Cerriculum vitae

since 2022: Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin im Arbeitsbereich Genomforschung, Thünen-Institut für Forstgenetik

2015 – 2022: Postdoctoral Fellow in the Molecular Animal Physiology lab, University of Hamburg (including teaching BSc and MSc courses in Biology as well as BSc and BA for Biology teachers; supervision of BSc, MSc and PhD theses)

2011 – 2015: PhD in genetics, University of Otago, New Zealand

2009 - 2010: Diplom (Master equivalent) in Biology in the Molecular Ecology lab, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg

2007: DAAD exchange semester, University of Pretoria, South Africa

2003 – 2010: Study of Biology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg

BucheTIG – Genetics and dendroecology of European beech: project part „1000 beech genomes“

The European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is the most common broad-leafed tree species in Central Europe and thus, of ecological and economical importance. Research focusing on the adaptability of this long-lived organism with a long generation time is not just interesting from a scientific perspective but also of public concern. Our common garden (provenance trial) in Northern Germany with individuals from 100 populations across the natural distribution range of European beech allows us to collect a comprehensive dataset consisting of phenotypic and genomic information. Using publicly available climate data and genotype-environment associations (GEAs), we identified loci in the beech genome that may be important for the process of adaptation to specific climate variables, such es annual mean temperature. Considering the allele frequencies of these loci we determined the risk of non-adaptedness (RONA) of beech populations to temperature and precipitation progressions, as predicted by future climate models. However, the genomic data allows us to study complex traits beyond the level of provenances and characterize the genetic architecture of each individual. Our first results can be found on bioRxiv. More details about the project and the team can be found here.

Müller NA, Geßner C, Mader M, Blanc-Jolivet C, Fladung M, Degen B. 2023 Genomic variation of a keystone forest tree species reveals patterns of local adaptation and future maladaptation. bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.11.540382

Martens G, Geßner C, Folkow LP, Creydt M, Fischer M, Burmester T. 2023 The role of the brain lipids and polar metabolites in the hypoxia tolerance of deep-diving pinnipeds. Journal of Experimental Biology 226.8

Martens G, Geßner C, Osterhof C, Hankeln T, Burmester T. 2022 Transcriptomes of Clusterin- and S100B-transfected neuronal cells elucidate protective mechanisms against hypoxia and oxidative stress in the hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) brain. BMC Neuroscience: 23.1 1-24

Martens G, Folkow LP, Burmester T, Geßner C. 2022 Elevated antioxidant defence of the brain of deep-diving pinnipeds. Frontiers in Physiology 13: 2637

Geßner C, Krüger A, Folkow LP, Fehrle W, Mikkelsen B, Burmester T. 2022 Transcriptomes suggest that pinniped and cetacean brains have a high capacity for aerobic metabolism while reducing energy-intensive processes such as synaptic transmission. Front. Mol. Neurosci. 15: 877349.

Geßner C, Stillger MN, Mölders N, Fabrizius A, Folkow LP, Burmester T. 2020 Cell culture experiments reveal high S100B and clusterin levels may convey hypoxia-tolerance to the hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) brain. Neuroscience Vol. 451: 226-239

Beitrag im Deutschlandfunk (2017): Geheime Damenwahl: Königslachsweibchen sind befruchtungsselektiv. (Beitrag: Geheime Damenwahl)

Geßner C, Johnson SL, Fisher, P, Clarke S, Rutherford K, Symonds J, Gemmell NJ. 2017 Female-male relatedness at specific SNP-linkage groups influences cryptic female choice in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Proc. R. Soc. B.Vol. 284. No. 1859

Geßner C, Nakagawa S, Zavodna M, Gemmell NJ. 2017. Sexual selection for genetic compatibility: the role of the Major Histocompatibility Complex on cryptic female choice in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Heredity 118.5: 442-452

Behrens D, Huang Q, Geßner C, Rosenkranz P, Frey E, Locke B, Moritz RFA, Kraus FB. 2011.Three QTL in the honey bee Apis mellifera L. suppress reproduction of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Ecol Evol; 1(4): 451-458