Dr. Daniela Römerfffffffffffffffffffffffffff Curriculum Vitae
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name Dr. Daniela Römer Current position Postdoc, Behavioural Ecology Lab, Prof. Flavio Roces Since 09/2018 Zoology II Adress Department of Behavioural Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany Phone +49 931 31 80832 Email [email protected] ORCID 0000-0002-7437-2195
EDUCATION
11/2009 – 02/2015 PhD Thesis – Behavioural Ecology, University of Wuerzburg Thesis title: Where and how to build? Influence of social and environmental cues on nest building behavior in leaf-cutting ants Thesis advisor: Flavio Roces
10/1999 – 07/2002 Postgradual study, Environmental Sciences/Ecotechnie, University of Jena, Germany, Master of Environmental Sciences (MenvSc), Master Thesis in ecology Thesis Title: Pupp loss and adoption in the Northern elephant seal Mirounga angustirostris on Southeastern Farallon Island Thesis advisor: François Buscot, William Sydeman
10/1991 – 12/1997 Study of Biology, University of Wuerzburg, Diploma (MSc), Thesis in Behavioural Ecology Thesis Title: Examinations of the determination of leaf-fragment size in leaf-cutting ants Thesis advisor: Flavio Roces and Bert Hölldobler
Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Germany Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg Phone +49 (0) 931 3180832 email [email protected] 1/5 09/1988 – 06/1991 Business Grammar School (Wirtschaftsgymnasium), Bad Mergentheim, Germany, A Levels
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
09/2016 – 05/2018 Postdoc, International Postdoctoral Fellowship, ANII (Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación), Universidad de la República, Facultad de Agronomia, Montevideo, Uruguay
09/2015 – 08/2016 Postdoc, SCIENTIA Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Wuerzburg
02/2010 – 12/2014 Research Assistant, Department of Behavioural Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), University of Wuerzburg
STIPENDS AND GRANTS
09/2016 – 05/2018 International Postdoctoral Fellowship, Agencia nacional de Investigación e Innovación (ANII), Uruguay Project: Regulation of foraging in a major agricultural pest: Endogenous and exogenous factors influencing foraging in leaf-cutting ants
04/2016 – 04/2017 Postdoc Plus Funding Program, Graduate School of Liefe Sciences (GSLS), University of Wuerzburg Project: CO2 and its effects on the organization of colony tasks in leaf- cutting ant
09/2015 – 08/2016 SCIENTIA Postdoctoral Fellowship, Womens Office, University of Wuerzburg Project: Plasticity and division of labor in ant colonies
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2011 – 2016 Supervisor of 7 Bachelor Thesis and the accompanying course +2020 ‘Individual Behavioural Biology 3’, Topic: Behavioural ecology of leaf-cutting ants
2011 – 2016 + Supervisor of student research projects, Master F1 2018 – 2020 Animal Physiology and Sociobiology
2010 – 2014 + Supervisor, Course: Animal Behavior 2018 – 2020 - 2020 in the form of an online class
Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Germany Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg Phone +49 (0) 931 3180832 email [email protected] 2/5 2010 – 2015 + Supervisor, Course: Integrative Behavioral Biology 2 – 2018 – 2020 Decision making of leaf-cutting ants during foraging
2016 + 2019 Supervisor of ERASMUS student research projects
2010 – 2013 Lecturer and Supervisor, ‘Animal Physiology – Part: Muscle Physiology
PUBLICATIONS
2020 Selection and spatial arrangement of building materials during the construction of nest turrets by grass-cutting ants, D. Römer, M.I. Cosarinsky, F. Roces, Royal Society Open Science 7: 201312.
Nest turrets of Acromyrmex grass-cutting ants: micromorphology reveals building techniques and construction dynamics, M.I. Cosarinsky, D. Römer, F. Roces, Insects 11(2), 140.
2019 Waste deposition in leaf-cutting ants is guided by olfactory cues from waste, D. Römer, F. Roces, The Science of Nature 106: 3 – Highlighted Paper.
Leaf-cutting ants use relative humidity and temperature but not CO2 levels as cues for the selection of an underground dumpsite, D. Römer, M. Bollazzi, F. Roces, Ecological Entomology 44: 502-511.
2018 Underground nest building: the effect of CO2 on digging rates, soil transport and choice of a digging site in leaf-cutting ants, D. Römer, F. Halboth, F. Roces, Insectes Sociaux, 65: 305-313 – Highlighted Paper.
Carbon dioxide sensing in the social context: leaf-cutting ants prefer elevated CO2 levels to tend their brood, D. Römer, M. Bollazzi, F. Roces, Journal of Insect Physiology 108: 40-47.
2017 Carbon dioxide sensing in an obligate insect-fungus symbiosis: CO2 preferences of leaf-cutting ants to rear their mutualistic fungus, D. Römer, M. Bollazzi, F. Roces, PloS One 12(4): e0174597.
2015 Available space, symbiotic fungus and colony brood influence excavation and lead to the adjustment of nest enlargement in leaf- cutting ants, D. Römer, F. Roces, Insectes Sociaux 62(4): 401-413.
2014 Nest enlargement in leaf-cutting ants: relocated brood and fungus trigger the excavation of new chambers, D. Römer, F. Roces, PloS One 9 : e97872.
Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Germany Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg Phone +49 (0) 931 3180832 email [email protected] 3/5
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
2020 Self-organized resource distribution in a highly evolved superorganism – Demand and supply within a leaf-cutting ant nest, D. Römer, G. Pacheco Aguilar, A. Meyer, F. Roces, Virtual Meeting of the Animal Behaviour Section of the German Zoological Society (DZG) – Zoom Talk.
The influence of ant worker aggregation on the emergence of collectively excavated nest structures, D. Römer, I. Reuter, F. Roces, Animal Behavior Live, Online Meeting – Virtual Poster.
2019 Possible mechanisms of leaf-fragment size determination in leaf- cutting ants, D. Römer, F. Roces, 8th Central European Workshop of Myrmecology (CEWM), Regensburg – Talk.
Workshop ‘Termite Course 2019’, Universtiy of Florida, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
2018 Possible mechanisms of leaf-fragment size determination in leaf- cutting ants, D. Römer, F. Roces, 6th Central European Meeting, Vienna, Austria – Poster.
Plasticity in the construction of nest turets in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex fracticornis, D. Römer, M.I. Cosarinsky, F. Roces, 18th International Meeting of the IUSSI (International Union for the Study of Social Insects) – Talk.
2017 Carbon dioxide sensing in leaf-cutting ants: CO2 preferences for tasks within their underground nests, D. Römer, M. Bollazzi, F. Roces, XXIII Simpósio de Mirmecologia, Curitiba, Brazil – Talk.
2016 Microclimatic preferences for waste management in leaf-cutting ants, D. Römer, L. Weidner, S. Wendt, F. Roces, 6th Meeting of the European Section of the IUSSI, Helsinki, Finnland – Talk.
2014 The role of olfactory cues in leaf-cutting ant waste management, D. Römer, F. Roces, 17th International Congress of the IUSSI, Cairns, Australia – Poster.
Brood presence and available space influence digging activity and lead to nest size adjustment in leaf-cutting ants, D. Römer, F. Roces, 9th Meeting of the Ethological Society, Tutzing, Germany – Poster.
Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Germany Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg Phone +49 (0) 931 3180832 email [email protected] 4/5 2013 Use of environmental cues during waste management in leaf- cutting ants (Atta laevigata), D. Römer, F. Roces, 5th Central European Workshop of Myrmecology (CEWM), Innsbruck, Austria – Talk.
Carbon dioxide levels inside the nest influence fungus relocation and excavation behavior in leaf-cutting ants, D. Römer, M. Bollazzi, F. Roces, Behaviour 2013, Newcastle, England – Poster.
Leaf-cutting ants relocate their symbiotic fungus based on the CO2 concentration of the nest environment, D. Römer, M. Bollazzi, F. Roces, 3rd Meeting of the Central European IUSSI, Cluj, Romania – Talk.
2012 Nest enlargement in leaf-cutting ants: Relocated brood triggers the excavation of new chambers, D. Römer, F. Roces, 5th Meeting of the European Section of the IUSSI, Montecatini Terme, Italy – Talk.
2011 Does the presence of brood influence digging behavior in leaf- cutting ants?, D. Römer, F. Roces, 2nd Meeting of the Central European IUSSI, Papenburg, Germany – Talk.
PEER REWIEW
Insectes Sociaux, Acta Ethologica, Insects, Journal of Ethology, Revista Brasileira de Entomología, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Royal Society Open Science, Scientific Reports, Molecular Ecology, Oecologia, Tropical Zoology, Pest Management Science
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
2020 – present Social Media Editor for the Journal ‘Insectes Sociaux’
2019 Blog Post, Building a city – without an architect, Myrmecological News Blog
2018 Talk at the workshop ‘Architecture & Design’, Self-organized nest building in ants, Festspielhalle Hellerau, Dresden, Germany
Blog Post, Digging in the deep: how does carbon dioxide affect communal nest building in ants?, Insectes Sociaux Blog
Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Germany Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg Phone +49 (0) 931 3180832 email [email protected] 5/5