Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, Berlin-Dahlem Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, Berlin-Dahlem

Scientific staff

Dr. Birgit Gemeinholzer

Contact:
Dr. Birgit Gemeinholzer
Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
Phone: (+4930) 838-50152, Fax: (+4930) 841-72924, E-mail: b.gemeinholzer@bgbm.org.

Functions:

  • Scientific supervisor of the molecular laboratory

Molecular laboratory at the BGBM:

The molecular laboratory at the BGBM is equipped with state of the art instrumentation to carry out genetic analyses on nucleic acids. Ongoing work concentrates on the study of genetic diversity in plants and diatoms, analyzing relationships among populations to higher taxonomic levels. Our research is applicable to concerns for phylogenetic analysis, DNA based organism identification (DNA Barcoding) and conservation biology and relevant for taxonomic and biodiversity issues. The molecular laboratory at the BGBM provides facilities for the isolation of nucleic acids and their characterisation by sequencing or fragment analysis. The laboratory is well equipped with computing equipment and network links for analyses.

Research interests:

  • Reconstruction of the molecular phylogeny of the Cichorieae (Lactuceae) within the Asteraceae with special emphasis on tribal delimitation. (in cooperation with N. Kilian and H. W. Lack)
  • Establishment of a molecular phylogeny of Crepis/Asteraceae to analyze morphological and caryological character evolution within the genus (N. Enke), supported by DFG
  • Establishment of a DNA-Bank-Network (H. Zetzsche, G. Droege, A. Schories) in cooperation with the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Munich (ZSM), the German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig (DSMZ) and the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn (ZFMK)) and supported by DFG
  • Screening the inter- and intraspecific variability of plants and diatoms to examine the reliability of diagnostic markers - DNA-Barcoding (in cooperation with R. Jahn and J. Zimmermann)
  • Phylogeographical and population genetic studies (in cooperation with E. Zippel), supported by DBU, Heidehofstiftung, Friends of Botanic Garden Berlin-Dahlem, LUA-Brandenburg
  • Molecular Systematics (Taxonomy, Phylogeny, Molecular Clock Reconstructions) (L. Ferrufino), supported by DAAD

Curriculum:

1994-1995 Master of Science at the University and the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh/GB
1996-2000 Research Associate at the University of Heidelberg, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology
2000 PhD, University of Heidelberg (Reconstruction of the molecular phylogeny of the Solanaceae)
2001-2004 Postdoc at the Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK-Gatersleben)
since 2004 Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem (FU-Berlin)

Memberships in scientific societies:

  • International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT)
  • Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (GfBS)
  • Botanischer Verein Berlin-Brandenburg
Deutsche Version
Print Page