Susanne Foitzik
Principal Investigator
- Project: Project 12.1, Project 12.2, Project 12.3, Project 13.1, Project 13.2, Project 13.3, Project 4.1, Project A.01, Project A.04, Project A.10, Project A.19, Project A.23
- Research Group
- Address: iomE, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15 (Biozentrum I, 01.360/01.356), 55128 Mainz
- Phone: +49 (0)6131 - 39 27840
"I would like to help bridge evolutionary and molecular biology and bring a hypothesis driven evolutionary framework into molecular biology."
- Since 2010: Professor in Evolutionary Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz
- 2004-2010: Professor in Behavioral Ecology, LMU Munich
- 2000-2004: Scientific Assistant, University of Regensburg
- 1998-2000: Postdoctoral Fellow, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, USA
Education:
- 1998: PhD in Biology, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg
- 1995: Diploma in Biology, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg
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Lenhart A, Majoe M, Selvi S, Colgan TJ, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S (2025)
Worker Survival and Egg Production—But Not Transcriptional Activity—Respond to Queen Number in the Highly Polygynous, Invasive Ant Tapinoma magnum Molecular Ecology, 34(6), e17679 -
Stoldt M, Negroni MA, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S (2025)
Molecular Adjustment to a Social Niche: Brain Transcriptomes Reveal Divergent Influence of Social Environment on the Two Queen Morphs of the Ant Temnothorax rugatulus Molecular Ecology, e17649 -
Macit MN, Collin E, Pfenninger M, Foitzik S, Feldmeyer B (2024)
Genomic basis of adaptation to climate and parasite prevalence and the importance of odorant perception in the ant Temnothorax longispinosus Molecular Ecology, 33(13):e17417 -
Caminer MA, Libbrecht R, Majoe M, Ho DV, Baumann P, Foitzik S (2023)
Task-specific odorant receptor expression in worker antennae indicates that sensory filters regulate division of labor in ants Communications Biology, 6:1004 -
Hartke J, Foitzik S (2023)
Ameisen – ein Erfolgsmodell der Evolution: Die Rolle der Genregulation in der Plastizität von Verhalten und Lebenserwartung Biologie in unserer Zeit, 53(4):342–349 -
Hartke J, Ceron Noriega A, Stoldt M, Sistermans T, Kever M, Fuchs J, Butter F, Foitzik S (2023)
Long live the host! Proteomic analysis reveals possible strategies for parasitic manipulation of its social host Molecular Ecology, 32(21):5877-5889 -
Kohlmeier P, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S (2023)
Histone acetyltransferases and external demands influence task switching in Temnothorax ants Biology Letters, 19(7):20230176 -
Seistrup AS, Choppin M, Govind S, Feldmeyer B, Kever M, Karaulanov E, Séguret A, Karunanithi S, Almeida MV, Ketting RF, Foitzik S (2023)
Age- and caste-independent piRNAs in the germline and miRNA profiles linked to caste and fecundity in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus Molecular Ecology, 32(22):6027-6043 -
Sistermans T, Hartke J, Stoldt M, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S (2023)
The influence of parasite load on transcriptional activity and morphology of a cestode and its ant intermediate host Molecular Ecology, 1-15 -
Stoldt M, Collin E, Macit MN, Foitzik S (2023)
Brain and antennal transcriptomes of host ants reveal potential links between behaviour and the functioning of socially parasitic colonies Molecular Ecology, 32(18):5170-5185 -
Mier P, Fontaine JF, Stoldt M, Libbrecht R, Martelli C, Foitzik S, Andrade-Navarro MA (2022)
Annotation and Analysis of 3902 Odorant Receptor Protein Sequences from 21 Insect Species Provide Insights into the Evolution of Odorant Receptor Gene Families in Solitary and Social Insects Genes, 13(5):919 -
Jongepier E, Séguret A, Labutin A, Feldmeyer B, Gstöttl C, Foitzik S, Heinze J, Bornberg-Bauer E (2022)
Convergent loss of chemoreceptors across independent origins of slave-making in ants Molecular Biology and Evolution, 39(1):msab305 -
Stoldt M, Macit MN, Collin E and Foitzik S (2022)
Molecular (co)evolution of hymenopteran social parasites and their hosts Current Opinion in Insect Science, 50:100889 -
Choppin M, Feldmeyer B and Foitzik S (2021)
Histone acetylation regulates the expression of genes involved in worker reproduction in the ant Temnothorax rugatulus BMC Genomics, 22(1):871 -
Beros S, Lenhart A, Scharf I, Negroni MA, Menzel F and Foitzik S (2021)
Extreme lifespan extension in tapeworm-infected ant workers Royal Society Open Science, 8(5):202118 -
Scharf I, Stoldt M, Libbrecht R, Höpfner AL, Jongepier E, Kever M, Foitzik S (2021)
Social isolation causes downregulation of immune and stress response genes and behavioural changes in a social insect Molecular Ecology, 30(10):2378-2389 -
Kennedy A, Peng T, Glaser SM, Linn M, Foitzik S and Grüter C (2021)
Use of waggle dance information in honey bees is linked to gene expression in the antennae, but not in the brain Molecular Ecology, 30(11):2676-2688 -
Korb J, Meusemann K, Aumer, D, Bernadou A, Elsner D, Feldmeyer B, Foitzik S, Heinze J, Libbrecht S, Lin S, Majoe M, Kuhn JMM, Nehring V, Negroni MA, Paxton RJ, Séguret AC, Stoldt M, Flatt T and the So-Long consortium (2021)
Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the mechanisms underpinning ageing and fecundity in social insects Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 376(1823):20190728 -
Majoe M, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S and Nehring V (2021)
Queen loss increases worker survival in leaf-cutting ants under paraquat-induced oxidative stress Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 376(1823):20190735 -
Negroni MA, Macit MN, Stoldt M, Feldmeyer B and Foitzik S (2021)
Molecular regulation of lifespan extension in fertile ant workers Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 376(1823): 20190736 -
Negroni MA, Stoldt M, Ostera M, Rupp A, Feldmeyer B and Foitzik S (2021)
Social organisation and the evolution of life-history traits in two queen morphs of the ant Temnothorax rugatulus Journal of Experimental Biology, 224(7):jeb232793. -
Negroni MA, Feldmeyer B and Foitzik S (2021)
Experimental increase in fecundity causes upregulation of fecundity and body maintenance genes in the fat body of ant queens Biology Letters, 17(2) -
Choppin M, Graf S, Feldmeyer B, Libbrecht R, Menzel F and Foitzik S (2021)
Queen and worker phenotypic traits are associated with colony composition and environment in Temnothorax rugatulus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an ant with alternative reproductive strategies Myrmecological News, 31:61-69 -
Stoldt M, Klein L, Beros S, Butter F, Jongepier E, Feldmeyer B and Foitzik S (2021)
Parasite presence induces gene expression changes in an ant host related to immunity and longevity Genes, 12(1):95 -
Negroni MA, Segers FHID, Vogelweith F and Foitzik S (2020)
Immune challenge reduces gut microbial diversity and triggers fertility-dependent gene expression changes in a social insect BMC Genomics, 21:816 -
Libbrecht R, Nadrau D, Foitzik S (2020)
A Role of Histone Acetylation in the Regulation of Circadian Rhythm in Ants iScience, 23(2):100846 -
Gstöttl C, Stoldt M, Jongepier E, Bornberg-Bauer E, Feldmeyer B, Heinze J, Foitzik S (2020)
Comparative analyses of caste, sex, and developmental stage-specific transcriptomes in two Temnothorax ants Ecology and Evolution, 10: 4193-4203 -
Stoldt M, Foitzik S (2020)
Slave-Making in Ants (Dulosis) Encyclopedia of Social Insects -
Körner M, Vogelweith F, Libbrecht R, Foitzik S, Feldmeyer B, Meunier J (2020)
Offspring reverse transcriptome responses to maternal deprivation when reared with pathogens in an insect with facultative family life Proc R Soc B Biol Sci, 1926 -
Segers FHID, Kaltenpoth M, Foitzik S (2019)
Abdominal microbial communities in ants depend on colony membership rather than caste and are linked to colony productivity Ecol Evol, 23:13450-13467 -
Alleman A, Stoldt M, Feldmeyer B and Foitzik S (2019)
Tandem‐running and scouting behaviour are characterized by up‐regulation of learning and memory formation genes within the ant brain Mol Ecol, 28:2342–2359 -
Kaur R, Stoldt M, Jongepier E, Feldmeyer B, Menzel F, Bornberg-Bauer E and Foitzik S (2019)
Ant behaviour and brain gene expression of defending hosts depend on the ecological success of the intruding social parasite Philos Trans R Soc B Biol Sci, 374:20180192