Associate Professor
Phone: 903.566.7009
Email: kkellner@uttyler.edu
Building: HPR 104
Department: Biology
Katrin Kellner
Degrees
- Postdoc, The University of Texas at Austin, 2010-2013, Evolution of Host-symbiont relationships & Microbial Ecology
- Postdoc, University of Regensburg, Germany, 2009-2010, Infectious Diseases & Chemical Ecology
- Doctor of Natural Sciences (German Ph.D. equivalent), University of Regensburg, Germany, 2005-2009, Evolution, Genetics & Behavior
- Diploma of Biology (German Master's equivalent), University of Regensburg, Germany, 2001-2005, Zoology, Genetics, Botany
- Vordiplom (German Bachelor equivalent), University of Regensburg, Germany, 1999-2005,
Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Biography
Teaching Experience
Genetics Lecture and Lab
Graduate Seminars in Molecular Ecology
General Biology I Lecture and Lab
General Biology II Lecture
Entomology Lab
Workshops in Microbial Ecology, Next generation sequencing methods and Bioinformatics, Animal Behavior, Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Conservation Genetics
Research Interests
My research examines the evolutionary biology of complex systems with an emphasis on ant societies. Ants are well-suited model systems because their societies range from small aggregations of distantly related individuals to colonies composed of perfect clones. The dominance of ants in low to mid latitudes was undoubtedly facilitated by the symbioses ants form with bacteria and fungi.
Themes of my research include population genetics and phylogenetics, microbial ecology, behavioral genetics, mating systems, chemical ecology and communication, , disease management and the evolutionary biology of microbial symbioses.
Much of my recent research has investigated the evolutionary genetics and intergenomic epistasis of range expansion of mutualisms, where I am interested in how fungus farming ants can become adapted to colder climates.
Another current project is investigating how harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex) use symbiotic bacteria in their seed deposits.
Other projects are in collaboration with other faculty members in the field of conservation genetics, where I am lending my expertise as Molecular Ecologist to help DNA barcode endangered freshwater mussels, cray fish and other species without harming the individuals. I am also currently establishing the usage eDNA analyses coupled with ddPCR to aid in the detection of rare species from environmental samples like soil and water.
My research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Texas Army National Guard, and Texas Ecolabs.
To find out more about me and my research, please see
My publication list at Google Scholar and Research Gate.
My Research page http://www.antsymbiosis.com/
Interested students are encouraged to contact me!