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curriculum vitae

Evolution Lab

Contact Information:
Dept of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
14 Science Drive 4
Singapore 117543

Tel: 6516 2714 and 6516 4061
Fax: 67792486
email:dbsmr@nus.edu.sg

Research Areas:

Evolutionary Biology, Numerical Phylogenetics, Diptera Systematics, Evolution of Sepsidae, DNA-based Taxonomy

Research Interests

The Evolutionary Biology laboratory has three main research themes:  

(1) Tree-of-Life:

The international Tree-of-Life project has the goal to reveal the evolutionary relationships among the 1.7 million described species on our planet. In our lab, we use morphological and DNA sequence data for this purpose and our trees are not only used for elucidating relationships but also for reconstructing the evolution of a diverse array of traits that are important in contemporary evolutionary biology (e.g., sexual dimorphisms in Sepsidae, brain size changes in primates). The main focus taxon of our phylogenetic research is Diptera (mosquitoes, flies) and we are part of the NSF-funded FlyTree project that aims to reconstruct the relationships among the 150,000 described species. However, the laboratory has also facilitated phylogenetic research on corals, fish, crustacean, and birds. Within Diptera, the main emphasis is currently the Sciomyzoidea with approximately 2,500 species and the Calyptratae with approximately 18,000 species. 

(2) DNA-based Taxonomy:

Reliable species identifications and delimitations are important to society in general and the life sciences in particular. Without species identifications scientific results cannot be published and the published information on a species cannot be retrieved from the literature. With the decline of traditional taxonomy and the advent of affordable DNA sequencing, the field is currently discussing to what extent DNA sequences can replace traditional techniques for species delimitation and identification ('DNA barcoding', 'DNA taxonomy'). We are testing these proposals based on broad surveys of COI sequence variability in Metazoa. Special focus is on Sepsidae (Diptera) that is particularly suited for this purpose because it has many widespread species that live on several continents. We test whether these widespread species have large intraspecific, genetic variability and/or contain cryptic species-level diversity. Fortunately, Sepsidae can be maintained in the lab and we can also test for reproductive isolation. This allows us to assess whether morphological or DNA sequence information are better correlated with species limits. In other projects, we use DNA sequences for estimating the species richness of insect samples, matching the immature and adult stages of dragonflies, and barcoding fish species that are of commercial interest. 

(3) Evolution of Sepsidae:

The Sepsidae ('black scavenger flies') is with little more than 300 described species a relatively small and cosmopolitan taxon of flies that have attracted interest from biologists working in different fields ranging from the evolution of sexual dimorphisms over behaviour to developmental biology, and genomics. The main reasons for this interest are that many species possess intriguing morphological and behavioural characters, can be easily bred under laboratory conditions, and have short development times. In our lab, we extensively study the evolution of sexual dimorphisms and mating behavior. The data allow us to address how sexual dimorphisms evolve in response to changes of behaviour and to test competing theories for the evolution of sexual dimorphisms via sexual selection (e.g., sexual conflict vs. cryptic female choice). Our approach is comparative in that we use a phylogenetic tree for 77 sepsid species and study the behavior and morphology of a large number of species that we keep in culture (ca. 25 species).

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Research in the Laboratory:

The NUS Evolutionary Biology Laboratory in 2004 and has a long-standing interest in supporting undergraduate and postgraduate research. Students in our lab have published numerous papers in ISI journals (see list below *=undergraduate research; #=postgraduate research) and many of our undergraduate graduates continue with their postgraduate studies at NUS and/or foreign universities (Harvard University, University of California at Riverside, University of Zurich, Sheffield University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France). Please contact A/P Rudolf Meier if you are interested in carrying out a research project.

Editorial Boards, Awards, etc:

1. Research Associate, American Museum of Natural History (1995-)
2. Research Associate, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (2003-)
3. Founding Fellow, The Willi Hennig Society
4. Vice-President, The Willi Hennig Society (2008-)
5. Council Member, International Congress of Dipterology (2006-)
6. Faculty Teaching Award, NUS, 2006, 2007, 2008
7. Editorial Boards: (1) Cladistics, (2) Systematic Entomology, (3) Invertebrate Systematics, (4) Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny, (5) Zookeys, (6) Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 

PUBLICATIONS:

Books and Monographs:

1. Pape, T., Bickel, D., R. Meier. Diptera Diversity: Status, Challenges, and Tools. Brill Academic Publishers, accepted for in press.
2. Pont, A. C., and R. Meier. 2002. The Sepsidae (Diptera) of Europe. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, 37: 1-221.
3. Petersen, J. F. T., and R. Meier (Editors) 2002. A Checklist of Danish Diptera. Steenstrupia 26: 119-279.
4. Wheeler, Q. D., and R. Meier (eds.) 2000. Species Concepts and Phylogenetic Theory: a Debate. Columbia University Press, New York; 1-230. Download available from http://www.earthscape.org/  .
5. Meier, R. 1996. Larval morphology of the Sepsidae (Diptera: Sciomyzoidea), with a cladistic analysis using adult and larval characters. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 228: 1-147. 

Journal Articles and Book Chapters (2003-2008):

1. 2009: Wowor, D.#, V. Muthu*, R. Meier, M. Balke, Y. Cai#, P. K. L. Ng. Evolution of life history traits in Asian freshwater prawns of the genus Macrobrachium (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) based on multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, accepted.

2. 2009: Huang, D.#, R. Meier, P. A. Todd, and L. M. Chou. More evidence for pervasive paraphyly in scleratinian corals: systematic study of Southeast Asian Faviidae (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) based on molecular and morphological data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 50: 102-116. abstract

3. 2009: Meier, R. and G. Zhang*. DNA barcoding and DNA taxonomy in Diptera: An assessment based on 4261 COI sequences for 1001 species. Book chapter for 'Diptera Diversity: Status, Challenges, and Tools' edited for Brill Academic Publishers by D. Bickel et al., in press.

4. 2009: Dikow, T., R. Meier, G. G. Vaidya*, J. Londt. Biodiversity Research Based on Taxonomic Revisions - A Tale of Unrealized Opportunities -. Book chapter for 'Diptera Diversity: Status, Challenges, and Tools' edited for Brill Academic Publishers by D. Bickel et al., in press.

5. 2009: Meier, R., G. S. Lim*#. Conflict, Convergent Evolution, and the Relative Importance of Immature and Adult Characters in Endopterygote Phylogenetics. Annual Review of Entomology, 54: 85-104.

6. 2008: Ali, F.*, R. Meier. Positive selection in ASPM is correlated with cerebral cortex but not whole brain size evolution across primates. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25: 2247-2250. abstract

7. 2008: Kutty, S. N.#, T. Pape, A. Pont, B. M. Wiegmann, R. Meier. The Muscoidea (Diptera: Calyptratae) is paraphyletic: Evidence from four mitochondrial and four nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 49: 639- 652. abstract

8. 2008: Tan, S. H. D.*, F. Ali*, S. N. Kutty#, R. Meier. The need for specifying species concepts: how many species of silvered langurs (Trachypithecus cristatus group) should be recognized? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 49: 688-689.

9. 2008: Meier, R. G. Zhang*, F. Ali*. The use of mean instead of smallest interspecific distances exaggerates the size of the 'barcoding gap' and leads to misidentification. Systematic Biology, 57: 809-813.

10. 2008: Lohman, D. J., P. Djunijanti, N. E. Pierce, R. Meier. Phylogeography and genetic diversity of a widespread Old World butterfly, Lampides boeticus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8: 301.

11. 2008: Ang, Y.#, G. S. Lim#, R. Meier. Morphology and DNA sequences confirm the first Neotropical record for the Holarctic sepsid species Themira leachi (Meigen) (Diptera: Sepsidae). Zootaxa, 1933: 63-65. abstract

12. 2008: Lohman, D. Prawiradilaga, and R. Meier. Improved COI barcoding primers for Southeast Asian perching birds (Aves: Passeriformes). Molecular Ecology Resources. abstract

13. 2008: Su Feng Yi, K.*#, S. Kutty# and R. Meier. Morphology versus Molecules: The phylogenetic relationships of Sepsidae (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha) based on morphology and DNA sequence data from ten genes. Cladistics, 24: 902-916. abstract

14. 2008: Hare, E. E., Peterson, B. K., Iyer V. N., Meier, R., Eisen, M. B. 2008. Sepsid even-skipped enhancers are functionally conserved in Drosophila despite lack of sequence conservation. PLoS Genetics 4: e1000106 .

15. 2008: Puniamoorthy, N.*#, K. Feng Yi Su*#, R. Meier. Bending for love: losses and gains of sexual dimorphisms are strictly correlated with changes in the mounting position of sepsid flies (Sepsidae: Diptera). BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8:155.

16. 2008: Meier, R. Evolution: Teaching the Controversy. CDTLink, 12: 4,14.

17. 2008: Ang, Y.*, N. Puniamoorthy* #, and R. Meier. 2008. Secondarily reduced foreleg armature in Perochaeta dikowi sp. n. (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha: Sepsidae) due to a novel mounting technique. Systematic Entomology, 33: 552-559. abstract

18. 2008: Meier, R. DNA Sequences in Taxonomy: Opportunities and Challenges. Pp. 95-128. Book chapter for 'The New Taxonomy' Systematics Association Special Volume edited by Q. Wheeler.

19. 2008: Huang, D.#, R. Meier, P. A. Todd, and L. M. Chou. Slow mitochondrial COI sequence evolution at the base of the metazoan tree and its implications for DNA barcoding. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 66: 167-174. abstract

20. 2008: Ingram, K. K., T. Laamanen* , N. Puniamoorthy* #, and R. Meier. Lack of morphological coevolution between male forelegs and female wings in Themira (Sepsidae: Diptera: Insecta). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 93: 227-238. abstract

21. 2007: Yeates, D. K., B. M. Wiegmann, G. W. Courtney, R. Meier, and T. Pape. 2008. Phylogeny and systematics of Diptera: two decades of progress and prospects. Zootaxa, 1668: 565-590.  

22. 2007: Petersen, F. T.*#, J. Damgaard, and R. Meier. DNA Taxonomy: How many DNA sequences are needed for solving a taxonomic problem? The case of two parapatric species of louse Flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Ornithomya (Latreille, 1802). Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny, 65: 111-117.

23. 2007: Petersen, F. T.* #, R. Meier, S. N. Kutty#, B. M. Wiegmann. Phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of host choice in louse- and batflies (Hippoboscoidea: Diptera). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45: 111-122. abstract

24. 2007: Yeo, D. C. J., H.-T Shih, R. Meier, P. K. L. Ng. Phylogeny and biogeography of the freshwater crab genus Johora (Crustacea: Brachyura: Potamidae) from the Malay Peninsula, and the origins of its insular fauna. Zoologica Scripta, 36: 255-270. abstract

25. 2007: Su Feng Yi, K.* #, R. Meier, R. R. Jackson, D. P. Harland, and D. Li.  Evolution of prey-catching behavior and acute vision in jumping spiders based on a phylogenetic hypothesis for Spartaeinae (Araneae: Salticidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 20: 1478-1489. abstract

26. 2007: Blanckenhorn, W., R. Meier, and T. Teder. Rensch's rule in insects: patterns among and within species. Pages 60-70, in Fairbairn et al.: 'Sex, Size and Gender Roles evolutionary studies of sexual size dimorphism' Oxford University Press.

27. 2007: Bickford, D., Lohman, D., Sodhi, N. S., Ng, P. K. L., Meier, R., Winker, K., Ingram, K., Das, I. 2007 Cryptic species: a new window on diversity and conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 22: 148-155. abstract

28. 2007: Meier, R. Themira biloba Andersson 1975 (Sepsidae: Diptera), a species from Manhattan's Central Park that is new to the Nearctic Region. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 114: 176-177.

29. 2007: Kutty, S. N. #, M. V. Bernasconi, F. Sifner, and R. Meier. 2007 Sensitivity analysis, molecular systematics, and natural history evolution of Scathophagidae (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha: Calyptratae). Cladistics, 23: 64-83. abstract

30. 2007: Shekelle, M., Meier, R. Indrawan, M., Maryanto, I., Salim, A., Supriatna, J. Andayani, N., Wirdateti. 2007. When 'Not Extinct' is not good news: Conservation in the Sangihe Islands. Conservation Biology, 21: 4-5.

31. 2007: Meier, R. 2007. 'Is Undergraduate Research an Oxymoron? Can undergraduates do research? - A perspective from the Faculty of Science' -. CDTL Brief, 10: 1-3.

32. 2007: Blanckenhorn, W. U., A. F. G. Dixon, D. J. Fairbairn, M. W. Foellmer, P. Gibert, K. van der Linde, R. Meier, S. Nylin, S. Pitnick, C. Schoff, M. Signorelli, T. Teder, and C. Wiklund. Proximate causes of Rensch's rule: Does sexual size dimorphism in arthropods result from sex differences in development time? American Naturalist 169, 245-257. abstract

33. 2006: Meier, R., S. Kwong*, G. Vaidya*, and P. K. L. Ng. DNA Barcoding and taxonomy in Diptera: a tale of high intraspecific variability and low identification success. Systematic Biology, 55: 715-728. abstract

34. 2006: Memon, N., R. Meier, A. Mannan, and K. Feng-Yi Su* #. On the use of DNA sequences for determining the species limits of a polymorphic new species in the stinkbug genus Halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) from Pakistan. Systematic Entomology, 31: 703-710. abstract

35. 2006: Klass, K. D., and R. Meier. A phylogenetic analysis of Dictyoptera (Insecta) based on morphological characters. Entomologische Abhandlungen (Dresden) 63: 3-50.

36. 2006: Clements, R.* #, L. P. Koh, T. M. Lee, R. Meier, and D. Li. Importance of reservoirs for the conservation of freshwater molluscs in a tropical urban landscape. Biological Conservation, 128, 136-146. abstract

37. 2005: Laamanen, T. R.*, R. Meier, M. A. Miller, A. Hille, and B. M. Wiegmann. Phylogenetic analysis of Themira (Sepsidae: Diptera): sensitivity analysis, alignment, and indel treatment in a multigene study. Cladistics, 21: 258-271. abstract

38. 2005: Meier, R., and F. Ali*. The newest kid on the parsimony block: TNT (Tree analysis using new technology). Systematic Entomology, 30: 179-182.

39. 2005: Damgaard, J., N. M. Andersen, and R. Meier. Effects of alignment and taxon sampling in combined molecular and morphological analyses of water strider phylogeny (Hemiptera-Heteroptera, Gerromorpha). Systematic Entomology, 30: 289-309. abstract

40. 2005: Meier, R. The Role of Dipterology in Phylogenetic Systematics: The Insight of Willi Hennig. Book chapter for 'The Evolutionary Biology of Flies' edited by B. Wiegmann & D. Yeates, pp. 45-62.

41. 2004: Larsen, N. M.*, & R. Meier. The species diversity, distribution, and conservation status of the Asilidae (Diptera: Insecta) in Denmark. Steenstrupia, 28: 177-241.

42. 2004: Meier, R., and T. Dikow*. The significance of specimen databases from taxonomic revisions for estimating and mapping the global species diversity of invertebrates and repatriating reliable and complete specimen data. Conservation Biology, 18: 478-488. abstract

43. 2004: Yeates, D. K., R. Meier, and B. M. Wiegmann. Phylogeny of True Flies (Diptera): A 250 Million Year Old Success Story in Terrestrial Diversification. Entomologische Abhandlungen (Dresden), 61(2): 170-172.

44. 2003: Hansen, T. R. *, J. F. T. Petersen* #, and R. Meier. Kelp Flies and Species Concepts - The Case of Coelopa frigida and C. nebularum. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 41: 127-136. abstract

45. 2003: Petersen, J. F. T. * #, R. Meier, and M. Nykjaer Larsen*. Testing species richness estimation methods using museum label data on the Danish Asilidae. Biodiversity and Conservation 12: 687-701. abstract

46. 2003: Petersen, J. F. T.* #, and R. Meier. Testing species richness estimation methods on single sample data using the Danish Diptera. Biodiversity and Conservation 12: 667-686. abstract