Nicolas Straube

Associate Professor, Curator of ichthyology and associate professor

University Museum of Bergen Department of Natural History

E-mailnicolas.straube@uib.no
Phone+47 55 58 29 64
Visitor Address
Realfagbygget

Allégaten 41

5007 Bergen

Room
1F14d
Postal Address
Postboks 7800

5020 Bergen

My research foci lie on deciphering the phylogeny and systematics of deep-sea sharks, where I am making use of morphological and phylogenomic methods (including sequencing of preserved museum material) to explore adaptation, diversity, phylogeography and population structures in present and past.

www.shark-references.com

https://www.facebook.com/sharkreferences

Bachelor and master thesis supervision
UiB BIO298:Workplace practice in Biology
UiB BIO299: Research Practice in Biology
High Throughput Sequencing - data types, data manipulation and analysis at ForBIO Research School for Biosystematics (https://www.forbio.uio.no/events/courses/2022/HTS_Bergen_2022.html)
Systematics and Evolution of Marine Invertebrates: ForBio and UiB course (https://www.forbio.uio.no/events/courses/2022/Systematics%20and%20Evolut...)
BIO210: Evolutionary Biology team lecture
Introduction to phylogenetic methods: ForBio and UiB course (https://www.forbio.uio.no/events/courses/2022/Bergen_Phylogenetics_2022....)

Publications (selection)

Methods:

Straube, N. & Lyra, M.L. & Paijmans, J.L.A. & Preick, M. & Basler, N. & Penner, J. & Rödel, M.-O. & Westbury, M.V. & Haddad, C.F.B. & Barlow, A. & Hofreiter, M. (2021)Successful application of ancient DNA extraction and library construction protocols to museum wet collection specimens. Molecular Ecology Resources, 21(7), 2299–2315DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13433

Agne, S. & Straube, N. & Preick, M. & Hofreiter, M. (2022). Simultaneous barcode sequencing of diverse museum collection specimens using a mixed RNA bait set. Front. Ecol. Evol. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.909846

McCormack, J. & Griffiths, M.L. & Kim, S.L. & Shimada, K. & Karnes, M. & Maisch, H. & Pederzani, S. & Bourgon, N. & Jaouen, K. & Becker, M.A. & Jöns, N. & Sisma-Ventura, G. & Straube, N. & Pollerspöck, J. & Hublin, J.-J. & Eagle, R.A. & Tütken, T. (2022)Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes. Nature Communications, 13, Article 2980DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30528-9

Li, C. & Hofreiter, M. & Straube, N. & Corrigan, S. & Naylor G.J.P. (2013) Capturing protein-coding genes across highly divergent species BioTechniques 2013 54:6, 321-326

Museomics

Baer, Jan, Schliewen, Ulrich K., Schedel, Frederic D. B., Straube, Nicolas, Roch, Samuel, and Brinker, Alexander. 2023. “ Cryptic Persistence and Loss of Local Endemism in Lake Constance Charr Subject to Anthropogenic Disturbance.” Ecological Applications 33( 2): e2773. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2773

Agne, S. & Naylor, G.J.P. & Preick, M. & Yang, L. & Thiel, R. & Weigmann, S. & Paijmans, J.L.A. & Barlow, A. & Hofreiter, M. & Straube, N. (2022)Taxonomic Identification of Two Poorly Known Lantern Shark Species Based on Mitochondrial DNA From Wet-Collection Paratypes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, Article fevo.2022.910009DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.910009

Straube, N. & Preick, M. & Naylor, G.J.P. & Hofreiter, M. (2021)Mitochondrial DNA sequencing of a wet-collection syntype demonstrates the importance of type material as genetic resource for lantern shark taxonomy (Chondrichthyes: Etmopteridae). Royal Society Open Science, 8(9), Article 210474DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210474

Li, C. & Corrigan, S. & Yang, L. & Straube, N. & Harris, M. & Hofreiter, M. & White, W.T. & Naylor, G.J.P. (2015)DNA capture reveals transoceanic gene flow in endangered river sharks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(43), 13302–13307DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1508735112

Technical comment:

Feichtinger, I. & Adnet, S. & Cuny, G. & Guinot, G. & Kriwet, J. & Neubauer, T.A. & Pollerspöck, J. & Shimada, K. & Straube, N. & Underwood, C. & Vullo, R. & Harzhauser, M. (2021)Comment on “An early Miocene extinction in pelagic sharks”. Science, 374(6573), Article abk0632DOI: 10.1126/science.abk0632

Phylogenetics & Evolution

Wang, Q. & Dizaj, L. P. & Huang, J. & Sarker, K. K. & Kevrekidis, C. & Reichenbacher, B. & Esmaeili, H. R. & Straube, N. & Moritz, T. & Li, C. (2022) Molecular phylogenetics of the Clupeiformes based on exon-capture data and a new classification of the order, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution,Volume 175,2022,107590,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107590

Claes, J.M. & Nilsson, D.-E. & Mallefet, J. & Straube, N. (2015)The presence of lateral photophores correlates with increased speciation in deep-sea bioluminescent sharks. Royal Society Open Science, 2, Article 150219DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150219

Claes, J.M. & Nilsson, D.-E. & Straube, N. & Collin, S.P. & Mallefet, J. (2014)Iso-luminance counterillumination drove bioluminescent shark radiation. Scientific Reports, 4, Article 4328DOI: 10.1038/srep04328

Straube, N. & Li, C. & Claes, J.M. & Corrigan, S. & Naylor, G.J.P. (2015)Molecular phylogeny of Squaliformes and first occurrence of bioluminescence in sharks. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 15, Article 162 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0446-6

Conservation

Villate-Moreno, M, & Cubillos-M, J.C. & Stibor, H. & Crawford, A.J. & Straube, N. (2022)Molecular identification and first demographic insights of sharks based on artisanal fisheries bycatch in the Pacific Coast of Colombia: implications for conservation. PeerJ, 10, Article e13478DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13478

Villate-Moreno, M. & Pollerspöck, J. & Kremer-Obrock, F. & Straube, N. (2021)Molecular analyses of confiscated shark fins reveal shortcomings of CITES implementations in Germany. Conservation Science and Practice, 3(6), Article e398DOI: 10.1111/csp2.398

Palaeontology

Pollerspöck, J. & Güthner, T. & Straube, N. (2022)Re-evaluation of the Lower Miocene (Burdigalian, Ottnangian) elasmobranch fauna (Elasmobranchii, Neoselachii) from Upper Austria (Allerding, near Schärding, Austria) with comments on the paleogeographic distribution of the recorded squaliform sharks. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Series A, 122, 87–163

Feichtinger, I. & Guinot, G. & Straube, N. & Harzhauser, M. & Auer, G. & Ćorić, S. & Kranner, M. & Schellhorn, S. & Ladwig, J. & Thies, D. & Pollerspöck, J. (2022)Revision of the Cretaceous shark Protoxynotus (Chondrichthyes, Squaliformes) and early evolution of somniosid sharks. Cretaceous Research, 140, Article 105331DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105331

Pollerspöck, J. & Beaury, B. & Straube, N. & Feichtinger, I. (2021)Oldest evidence of the genus Squalus in the north alpine realm with remarks on its evolution and distribution through time. Paleoichthys, 2, 1–9

Pollerspöck, J. & Straube, N. (2021)Phylogenetic placement and description of an extinct genus and species of kitefin shark based on tooth fossils (Squaliformes: Dalatiidae). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 19(15), 1083–1096DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2021.2012537

Show author(s) (2023). Head anatomy of a lantern shark wet-collection specimen (Chondrichthyes: Etmopteridae). Journal of Anatomy.

Show author(s) (2022). Trophic position of Otodus megalodon and great white sharks through time revealed by zinc isotopes. Nature Communications.
Show author(s) (2022). Taxonomic Identification of Two Poorly Known Lantern Shark Species Based on Mitochondrial DNA From Wet-Collection Paratypes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
Show author(s) (2022). Simultaneous Barcode Sequencing of Diverse Museum Collection Specimens Using a Mixed RNA Bait Set. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
Show author(s) (2022). Revision of the Cretaceous shark Protoxynotus (Chondrichthyes, Squaliformes) and early evolution of somniosid sharks. Cretaceous research (Print).
Show author(s) (2022). Placoid scales in bioluminescent sharks: Scaling their evolution using morphology and elemental composition. Frontiers in Marine Science. 1-15.
Show author(s) (2022). Molecular phylogenetics of the Clupeiformes based on exon-capture data and a new classification of the order. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
Show author(s) (2022). Molecular identification and first demographic insights of sharks based on artisanal fisheries bycatch in the Pacific Coast of Colombia: implications for conservation. PeerJ.
Show author(s) (2022). Keratose sponge MuseOMICS: setting reference points in dictyoceratid demosponge phylogeny. Zootaxa. 296-300.
Show author(s) (2022). Cryptic persistence and loss of local endemism in Lake Constance charr subject to anthropogenic disturbance. Ecological Applications.

Show author(s) (2021). Successful application of ancient DNA extraction and library construction protocols to museum wet collection specimens. Molecular Ecology Resources. 2299-2315.
Show author(s) (2021). Phylogenetic placement and description of an extinct genus and species of kitefin shark based on tooth fossils (Squaliformes: Dalatiidae). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 1083-1096.
Show author(s) (2021). Molecular analyses of confiscated shark fins reveal shortcomings of CITES implementations in Germany. Conservation Science and Practice (CSP). 1-8.
Show author(s) (2021). Mitochondrial DNA sequencing of a wet-collection syntype demonstrates the importance of type material as genetic resource for lantern shark taxonomy (Chondrichthyes: Etmopteridae). Royal Society Open Science. 1-13.
Show author(s) (2021). Fisker (Myxini, Petromyzontiformes, Chondrichthyes, Osteichthyes). Norsk rødliste for arter 2021. .
Show author(s) (2021). Comment on “An early Miocene extinction in pelagic sharks”. Science.

Show author(s) (2020). Two centuries of marine biodiversity collections and research.
Show author(s) (2020). Target-enriched DNA sequencing from historical type material enables a partial revision of the Madagascar giant stream frogs (genus Mantidactylus). Journal of Natural History. 87-118.
Show author(s) (2020). Intraspecific dental variations in the deep-sea shark Etmopterus spinax and their significance in the fossil record. Zoomorphology. 483-491.

Show author(s) (2019). The whale hall - The great swarm.
Show author(s) (2019). The Garra species (Cyprinidae) of the Main Nile basin with description of three new species. Cybium. 311-329.
Show author(s) (2019). Mission (im)possible: identifying skate species accurrately, fast, easy and untrained, is that possible?

More information in national current research information system (CRIStin)

Phylogenomics of archival DNA (German research Foundation; project number 351649567)

Lions in Bergen – provenance of three collection specimens of Panthera leo in the University Museum of Bergen (Meltzer Fund)

Type Specimen Museomics (Meltzer Fund)

Since 2019:

Stefanie Agne, PhD student at Potsdam University, Germany. Title: Phylogenomic assignment of orphan museum specimens. Further supervision: Assoc. Prof. Nicolas Straube, Prof. Michael Hofreiter (Potsdam University) & Prof. Ralf Tiedemann (Potsdam University).
Melany Villate-Moreno, PhD student at Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany (LMU). Title: Molecular tools for elasmobranch identification and conservation. Supervision: Assoc. Prof. Nicolas Straube, Prof. Herwig Stibor (LMU) & Prof. Roland Melzer (LMU).
Haakon Arthur Pedersen, Msc student at NTNU Trondheim & UiB Bergen, Norway. Title: Diversity and trophic ecology of fish at hydrothermal vents on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge. Supervision: Assoc. Prof. Nicolas Straube, Prof. Torkild Bakken (NTNU) & assoc. Prof. Mari Heggernes Eilertsen (UiB).
Renate Løvlund Andersen, student at UiB BIO; BIO299: Research Practice in Biology. Title: Intraspecific dental variations in the deep-sea shark Galeus melastomus.

Alumni:

Benedikt Auer, Msc studetn at Rostok University, Germany. Title: In full armour - does shark skin protect from parasite infestation? Supervision: Dr. habil. Timo Moritz (DMM) & Assoc. Prof. Nicolas Straube.

Fields of competence

Molecular phylogenetics

Phylogenetic analysis