The roots of our lab lie in the field of phylogeography – understanding the distribution of genetic variation across landscapes (well, in our case, seascapes). This allowed us to begin to understand patterns of genetic structure of marine species in southern Africa, connectivity via gene flow, as well as historical and contemporary population dynamics. Over the years we have built up a strong background in this field, contributing large amounts of new data for our region.
Selected key papers:
Dalongville A, Nielsen ES, Teske PR, von der Heyden S. (2022) Comparative phylogeography in a marine biodiversity hotspot provides novel insights into evolutionary processes across the Atlantic-Indian Ocean transition. Diversity and Distributions 28:2622-2636
Andreotti S, von der Heyden S, Henriques R, et al. (2016) Global mtDNA population structure of white sharks. Journal of Biogeography, 43: 328-339
von der Heyden S, Toms JA, Teske PR, et al. (2015) Contrasting signals of genetic diversity and historical demography between two recently diverged marine and estuarine fish species. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 526: 157-167
Teske PR, von der Heyden S, McQuaid CD, Barker NP (2011) A review of marine phylogeography in southern Africa. SouthAfrican Journal of Science 107, Art #514.
Neethling M, Matthee CA, Bowie RCK, von der Heyden S (2008) Evidence of successful dispersal across a major oceanographic barrier in the southern African endemic, Caffrogobius caffer (Teleostei: Gobiidae). BMC Evolutionary Biology 8: 325