Dr. Manuela Sann

My research interests are mainly focused on fundamental questions on the evolutionary history of Hymenoptera with a special focus on the group of apoid wasps (Apoidea, excluding bees). My interest in Hymenoptera is based on their fascinating morphological and behavioral diversity, but also on their enormous adaptability to different habitats and life strategies. To study the evolutionary history and biodiversity of Hymenoptera, I apply a wide range of comparative  approaches that combines morphological and molecular methods.

The „Invertebrates“ department comprise fascinating entomological, malacological and, arachnological collections. As a curator of the entomological collection, I am pleased to be responsible for its administration, expansion, preservation, collection-related research and the supervision and training of students. In order to identify, describe and classify species, we use modern taxonomic methods, which include not only classical taxonomic work but also state-of-the-art molecular methods.

To study genomic adaptation and species diversification, we are particularly interested in genomic dynamics linked to parallel evolution of secondary phytophagy in Hymenoptera. The evolution of phytophagy likely involves fundamental behavioural and morphological changes accompanied by chemosensory and metabolic adaptations. Using comparative genomics and transcriptomics, we aim to uncover genomic underpinnings of macroevolutionary dietary adaptations linked to e.g., the metabolism of plant secondary compounds, the composition of odorant receptors, gustatory receptor families, or carbon dioxide receptor genes. Further, we study genomic changes underlying evolutionary dietary shifts, testing the repeatability of gene gain and loss, and rapid evolution in regulatory sequences, transposable element dynamics, and gene copy numbers.

Wild bees and wasps have a fundamental ecological and economic importance, particularly as important pollinators of wild and cultivated plants or as important predators regulating arthropod communities. Due to a combination of several anthropogenic factors, the number of individuals and/or the diversity of wild bees and wasps is declining in various habitats. To preserve and promote wild bees and wasps a comprehensive monitoring of their species diversity and population sizes in rural and urban areas is mandatory. We apply an integrative approach to comprehensively assess and analysis collected nest resources such as pollen or arthropods but also natural enemies. This comprehensive data collection allows us to distinguish habitat diversity driven bottom up functions, acting on quantitative interaction networks of cavity-nesting Hymenoptera across trophic levels.

• von Berg L, Frank J, Betz O, Steidle JL, Böttinger S, Sann M (2024): Disc mower versus bar mower: Evaluation of the direct effects of two common mowing techniques on the grassland arthropod fauna. Journal of Applied Ecology. http://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14852 
• von Berg L, Sann M, Steidle JL, Frank J, Böttinger S, Betz O (2024): InsectMow — Development and evaluation of insect-and spider-friendly mowing techniques. 
  Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Allgemeine und Angewandte Entomologie 23.
• Jandausch K, Wanjura N, Escalona H, Sann M, Beutel RG, Pohl H, Niehuis O (2024): Polyandry and sperm competition in twotraumatically inseminating species of Strepsiptera (Insecta). Scientific Reports 14. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61109-z
• Timm L, Schaal J, Sann M (2024): A DNA-barcoding-based approach to quantitatively investigate larval food resources of cavity-nesting wasps from trap nests. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 97: 45–56. doi.org/10.3897/jhr.97.117410
• Fornoff F, Halla W, Geiger S, Klein AM, Sann M (2023): DNA barcoding resolves quantitative multi‐trophic interaction networks and reveals pest species in trap nests. Insect Conservation and Diversity,16, 725–731.
• von Berg L, Frank J, Sann M, Betz O, Steidle JL, Böttinger S (2023). Insect-and spider-friendly mowing technology in grassland–overview and evaluation. LANDTECHNIK, 78(2), 80–96.
• Jasso-Martínez JM, Donath A, Schulten D, Zaldívar-Riverón A, Sann M (2021): Midgut transcriptome assessment of the cockroach-hunting wasp Ampulex compressa (Apoidea: Ampulicidae). PLoS ONE 16, e0252221. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252221
• Korten H & Sann M (2021): Die Hummeln am Tuniberg und im Mooswald westlich von Freiburg – eine vergleichende faunistisch-ökologische Untersuchung. Ampulex 12, 25–32.
• Sann M, Meusemann K, Niehuis O, Escalona HE, Mokrousov M, Ohl M, Pauli T, Schmid-Egger C (2021). Reanalysis of the Apoid Wasp Phylogeny With Additional Taxa and Sequence Data Confirms the Placement of Ammoplanidae as Sister to Bees. Systematic Entomology; https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12475.
• Pauli T, Meusemann K, Kukowka S, Sann M, Donath A, Mayer C, Oeyen JP, Ballesteros Y, Berg A, van den Berghe E, Escalona HE, Guglielmino A, Niehuis M, Olmi M, Podsiadlowski L, Polidori C, de Rond J, Rosa P, Schmitt T, Strumia F, Wurdack M, Liu S, Zhou X, Misof B, Peters RS, Niehuis O (2021). Analysis of RNA-Seq, DNA Target Enrichment, and Sanger Nucleotide Sequence Data Resolves Deep Splits in the Phylogeny of Cuckoo Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae). Insect Systematics and Diversity 5, 1.
• Maletti, S, Niehuis O, Mayer C, Sann M, Klopfstein S, Nottebrock G, Baur H, Peters RS (2020). Phylogeny, taxonomics, and ovipositor length variation of the Pteromalus albipennis species group (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae: Pteromalinae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 59, 349–358.
• Sann M, Niehuis O, Peters RS, Mayer C, Kozlov A, Podsiadlowski L, Bank S, Meusemann K, Misof B, Bleidorn B, Ohl M (2018): Phylogenomic analysis of Apoidea sheds new light on the sister group of bees. – BMC Evolutionary Biology 18: 71.
• Bank S*, Sann M*, Mayer C, Meusemann K, Donath A, Podsiadlowski L, Kozlov A, Petersen M, Krogmann L, Meier R, Rosa P, Schmitt T, Wurdack M, Liu S, Zhou X, Misof B, Peters RS, Niehuis O (2017): Transcriptome and target DNA enrichment sequence data provide new insights into the phylogeny of vespid wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata: Vespidae). – Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 116: 213–226.
• Mayer C*, Sann M*, Donath A, Meixner M, Podsiadlowski L, Peters RS, Petersen M, Meusemann K, Liere K, Wägele JW, Misof B, Bleidorn C, Ohl M, Niehuis O (2016): BaitFisher: A software package for multi-species target DNA enrichment probe design. – Molecular Biology and Evolution 33: 1875–1886. (* these authors contributed equally)
• Sann M, Gerth M, Venne C, Tiedemann R, Bleidorn C (2011): Molekulare und morphologische Untersuchungen zum Status des Nomada alboguttata (Apiformes) Artkomplexes. – Ampulex 2: 65–72.

 (* these authors contributed equally)