Miriam Liedvogel How Do Genes Allow Migratory Birds To Travel With Such Precision?
Miriam Liedvogel is Director of the Institute of Avian Research at Vogelwarte Helgoland and Professor of Ornithology at Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg. Until 2022 she also continues as leader of her Max Planck Research Group on Behavioural Genomics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. Liedvogel held a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship at Oxford Universtiy, UK, and a Feodor Lynen Fellowship for research at Lund University, Sweden. Liedvogel’s research interests include bird migration, evolution, behavioral genomics and the molecular mechanisms of animal orientation and navigation. As a principal investigator, Liedvogel’s research has been supported by various funding schemes, e.g. Max Planck Society, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Research Foundation (DFG), European Commission (FP7), German Academic Exchange Scheme (DAAD). She has received several awards and fellowships, for instance the JED Williams Medal.
Area of Research
Avian Biology
since 2020
Director
Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland” Wilhelmshaven, DE
since 2020
Professor in Ornithology
Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
since 2014
Research Group Leader
MPI Evolutionary Biology, Research Group: Behavioural Genomics Identification
2010-2013
Feodor Lynen Fellow
Lund University
2007-2009
Marie Curie Fellow
University of Oxford
2020
Habilitation
Kiel University (Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel)
Faculty of Mathematics & Natural Sciences: Venia legendi in Zoology &Genetics. Bird migration: An evolutionary genomics approach
2002-2006
Ph.D. studies
Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
Collaboration w/ Duke University: Magnetic orientation in migratory birds: Perception and neuronal integration
2001-2002
M.Sc. in Integrative Biosciences
University of Oxford
- For >50 Journals including Current Biology, Ecology Letters, eLife, Molecular Ecology, Nature, Nature Comm, PNAS, Proceedings B, Scientific Reports, Trends in Ecology and Evolution
- Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN)
- Kiel Evolution Center (KEC)
- German Zoological Society (DZG)
- German Ornithological Society (DO-G)
Prizes
- JED Williams Medal (2021)
- Finalist Norddeutscher Wissenschaftspreis 2018
- ”AcademiaNet excellence” nomination by the Max Planck Society (2017)
- Grocott Award (2009)
Fellowships
- Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation, FRIN (2013)
- Feodor Lynen Fellowship, Alexander v Humboldt Foundation (2010 - 2013)
- Marie-Curie Intra-European Fellowship (FP6) (2007- 2009)
© Maximilian Dörrbecker
Max Planck Society
"The Max Planck Society is Germany's most successful research organization. Since its establishment in 1948, no fewer than 18 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists, putting it on a par with the best and most prestigious research institutions worldwide. The more than 15,000 publications each year in internationally renowned scientific journals are proof of the outstanding research work conducted at Max Planck Institutes – and many of those articles are among the most-cited publications in the relevant field." (Source)
Institute
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology consists of the three departments Evolutionary Ecology, Evolutionary Genetics and Evolutionary Theory, the fourth department Microbial Population Biology is currently building up. The institute is focused on basic research to unravel general evolutionary processes, such as ecological adaptations, benefits of sexual reproduction or evolution of cooperation. The scope of the work includes ecological, organismic, molecular and theoretical approaches. (Source)
Map
Migratory birds can travel thousands of kilometers with great precision. In this video, MIRIAM LIEDVOGEL explores the genetic characteristics that enable this. Focusing on blackcaps because of the different types of migratory behavior that they exhibit, Liedvogel employs geolocator technology to track birds’ movements in their natural habitat. Among other things, the research demonstrates that differing migratory orientation can be linked to variation in the individual genome. Providing insight into behavioral variability and sensory biology the research also helps to explain how populations adapt to changing ecological conditions and can therefore contribute to the optimization of conservation measures.
LT Video Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB10978
The Evolutionary History and Genomics of European Blackcap Migration
- Kira Delmore, Juan Carlos Illera, Javier Pérez-Tris, Gernot Segelbacher, Juan S Lugo Ramos, Gillian Durieux, Jun Ishigohoka and Miriam Liedvogel
- Elife
- Published in 2020
Individual Variability and Versatility in an Eco-Evolutionary Model of Avian Migration
- Kira E. Delmore*, Benjamin M. Van Doren*, Greg J. Conway, Teja Curk, Tania Garrido-Garduño, Ryan R. Germain, Timo Hasselmann, Dieter Hiemer, Henk P. van der Jeugd, Hannah Justen and Miriam LiedvogelJ.S. Lugo Ramos, I. Maggini et al
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B
- Published in 2020
