New Max Planck Research Group at the MPIMM: Eco-Evolutionary Interactions

Lucinid clams are globally distributed and live in environments that are characterized by the accumulation of organic matter in the sediment (e.g., seagrass meadows, mangroves, or hydrocarbon seeps). Lucinid clams are more than 400 million years old. They used to live alongside dinosaurs, and they are still thriving in modern times. Or as an evolutionary biologist would put it: These clams have been extremely successful in survival and diversification. Lucinids of the genera Ctena and Codakia are of particular interest to Wilkins’ new research group because these genera harbor sister species pairs that were separated by the closure of the Isthmus of Panamá. Today, these species pairs are the closest living relatives to each other despite experiencing very different environmental conditions on either side of Central America.

The closure of the Isthmus, which was completed approximately 2.8 million years ago, resulted in the separation of an ancient ocean into the Tropical Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. This geological event changed ocean currents, salinity, temperature, and primary productivity. Populations of marine organisms that once shared a habitat and a common pool of genes had to independently adapt to the new conditions, which resulted in a series of convergent evolution events that give us great insight into how species can adapt to rapid environmental change.

The study of lucinids and their associated chemosynthetic bacteria is a step forward in understanding of how host-microbe associations will respond to a changing ocean during the Anthropocene. Wilkins’ group is closely collaborating with researchers in Central America, Guadeloupe, California, Hong Kong, Austria, and also with research groups in Germany including researchers at the Max Planck Institutes in Mainz and Cologne.

“In the Eco-Evolutionary Interactions Group (EEI), we care about diversity, creativity, and an inclusive environment in academia. The Max Planck Institute in Bremen offers the necessary resources and network to reach our scientific and community-driven goals. We are very excited to be part of the Max Planck Family and the only Max Planck Research Institute of Marine Research”, says Wilkins.