Dr Sophie von der Heyden

Fields of interest

Cape Times, 26 April, 2009

My interests started in the field of marine population genetics and the use of genetic markers in delineating population and stock structure in fish and invertebrate species. I am fascinated how life history and oceanography interplay to shape the population genetic structure of marine organisms. This has now branched out into investigating ways to incorporate genetic data into marine conservation planning in southern Africa, and especially their applicability in Marine Protected Area design. This part of my research focuses on a wide variety of marine organisms, ranging from commercially exploited species to intertidal molluscs, crustaceans, fishes and more! Other projects that have come our way include uncovering seafood fraud, phylogenetic approaches to marine evolution, parasite and host relationships and a whole bunch more.

I also seem to have developed a love affair with clinid fishes! This group displays an amazing amount of morphological (especially colour) diversity, strange modes of reproduction (Superembryonation) and extreme ecological adaptations. As such, they are a brilliant study system for understanding not only phylogeographical patterning in the light of reduced larval dispersal, but also incipient and cryptic speciation, polyandrous mating systems and the evolution of vivipary in coastal fishes.

Molecular tools have wide applicability in the marine field in South Africa. See below for some of the main research interests of the marine molecular group:

• Marine conservation planning and the integration of population genetics and gene flow into Marine Protected Area networks

• Population genetics and management of southern African commercially exploited fish and invertebrate species such hakes (Merluccius spp.), yellowtail (Seriola lalandii), rock lobster (Jasus and Palinurus spp).

• Molecular ecology of coastal vertebrate and invertebrate marine species

• Cryptic and incipient speciation in southern African marine species, especially within clinid fishes

• Host-parasite evolution and co-phylogeography in marine systems

• Phylogenetic approaches of southern African marine species to shed light on the evolution

  Available November 2012

  and diversification of southern African marine fauna

• Invasive marine species and their invasion histories
  Fraudulent mislabelling of seafood products in South Africa

• Paleoclimatic change and the effect of historical change on marine biodiversity

• Biogeography of southern Africa in a global context

 

 

There are always opportunities for enthusiastic and dynamic students…. Please email me 
(svdh@sun.ac.za) to enquire about future student projects and bursaries (MSc, PhD and Postdoctoral)