as a Promising Model to Understand the Molecular Evolution of Photosymbiosis in Animals. Front. Mar. Sci. 8, 745644. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.745644.
  • Melo Clavijo, J., Drews, F., Pirritano, M., Simon, M., Salhab, A., Donath, A., Frankenbach, S., Serôdio, J., Bleidißel, S., Preisfeld, A., Christa, G. (2021). The complete mitochondrial genome of the photosymbiotic sea slug Berghia stephanieae (Valdés, 2005) (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia). Mitochondrial DNA Part B 6, 2281-2284. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2021.1914211.
  • Frankenbach, S., Luppa, Q., Serôdio, J., Greve, C., Bleidissel, S., Melo Clavijo, J., Laetz, E.J.M, Preisfeld, A., Christa, G. (2021). Kleptoplasts are continuously digested during feeding in the plastid-bearing sea slug Elysia viridis. Journal of Molluscan Studies 87, eyab022. doi: 10.1093/mollus/eyab22.
  • Melo Clavijo, J., Frankenbach, S., Fidalgo, C., Serôdio, J., Donath, A., Preisfeld, A., & Christa, G. (2020). Identification of scavenger receptors and thrombospondin-type-1 repeat proteins potentially relevant for plastid recognition in Sacoglossa. Ecology and Evolution.
  • Marques, A., Ferreira, J., Abreu, H., Pereira, R., Rego, A., Serôdio, J., Christa, G., Gaivão I., Pacheco, M. (2018). Searching for antigenotoxic properties of marine macroalgae dietary supplementation against endogenous and exogenous challenges. J Tox Environ Health, Part A. 1-18. doi:10.1080/15287394.2018.1507856
  • Serôdio, J., Schmidt, W., Frommlet, J. C., Christa, G., Nitschke, M. (2018). An LED-based multi-actinic illumination system for the high throughput study of photosynthetic light responses. Peer J. doi:10.7717/peerj.5589
  • Christa, G.*, Pütz, L., Sickinger, C., Melo Clavijo, J., Laetz, E.J.M., Greve, C., Serôdio, J. (2018). Photoprotective non-photochemical quenching does not prevent kleptoplasts from net photoinactivation. Front Ecol Evol. doi:10.3389/fevo.2018.00121.
  • Melo, J., Donath, A., Serôdio, J., Christa, G.* (2018). Polymorphic adaptations in metazoa to establish and maintain photosymbioses. Biol Rev https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12430.
  • Rauch, C., Tielens, A.G.M., Serôdio, J., Gould, S.B., Christa, G.* (2018). The ability to incorporate functional plastids by the sea slug Elysia viridis is governed by the food source. Mar Biol 165: 82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-018-3329-8.
  • Handrich, M., de Vries, J., Gould, S.B., Serôdio, J., Christa, G.* (2017). Ulvophycean photophysiology and research oppurtunities. Persp in Phycol 4:83-92 (including cover contribution).
  • Rauch, C., Christa, G., de Vries, J., Wohle, C. Gould, S. B. (2017). Mitochondrial genome assemblies of Elysia timida and Elysia cornigera and the response of mitochondrion-associated metabolism during starvation. Genome Biol Evol 9:1873-1879.
  • Christa G.*, Cruz, S., Jahns, P., de Vries, J., Cartaxana, P., Esteves, A.C., Serôdio, J., Gould, S.B. (2017). Photoprotection in a monophyletic branch of chlorophyte algae is independent of energy-dependent quenching (qE). New Phyt 214:1132-1144.
  • Rauch C., de Vries J., Rommel S., Rose L.E., Woehle C., Christa G., Laetz E.M., Wägele H., Tielens A.G.M., Nickelson J., Schumann T., Jahns P., Gould S.B.: Why it is time to look beyond algal genes in photosynthetic slugs. Genome Biol Evol 7:2602-2607 (2015).
  • de Vries, J., Woehle, C., Christa, G., Wägele, H., Thielens, A.G.M., Jahns, P., Gould, S.B. (2015). Comparison of sister species identifies factors underpinning plastid compatibility in green sea slugs. Proc R Soc B 282.1802 (2015): 20142519 (including cover contribution).
  • de Vries, J., Rauch, C., Christa, G., Gould, S.B. (2015). A sea slug's guide to plastid symbiosis. Acta Soc Bot Pol 83, 415-421 (including cover contribution).
  • Christa G.*, Händeler, K., Kück, P., Vleugels, M., Franken, J., Karmeinski, D., Wägele, H. (2015). Phylogenetic evidence for multiple independent origins of functional kleptoplasty in Sacoglossa (Heterobranchia, Gastropoda). Org Divers Evol 15, 23-26.
  • Laetz, E., Christa, G., Händeler, H., Wägele, H. (2014). A new species of Cylindrobulla (Sacoglossa, Panpulmonata, Gastropoda) and discussion of the Cylindrobulla / Ascobulla complex, with a determination key. Zootaxa 3893, 339-362.
  • de Vries, J., Christa, G., Gould, S.B. (2014). Robust plastids challenge their host. Trends Plant Sci 19, 347-350 (including cover contribution).
  • Christa, G., de Vries, J., Jahns, P., Gould, S.B. (2014). Switching off photosynthesis: The dark side of sacoglossan slugs. Commun Integr Biol doi:10.4161/cib.28029.
  • Christa G.*, Gould S.B., Franken J., Vleugels M., Karmeinski D., Händeler K., Martin W.F., Wägele H. (2014). Functional kleptoplasty in a limapontioidean genus: phylogeny, food preferences and photosynthesis in Costasiella with focus on C. ocellifera (Gastropoda, Sacoglossa). J Mollusc Stud 80 (5), 499-507.
  • Laetz, E., Coleman, C.O., Christa, G., Wägele, H. (2014). Behavioural interactions between Tritaeta gibbosa (Crustacea , Amphipoda) and Ocnus planci (Echinodermata , Holothuroidea). Vie et milieu - Life and environment 63, 105-117.
  • Christa, G.*, Händeler, K., Schäberle, T.F., König, G.M., Wägele, H. (2014). Identification of sequestered chloroplasts in photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic sacoglossan sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Front Zool 11, 15. http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/11/1/15
  • Christa, G., Zimorski, V., Woehle, C., Tielens, A.G.M., Wägele, H., Martin, W.F., Gould, S.B. (2014). Plastid-bearing sea slugs fix CO2 in the light but do not require photosynthesis to survive. Proc R Soc B 281, 20132493-3.
  • de Vries, J., Habicht, J., Woehle, C., Changjie, H., Christa, G., Wägele, H., Nickelsen, J., Martin, W.F., Gould, S.B. (2013). Is ftsH the key to plastid longevity in sacoglossan slugs? Genome Biol Evol 5, 2540-2548.
  • Christa, G., Wescott, L., Schäberle, T.F., König, G.M., Wägele, H. (2013). What remains after 2 months of starvation? Analysis of sequestered algae in a photosynthetic slug, Plakobranchus ocellatus (Sacoglossa, Opisthobranchia), by barcoding. Planta 237, 559-572.
  • Wägele, H., Deusch, O., Händeler, K., Martin, R., Schmitt, V., Christa, G., Pinzger, B., Gould, S.B., Dagan, T., Klussmann-Kolb, A., Martin, W. (2011). Transcriptomic evidence that longevity of acquired plastids in the photosynthetic slugs Elysia timida and Plakobranchus ocellatus does not entail lateral transfer of algal nuclear genes. Mol Biol Evol 28, 699-706.

Conference contributions

  • 02/2018 Scientific presentation at the "19th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biological Systematics (GfBS)", Vienna, Austria
  • 01/2018 Lecture at the Biological Colloquium at the University of Bonn, Germany
  • 03/2016 Scientific lecture at the "16th Scientific Conference of the Phycological Section of the German Botanical Society", Leipzig, Germany
  • 07/2015 Scientific lecture at the "5th International Workshop for Opisthobranchia", Porto, Portugal
  • 07/2013 Scientific lecture at the "World Congress of Malacology", Ponta Delgada, Portugal
  • 02/2013 Scientific presentation at the "14th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biological Systematics (GfBS)", Vienna, Austria
  • 10/2012 Poster presentation at the "15th International Colloquium for Endocytobiology and Symbiosis", Munich, Germany
  • 02/2011 Scientific presentation at the "12th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biological Systematics (GfBS)", Berlin, Germany
  • 09/2010 Poster presentation at the "3rd International Workshop for Opisthobranchia", Vigo, Spain